The Life is So Exciting Tour

Def Jam rappers Pusha T and Fabolous put on an incredible show last night at the Howard Theatre. Stepping out in a black apron, Pusha started at the beginning with classics such as "Grindin" and "Popular Demand."

He transitioned to his verses on "So Appalled" and "Runaway" explaining his first recording encounters with Kanye and G.O.O.D. Music. Just as Pusha T reached the peak in his performance with hits from Fear of God and halfway through "New God Flow," the Howard Theatre turned the lights on declaring the end of his allotted time mid way through his set. Pusha obviously vexed, saluted the audience and left the stage. The crowd bewildered from his abrupt exit, watched the curtain go down confused and angry. I have never seen anything like that before. I've been to countless concerts and I've yet to attend one that started on time. The crowd was clearly disappointed in not being able to hear any of the songs from his recent mixtape Wrath of Caine.

Pusha's absence left the crowd flustered and we felt cheated out of a performance. However, that disappointment went out the window as soon as Funeral Fab came to the stage. Dressed in a custom NY Knicks jersey with matching Jordans, there was no denying his New York swag. He started off doing almost every track from Soul Tape 2. During "We Get High," he began by lighting up a blunt before performing the track. Fab also brought out Troy Ave for "Only Life I Know." Unfortunately, Pusha T must have the left the building as Fab performed "Life is So Exciting" solo.

Then Fab brought it all the way back for the "Day 1 Fab fans" as he liked to put it with "Holla Back," "Can't Deny It" and "Breathe." Constantly flirting with the women in the audience, he made sure to do a special segment for them with "Superwoman," "So into You," "Can't Let you Go," and "Make me Better." He ended the performance with his most recent single "Ready" which is from his album Loso's Way 2, set to release this summer. Before leaving the stage, he shouted out Pusha T and Troy Ave and said "I hope y'all enjoyed the show and most importantly realize that
Hip Hop is still here." With gimmick artists like Trinidad James and 2 Chainz getting world recognition, it's easy to forget what real Hip Hop is. Without a doubt, Fab and Pusha T reminded us all of what real Hip Hop was and what it continues to be today.

Both Pusha T and Fabolous are dropping albums this year. Be sure to look out for My Name is My Name and Loso's Way 2.

Kendrick Lamar Concert 4/23

Kendrick Lamar blazed the stage Tuesday night at George Mason University and named the audience the livest of his college tour thus far. He put on an incredible performance solidifying his lasting presence in the rap game. I have been rocking with Kendrick since the release of his fourth mixtape Overly Dedicated and so it was great to see the success of his debut album good kid m.A.A.d city symbolizing the recognition of such a talented artist. My only criticism of the night was that he did not perform any songs from Overly Dedicated, but his command of the crowd and performance of every hit since then was an experience I'll never forget.

Kendrick took a few songs to warm up, but once he got hot he was unstoppable. He performed his featured verses first, starting with "RIP" and "Fuckin' Problem". However, it was his solo songs that made the crowd and particularly the mosh pit I was in the middle of unbelievably hype and attentive. Early in the concert he performed "Pussy & Patron" as well as "Hol' Up." Constantly testing the crowds knowledge and smoothly transitioning between each track he went into "ADHD"  and "Hiii Power." He spent most time performing the hits from his album such as "Money Trees," "Poetic Justice," "Swimming Pools," "Bitch don't Kill my Vibe," as well as "m.A.A.d city" a record breaking four times!

This was my first time seeing Kendrick live, but I had heard mixed reports from his past performances. Naturally a chill guy, lyrically as well as personally, I had some doubt about his ability to turn up such a huge venue as the Patriot Center at George Mason University. I have to say I was blown away, even days later, his performance is still resonating with me. Simply put, he did it all. He performed EVERY single from the album, featured verses, other popular songs released post "good kid" and freestyled like I've never witnessed before. Kendrick left the stage leaving the audience wanting more and the crowd literally chanted for him to return. Kendrick ended the concert brilliantly and to my surprise with "Cartoon and Cereal," his 2012 track with Gunplay. It was an honor to hear him perform that song. But it was his freestyle at the end that had the previously hyped up crowd silent, hanging onto every line he dropped. He was named by MTV hottest MC in the game this year, his performance on Tuesday proved why.

