Fair is fair, if I can comment on the shortcomings of the events I go to, I should be able to comment on my own event with the same energy. Let’s just get this out the way, N.A.R.S. – Back to DG did not start on time.
The reason is I told Chris Chrome I’d handle communication then failed to communicate effectively with all the parties involved. I literally forgot to tell the Regulators camp when sound check would be.
I was so disorganized that Sarah Gao and her band got there before me and set off the alarm at The Wheel Club. Trust, this was all because Holden made the dumb choice to not let Chris do his thing. Instead, I tried to be big man and made all the mistakes I could possibly make with regards to telling people the key information.
Otherwise, the night was lit, and honestly, while I looked a bit goofy, the people had fun.
A 10-hour sleep to start the day
I have a Fitbit, so I know how much time I am asleep. Also, to the people who think Fitbit’s are useless, I would beg to differ. Once this thing told me how many calories I burn a day, I got way more active.
What can I say, I’m a #datagang type of guy.
The edibles I ate the day before knocked me out. A lot of times I don’t realize how high I get off edibles because when it comes to THC, I can handle volumes akin to an alcoholic chugging out the bottle. Then I wake up the next day with this groggy hangover reminding me that I was in fact buzzing beyond the norm.
I don’t often sleep more 6 hours of actual sleep, maybe 7 hours in bed each night. The Fitbit had me in bed for 10 hours and asleep for 8 and half hours. All I can say is this is terrible for time management but wonderful for waking up feeling rested.
I write this after sleeping another 9 hours, following more edibles last night, and there is a noticeable impact on my immediate desire for coffee. Almost an hour went by before I realized coffee was still something I rely on to focus.
Coffee is drugs kids. Still, if you do have sleep issues, try edibles. They are going to make you sleep for real. Also, I’m out of edibles until the next gift bag.
The time crunch was real
The downside to waking up groggy after sleeping in is there is way less time in the day to accomplish all your tasks. Now some days this is fine, on Fridays we do Our PRSPCTVS. I had to just stop writing this to put the episode out on YouTube.
That stream is from Noon to 2:00 PM and is truly fun. It’s basically a reaction show to topical issues where we get to showcase our personality more.
I also had to be at the venue for like 6-6:30 PM to deal with the event I was throwing later that day. My suit was still at the dry cleaners. I had to write yesterday’s blog.
I was in a stressed frame of mind, and this made accomplishing anything even harder. This is that good stress though, that comes from having too much to do.
Apparently, it’s in times like these when I start neglecting my personal life and friends. Balance is still something I pursue, but we make it through and pull it all off still.
I haven’t figured out a great way to apply all the wonderful theory I have with time management to real life. The me that sits there and plans my week vigilantly doesn’t assume I’ll knock back enough edibles to wake up late. For some reason he is convinced I will wake up early every day of the week even if I am going to bed after midnight several days that week.
The mad dash to Wheel Club
As I am hopping out of the shower and getting ready to leave, I get a message from Sarah Gao. She is at the venue and the door is locked. This is 100% my fault and I had a chat earlier that day with the venue, which lead to this very moment. I’m truly grateful everyone was patient with me.
Here is the blunder folks, I didn’t confirm everything with every artist day of. I made assumptions and guessed wrong. Yesterday’s PRSPCTVS aren’t always today’s reality.
It is extremely unprofessional to me when the artists get to the show before the promoter and have to wait outside with locked doors. I literally made that comment in a phone call with the venue owner that day. And yet, here I was being guilty of the same crimes I call out others for.
I finished getting ready and power walked my way to the venue. Chris Chrome and Drew Edghill were there with the band waiting as I pulled up.
I feel like I got caught slacking and next time I will be there before everyone else as I feel I should. No one seemed that upset with me, but still it’s sloppy. This N.A.R.S. (Not Another Rap Show) series is one of my new babies, it can only be nurtured properly if I treat it seriously.
The buildup to showtime
At a certain point I realized I had not told the entire roster to actually pull up at 7:00 PM for sound check. By 8:00, a few key performers had yet to arrive. In my frustrations yesterday I was salty, but the reality is I was mad at myself.
It was a point of pride to me that the last 3 N.A.R.S. events started punctually. This time, due to my own negligence it started an hour and 20 minutes or so late. This was a very stressful moment of my life, sheer powerlessness.
We were waiting on one performer to arrive, again I want to stress I did not specifically tell him a time to arrive. We also apparently forgot to put the time on the flyer.
I’m definitely not going to give out the set order to the performers ahead of time. Unfortunately, too many folks are comfortable only coming when their set is supposed to happen. Still, if you are a promoter of an event, you need to tell your artists when they need to be there.
If you don’t, you cannot be upset after if they don’t arrive when you want them to arrive. See, I can be as critical of myself as anyone else.
I don’t think anyone cared as much as me, and Shobiz514 who had to be up early after a long day. Everyone else seemed to be having a lovely time. I also sold two pickle t-shirts, go merch.
The show begins
N.A.R.S. – Back to DG kicked off with Mr. FlipStar & Richeous. Each dropped a solo joint where they hyped each other up with the familiarity of a Redman & Method Man type duo. The crowd immediately reacted to their sound and energy, clearly delighted by how this was kicking off.
