Ambrose goes to a Hip-Hop show
After seeing Davu Flint at the East Liberty event on Friday, I thought it might be interesting to see a fuller set of his on Saturday night. He was performing at the Shadow Lounge also in East Liberty. So with Megan having no plans for Saturday, I was free to head over late, after Myles went to bed.
I was suddenly nervous on my way over. As I was talking to Randy, I said that if I were the only white person there I was leaving. He teased me, asking, oh, would you feel safer if there are a few white people around, knowing that that wouldn't be the case. The truth is, if a white person walks into a Hip-Hop club alone, she is perceived to be up to no good. Of course, to add to my trepidation, I have no funky clothes anymore. I am dressed looking like I am on my way to a PTA meeting. So now I am drving around dark and near-empty streets in East Liberty in my Volvo, looking whiter than I ever have in my life, trying to find some Hip-Hop venue I had never been to, let alone heard of before yesterday. I drive by once, noting a mixed race couple sitting outside, and decide, oh well, why not. What's the worst that can happen? People look at me funny?
So I go in, pay my $7 cover and head for the "bar." I use that term loosely only because this is techinically a coffee shop, and the bar is the espresso bar, though for $5 I can drink all the wine I want (2 glasses--whoopee). I look around and other than the owner and the couple working the door, all 8 other patrons are 20ish white kids that just sit on the couches and applaud politely to everything. And I mean everything. No one gets up to dance or jump around or holla, even when asked.
The opening act is just plain awful. Okay, to be diplomatic, not my style. It is a pair of white guys (one who is friends with Davu Flint and is a competitive Slam Poet, but that does not necessarily make you a good rapper on either count) with zero stage presences and a rhyming style that was just plain profane ramblings. For those of you I sent text messages to during the show, please be so kind as NOT repeat them in the comments boxes here. I did look in Barnes and Nobles and they say they have no such category.
While Awful Opening Act is assaulting me, i watch a well dressed couple that have just arrived. The man is white, early 20s, very short hair, and wearing a pink shirt with white cuffs and collar. His date is a very pretty, very petite Asian girl who looks to be a few years younger than he. He buys a bottle of water for himself, and she refuses his offer for anything to drink. They sit on a couch not too far from the bar. She is looking around like she has never been here, and as they talk a little, it is clear from the look on her face that she is courteously indulging him by being there and is ready to leave at anytime. And they leave.
Shortly before Davu is to take the stage, the white guy with the date returns, sans date. He sits in the open seat next to me, the only other seat at the "bar," and quickly orders and drinks a beer. I didn't mention that the girl working behind the bar is very beautiful, okay, smoking hot. I detect a bit of an accent, thinking she might be Armenian or something like that. I think Mr. Guy thinks she is at least mixed race, because I am already making all sorts of assumptions about him. He starts to talk to her about being poor because he is a medical student. Yup, his date with whom he was with here only half an hour ago is putting on her jammies and he is back, ready topick up the girl behind the bar. She disappears into the back for a while, so I look at him and say, "So I take it this just wasn't your date's scene."
"No, she's not really into Hip-Hop," he says. "But I am. I love Hip-Hop."
Oh, I'll bet you do, I think, because I've already got him a fully fleshed out character that is a little on the slimy side. He asks me what Hip-Hop I like.
I volunteer The Roots, thinking this will shut him up, because I already assume that he is into 50 Cent or someone like that. (I do like the Roots; I didn't just say it to shut him up. I thought it would, though, because Amir Thompson said on World Cafe once that the average Roots fan is a 30 year old white person, because they aren't of the disposable pop mainstream. Since I have him pinned to be more Up In the Club type of guy, I think this will derail the conversation, or at least give me the chance to tell this guy about how 90% of the Hip-Hop on the radio stinks)
"Oh, really? I've seen them live like seven times. They are so dope." He actually used some other 20 something slang that I can't quite remember. Seeing the Roots live, something I haven't done, moves him up a notch in my book, which then puts him at notch one. I ask him if he was from Philly. Why else would a Silly White Guy like them.
"Nah, San Diego. I'm just here for Med School."
I want to remind him that he is in Pittsburgh, not Philly, but I let it slide. So we talk about the Roots and how much I love anything Amir Thompson touches and we talk a little about Phrenology and the one track that sounds like Bad Brains.
Madama Hottie returns to work the "bar." Future Dr. Guy goes back to talking to her until Davu gets on stage.
Davu Flint's set was very good. Again, the white kids on the couches applaud politely. I think I need to get his CD when it comes out this summer. Most of what I heard I really liked. He had a fantastic poetic style, dare I say good flow, and some of the songs that were less political were a tad danceable, or at least music you can play in the car and nod your head to. He had one, "Do Your Thing." that would be very Radio Friendly.