If you're just getting to hip Kendrick here are some must haves:
Overly Dedicated
Section.80 and good kid m.A.A.d city are available on itunes now

Light it Up Tour

Last night was the first day of the Light it Up Tour featuring Cris Cab and New Kingston with Bermudian Collie Buddz as the headliner at the 9:30 Club in DC . It was beautiful to see the vast diversity of the audience awaiting a night of good music and good vibes. New Kingston started off the show. For those who are not familiar with this family band, they are a group of three brothers: Tahir, Courtney and Stephen as well as their father Courtney Sr. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. They blend reggae beats with hip hop and R&B vocals providing a unique sound that was fresh and engaging. Their performance was the highlight of the evening. Each brother has mastered their individual instrument and Tahir on the keyboard even did a reggae remix to Beethoven's "Fur Elise." Highlights of their performance were "Fly Away" and "Caribbean Queen." Music fans, keep your eyes open for these guys, they are definitely bringing back the good vibes of Bob Marley while keeping it fresh with their undeniable NY flavor. New Kingston

Cris Cab was the second act of the evening and I was confused by his presence. He was a talented performing artist, but only two of his songs or so were reggae. He had a great singing voice that was young and soulful, but it seemed pure R&B to me. His performance was out of place and the high energy and excitement that New Kingston had built was diminished with Cris Cab's set.

Collie Buddz blazed the stage close to 11PM and brought the house down. His incredible voice matched with his sweet charisma was alluring and invigorating. The herb definitely come around as throughout the whole performance, Collie hid his low eyes behind black shades. There wasn't a single sole in the room not swaying and circling their hips to some of his hit songs. New Kingston accompanied the Collie Buddz performance and they brought any energy lost back into the building. My favorite songs of the performance were "Come Around" and "Mamacita." Collie left the stage swiftly and was brought back by popular demand and did covers of classic reggae songs such as "Who am I?," "No Woman No Cry" and "Murder She Wrote."

I got to meet New Kingston and Collie Buddz after the show and all of the performers were incredibly humble and gracious. Taking time to greet, take pictures and sign autographs for each fan. I was most impressed by their authentic class and gratitude. This was just the beginning of the Light it Up Tour, they hit SOBs tonight and continue on to twenty nine other cities. If you're interested in getting tickets, I've got the link below.

Light it Up Tour

Girls Love Beyonce

Drake dropped a new track featuring James Fauntleroy titled "Girls love Beyonce" which uses the "Say My Name" sample from Destiny Child's The Writing's on the Wall. Very reminiscent of 90s R&B in sound, Drake expresses the challenge of finding true and loyal love while being in the spotlight. More importantly, Drake taps into insecurity and vulnerability that is often not found in the industry where hypermasculinity is the norm. Drake stepped out of the box with this track in both content and sound and we're all eager for his album Nothing Was the Same.

Girls Love Beyonce

King Remembered in Time

Big K.R.I.T. has done it again. Yesterday, KRIT dropped KRIT (King Remembered in Time) and from start to finish it rocks. KRIT has been consistently producing good music for some time now. I saw KRIT live in 2010 during the Smoker's Club Tour and his performance was somewhat disappointing. This was early on in his career and prior to his incredible album Live from the Underground. Since then, he has really developed as an artist and his Southern voice combined with lyrical ability has made him one of the rappers to watch in 2013. Props to KRIT and if you haven't downloaded the new mixtape, I've got the link below.

KRIT (King Remembered in Time)

Dipset Reunion

March 25, 2013 marked the ten year anniversary of "Diplomatic Immunity," the Diplomat's debut album. Legends to the game and failure to produce a group album since 2007, this reunion concert was huge. The line outside B.B. Kings stretched across the entire block as Dipset fans stood in anticipation for the late night concert.

Funkmaster Flex had B.B. Kings turnt! He played classic after classic testing the crowds knowledge of NYC greats. Mase, Jay Z, Nas and Big had the crowd shouting lyrics and bobbing heads for over an hour. For a second you forgot it was 2013 and we all were brought back to the early millenium in NYC when Hip Hop was untouchable, when music came first.

At about midnight, Dipset entered the stage and the boys were back at it! Performing my favorite song off the album, "Ground Zero" had the house going crazy. Brilliantly, each member of Dipset performed classics from their solo careers before coming together with special guests Lloyd Banks and Waka Flocka.

Jim, the least talented of Dipset managed to stay the most relevant over the years and gave a solid performance featuring many of his singles from Capo. I was slightly disappointed by Juelz solo performance as he spit most of his tracks from his new mixtape God Willin'. However, his expert stage presence and confident demeanor had the entire B.B. Kings rockin with him. Of course, Cam had the superior performance of the evening. Coming out to "Killa Cam" immediately reeled the crowd in. Cam'ron was also the most humble of the trio, as he was the only one to dap up fans.

All of Dipset returned to the stage performing some of their most popular singles such as "Dipset Anthem," "Crunk Musik" and "Pop Champagne." They finished off strong with Jim Jones' hit "We Fly High." And as the concert came to a finish, Jim said over his mic, "Started from Harlem, now we here!" which cued Drake's "Started from the Bottom."

Come Home With Me...

Started from the Bronx now we here. Welcome Hip Hop heads to "Come Home with Me; Music First" where you can find concert and album reviews as well as new music and videos. This blog is dedicated to those who were raised on Hip Hop, to those who fell in love with Hip Hop and to those who truly care about the music. Killa said it best, come home with me...