When they did their Hot Potato song people lost their minds. They did some chopper level speeds and flows but handing off the mic mid-line with sheer precision. It was an impressive display of skill and finesse.
Drew Edghill was the second artist to bless The Wheel Club stage that night. His performance was spectacular. He had the venue engineer set up custom lighting and then proceeded to command the crowd. His music had every head in the room looking over, clearly feeling the vibe.
His music is pop enough to be marketable and enjoyed by the masses while retaining a clear essence of Drew. It’s the type of content that introduces you to the man while giving a musical experience that is relatable.
Regulators and Jimmie D came next. I like the way Travis Bryant put it, they were like a whole army on stage. Every time I see them perform their confidence as a unit grows. Their choreography gets more and more immaculate, watch for Massive looking for somewhere to sit next time.
What makes Regulators spectacular is that they have nothing out on the DSPs. This is a real underground phenomenon where if you know you know.
Sarah Gao & our special guest
Sarah Gao and her band were next. They performed Redbone, Toxic by Britney and something else. Sometimes you hear covers from bands at a show and it’s like meh, you are getting by because we all know this song.
This is not the case for Sarah. They reimagine and deliver beautiful experiences when they perform. I had multiple people asking me where I found them as they did their tunes. It’s definitely different to book a band, they have more requirements, but Sarah Gao and her people brought such an uplifting energy to the show.
They also stuck around to the end and appeared to really enjoy what we did. I feel they really brought out the spirit of Not Another Rap Show.
Our special guest was the homie Travis Bryant. It’s fun to have people on the lineup who are a secret. Big picture I want people to come to a N.A.R.S. show and just be introduced to new people, because they want to be at the N.A.R.S. show either way.
Travis had a high energy performance where his voice dances across his tunes. His mix of catchy hooks and verses packed with emotion shine before a live audience. Rico Blox joined him and together they bring an infectious energy to the stage. These men are veterans with decades behind them and it shows.
Travis Bryant was an excellent coheadliner. Coheadliner is a real jargon term, it’s the act before the headliner.
The KIL Team set
I hit up the team with, I want to do an hour-long headliner set. The only rule will be none of us are performing two songs in a row. Will E. Skandalz, Smoking Ink, Chris Chrome, JS #NOREGARD & KDIITimes, Shobiz514 and I were all doing this KIL Team set.
We ended up with 17 tracks, where I curated the order last minute. Unfortunately getting that many people on a call to decide something like this is cumbersome, so I just made the choice and said let’s go. Everyone saw what I sent and agreed, so we were ready to try this out.
I have not yet watched the footage of our set, but it was everything I wanted it to be. The homies and I hyping each other’s songs up. I definitely fucked up Shobiz’ flow on Roadman Freestyle, but alas we are all going to learn.
It felt like we were on some Wu-Tang vibes as a squad working together to bring the best versions of ourselves. It felt extra special to debut two songs that night, especially the posse cut with KD, JS and CC.
I just felt so proud to be there in that moment seeing it work. I think that’s the longest set I’ve been a part of and I’m glad it was with my team.
Already the generals be talking their how to make it better talk. I just be glowing in the vibe of seeing my vision come to life.
Shoutout The Wheel Club
This venue is incredible. They have pinball machines, of which Rozwel won the contest. His score was 784K by the end of the night.
There are video game machines that have vintage classics to hit your nostalgia. Who would of thought old video games are the new VLT. There is a pool table and they unlocked it for us so we could have free pool all night.
They have food, Bonnie got a pizza and some dumplings. The dumplings are nice AF. I can’t really remember the pizza that much as I just was like, that’s a lot of bread before a show.
Shoutout the sound engineer at The Wheel Club. This man really does it, EQ’s the voices and makes stuff sound crispy in real time. When we sound check in the future at Wheel Club, you need to be there because we are getting a real deal sound check.
There are tables all over, which let people sit down and eat, or rest. There is enough space in front of the stage to give you a crowd. Plus, it’s hidden in this little downstairs alley way where you’d never notice it unless you were directed there.
The Wheel Club is a vibe.
Look ma, I throw concerts now
This is the 4th N.A.R.S. event we’ve thrown. I have not yet made money on this series, I think across all of them I’m down about 850$.
Thank goodness fiscals aren’t the only thing that matters. No one should go into the event game expecting to make bread right away. I learned so much doing these events that the next event will be profitable. I was told it would take about 6 events to figure it out and now I get why.
Human Holden over here does dumb things that cost him money.
These events were successful. In my opinion the N.A.R.S. – Back to DG event, on a musical front, was an extremely high-quality experience. The people had fun, and no one left in a bad mood.
I had told the venue man we would get 50-60 people, including artists, in the room and we did just that. Already we are talking about the next dates and how this can become a monthly series.
Success is not always measured in dollars. Return on investment is not always about money.
Anyway, this feels like a good place to end this one. I appreciate everyone who came out to any of the N.A.R.S. events so far and all the people that come in the future.
Oh, and thanks to Vincent Pryce for holding us down as the DJ. He’s a great friend and it’s always a pleasure to work with him.
Live Long and Prosper Everyone
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