After Davu, the Future Dr. Guy is lamenting that there is no Hip-Hop scene in Pittsburgh. He seems to be so right on there. He moves up to notch two. I mean, a good looking guy like this, a medical student, no less, could be going to any one of the incredibly lame but large clubs in the city that play Hip-Hop and R&B, but he is here, wanting to see LIVE Hip-Hop. I guess he is up to notch three. I can't help but notice the seven white kids are still on the couch, and what few (I think 4) African American folks have shown up, they have paid their cover and ducked into a quieter room away from the main stage area. There really is no groundswell of support for local artists in Pittsburgh. Likein so many other cities, Hip-Hop is fashion--you are cool to like the songs that are going up the charts, and not cool if you still listen to the songs on their way down. I don't think WAMO plays any local talent, unless they are signed to a major label. There is not concept of independent artists in Hip-Hop here. One of the local rock stations has an hour or two every week dedicated to local acts. Where do local hip-hop acts go to get their CD's played on the radio? I wonder how anyone gets signed in this business when in Rock or Country or even CCM, a local following is what often gets you noticed as you move upmarket.
Future Dr. Kildaire goes back to working the girl at the bar. She asks him some generic questions about his rotations and what he wants to do, and as he begins to break down for her all the different areas of medicine and how hard they are, she asks him somthing that must have been a little more technical (I didn't hear) because he stopped, and said something like Are you familiar with the medical field with a little surprise in his voice.
So casually she says, "My dad's an Orthopedic Surgeon."
SLAM! The Med school story is no longer impressive. He will have to use charm or something that resembles that. He asks her if she has a "Significant Other." Like she didn't already see him here with a date tonight! By this time the next act is on stage, so I have no idea how this part of the story ended, but it was a nice diversion from sitting silent in between acts.
Then it is time for the headliner, an MC from Chicago named Psalm One. I have no idea what the local scene in Chicago is like, but I would guess it is probably more supportive than Pittsburgh. But it is clear Psalm One is here to do her show, regardless of crowd size, and she does not hold back even though the Seven White Kids are still glued to the couch. The Chicago Sun-Times ranks her as one of the 10 Best in Chicago--no kidding. Her style and lyricism is more Lauryn Hill than Li'l Kim. The only thing that would hold her back from being really big is that she isn't hoochie. She performed in a white T-shirt and blue jeans and sneakers. No couture, no tight clothes. She has a very relaxed end of the party feel to her best rhymes. I guess right now that isn't popular in Chi-Town, because she performed 2 raps that were very fast, almost staccato, which she said she wrote just to prove she could do the same stuff as anyone else in Chicago. One call and response rap was fantastic
You think too much
Yeah, you know that's right.
You drink too much
Nah, but a beer would be nice.
This was over a really cool sample of strings.
Of course I bought a CD because I know that tour merch is the only thing that pays the bills for struggling bands. I've listened to it in the car a few times, and the You think too much is incredibly catchy on the CD.
I was suddenly nervous on my way over. As I was talking to Randy, I said that if I were the only white person there I was leaving. He teased me, asking, oh, would you feel safer if there are a few white people around, knowing that that wouldn't be the case. The truth is, if a white person walks into a Hip-Hop club alone, she is perceived to be up to no good. Of course, to add to my trepidation, I have no funky clothes anymore. I am dressed looking like I am on my way to a PTA meeting. So now I am drving around dark and near-empty streets in East Liberty in my Volvo, looking whiter than I ever have in my life, trying to find some Hip-Hop venue I had never been to, let alone heard of before yesterday. I drive by once, noting a mixed race couple sitting outside, and decide, oh well, why not. What's the worst that can happen? People look at me funny?
So I go in, pay my $7 cover and head for the "bar." I use that term loosely only because this is techinically a coffee shop, and the bar is the espresso bar, though for $5 I can drink all the wine I want (2 glasses--whoopee). I look around and other than the owner and the couple working the door, all 8 other patrons are 20ish white kids that just sit on the couches and applaud politely to everything. And I mean everything. No one gets up to dance or jump around or holla, even when asked.
The opening act is just plain awful. Okay, to be diplomatic, not my style. It is a pair of white guys (one who is friends with Davu Flint and is a competitive Slam Poet, but that does not necessarily make you a good rapper on either count) with zero stage presences and a rhyming style that was just plain profane ramblings. For those of you I sent text messages to during the show, please be so kind as NOT repeat them in the comments boxes here. I did look in Barnes and Nobles and they say they have no such category.
While Awful Opening Act is assaulting me, i watch a well dressed couple that have just arrived. The man is white, early 20s, very short hair, and wearing a pink shirt with white cuffs and collar. His date is a very pretty, very petite Asian girl who looks to be a few years younger than he. He buys a bottle of water for himself, and she refuses his offer for anything to drink. They sit on a couch not too far from the bar. She is looking around like she has never been here, and as they talk a little, it is clear from the look on her face that she is courteously indulging him by being there and is ready to leave at anytime. And they leave.
Shortly before Davu is to take the stage, the white guy with the date returns, sans date. He sits in the open seat next to me, the only other seat at the "bar," and quickly orders and drinks a beer. I didn't mention that the girl working behind the bar is very beautiful, okay, smoking hot. I detect a bit of an accent, thinking she might be Armenian or something like that. I think Mr. Guy thinks she is at least mixed race, because I am already making all sorts of assumptions about him. He starts to talk to her about being poor because he is a medical student. Yup, his date with whom he was with here only half an hour ago is putting on her jammies and he is back, ready topick up the girl behind the bar. She disappears into the back for a while, so I look at him and say, "So I take it this just wasn't your date's scene."
"No, she's not really into Hip-Hop," he says. "But I am. I love Hip-Hop."
Oh, I'll bet you do, I think, because I've already got him a fully fleshed out character that is a little on the slimy side. He asks me what Hip-Hop I like.
I volunteer The Roots, thinking this will shut him up, because I already assume that he is into 50 Cent or someone like that. (I do like the Roots; I didn't just say it to shut him up. I thought it would, though, because Amir Thompson said on World Cafe once that the average Roots fan is a 30 year old white person, because they aren't of the disposable pop mainstream. Since I have him pinned to be more Up In the Club type of guy, I think this will derail the conversation, or at least give me the chance to tell this guy about how 90% of the Hip-Hop on the radio stinks)
"Oh, really? I've seen them live like seven times. They are so dope." He actually used some other 20 something slang that I can't quite remember. Seeing the Roots live, something I haven't done, moves him up a notch in my book, which then puts him at notch one. I ask him if he was from Philly. Why else would a Silly White Guy like them.
"Nah, San Diego. I'm just here for Med School."
I want to remind him that he is in Pittsburgh, not Philly, but I let it slide. So we talk about the Roots and how much I love anything Amir Thompson touches and we talk a little about Phrenology and the one track that sounds like Bad Brains.
Madama Hottie returns to work the "bar." Future Dr. Guy goes back to talking to her until Davu gets on stage.
Davu Flint's set was very good. Again, the white kids on the couches applaud politely. I think I need to get his CD when it comes out this summer. Most of what I heard I really liked. He had a fantastic poetic style, dare I say good flow, and some of the songs that were less political were a tad danceable, or at least music you can play in the car and nod your head to. He had one, "Do Your Thing." that would be very Radio Friendly.
After Davu, the Future Dr. Guy is lamenting that there is no Hip-Hop scene in Pittsburgh. He seems to be so right on there. He moves up to notch two. I mean, a good looking guy like this, a medical student, no less, could be going to any one of the incredibly lame but large clubs in the city that play Hip-Hop and R&B, but he is here, wanting to see LIVE Hip-Hop. I guess he is up to notch three. I can't help but notice the seven white kids are still on the couch, and what few (I think 4) African American folks have shown up, they have paid their cover and ducked into a quieter room away from the main stage area. There really is no groundswell of support for local artists in Pittsburgh. Likein so many other cities, Hip-Hop is fashion--you are cool to like the songs that are going up the charts, and not cool if you still listen to the songs on their way down. I don't think WAMO plays any local talent, unless they are signed to a major label. There is not concept of independent artists in Hip-Hop here. One of the local rock stations has an hour or two every week dedicated to local acts. Where do local hip-hop acts go to get their CD's played on the radio? I wonder how anyone gets signed in this business when in Rock or Country or even CCM, a local following is what often gets you noticed as you move upmarket.
Future Dr. Kildaire goes back to working the girl at the bar. She asks him some generic questions about his rotations and what he wants to do, and as he begins to break down for her all the different areas of medicine and how hard they are, she asks him somthing that must have been a little more technical (I didn't hear) because he stopped, and said something like Are you familiar with the medical field with a little surprise in his voice.
So casually she says, "My dad's an Orthopedic Surgeon."
SLAM! The Med school story is no longer impressive. He will have to use charm or something that resembles that. He asks her if she has a "Significant Other." Like she didn't already see him here with a date tonight! By this time the next act is on stage, so I have no idea how this part of the story ended, but it was a nice diversion from sitting silent in between acts.
Then it is time for the headliner, an MC from Chicago named Psalm One. I have no idea what the local scene in Chicago is like, but I would guess it is probably more supportive than Pittsburgh. But it is clear Psalm One is here to do her show, regardless of crowd size, and she does not hold back even though the Seven White Kids are still glued to the couch. The Chicago Sun-Times ranks her as one of the 10 Best in Chicago--no kidding. Her style and lyricism is more Lauryn Hill than Li'l Kim. The only thing that would hold her back from being really big is that she isn't hoochie. She performed in a white T-shirt and blue jeans and sneakers. No couture, no tight clothes. She has a very relaxed end of the party feel to her best rhymes. I guess right now that isn't popular in Chi-Town, because she performed 2 raps that were very fast, almost staccato, which she said she wrote just to prove she could do the same stuff as anyone else in Chicago. One call and response rap was fantastic
You think too much
Yeah, you know that's right.
You drink too much
Nah, but a beer would be nice.
This was over a really cool sample of strings.
Of course I bought a CD because I know that tour merch is the only thing that pays the bills for struggling bands. I've listened to it in the car a few times, and the You think too much is incredibly catchy on the CD.
Comments
rhea
Of course, it might be another 6 months before i go out again.....