The SXSW Recap: The Unabridged Version
GENERAL By Gotty™ on March 23, 2009 at 9:51 pmPreface this whole thing by saying that my memory is not the best. That’s why I went ahead & posted the The Temporary, Abbreviated Version before. Impaired by heavy intake of substances over the years along with the mass amount of info I process on a daily, my mental hard drive isn’t what it used to be so I have to frequently discard quite a bit. Therefore, I’m going to type up as much as I can remember from this past weekend’s Austin foray.
The number one rule of SXSW — If you want the sets to roll right, you better do it with white…people.
I say that with 100% love & respect. Aaron Berk, Jill & Aaron H. from the Knuckle Rumbler had everything coordinated to a tee, ushered artists along and were cordial, plus accommodating. If doff my New Era in full respect to them putting in all the work to pull this thing together & have it go off without a hitch.
The performance that most slept-on — Mickey Factz
I didn’t feel bad for Mickey. I felt bad for those who weren’t familiar with his music & his music seemingly went past them. Mickey wasn’t deterred & proceeded to work up a sweat while throwing himself into an amplified set. The height of his show was when he tore threw “Automatic” & “Hollywood.”
The performance that still leaves me on the fence about an artist — Charles Hamilton
Don’t get it twisted. Sonic laid it down, specifically “Loser” and “Brooklyn Girls.” But @ the same time, there were some awkward attempts @ interacting with the crowd that showed that his stage performance still needs some mastering. I’ll give son his credit due because after his performance, I caught him on the corner freestyling Mister F.A.B & a crowd of random folks.
The “MC means ‘Move the Crowd’” performers — Buff1 & Black Spade
Let’s face it: Buff1 is not a household name by any means. We all know it’s hard to really enjoy an artist who’s catalog you aren’t familiar with. But, the Detroit native, along with help from his friends — Vaughn T playing hypeman, 14KT on the wheels of steel & some timely vocal assistance by Haircut — literally brought the crowd to his side after about three songs. I don’t think anyone who met Buff or saw him perform will forget his name any time soon.
I was a fan of Stoney Rock’s album before all of this. After seeing him sing, dance & rhyme, I’m further impressed & ingrained with the belief that some major label is overlooking a major talent by not throwing some money behind him. You can also say the same for the other St. Louis fellows who performed, Rockwell & Nato Caliph.
The performances I only caught bits & pieces of — Blue Scholars, Brother Ali & Tanya Morgan
No disrespect to any of those artists…but I needed nicotine and once I went outside, I was bound to get stopped by someone wanting to talk. I did make it a point to see at least three songs of every act. I could hear both Ali & Tanya’s acts from outside the venue, a definite sign of success. And during Blue Scholars‘ set, I was standing @ the bar talking but could see a large crowd enjoying every moment of their set.
Thankfully, Tanya Morgan recorded the audio for their set & Von Pea sent over a download link, so the moment was captured!
Best Performances Not @ The B&T — Pacific Division & The Cool Kids
Without a doubt, Pac Div had one of the best performances that I saw, as they ran through their wide array of songs. They did so in full-energy mode, even though it was approximately 2am when they took the stage. TCK followed behind them and, say what you want about them, but not a hand was down as the majority of the crowd was going rhyme for rhyme with them as they performed three or four songs.
The Coolest Artist Not Performing @ B&T — Gangsta Pill & the homie Derek
Whattup folk! Don’t sleep on Pill. Go grab the Prescription mixtape, re-listen to some old Grind Time material & get yourself familiar.
Best Comment — Chamillionaire
Double O of Kidz In The Hall was extremely engaging and will talk on end about any & everything. Closer to home though, Chamilionaire admitted to frequenting our site more than a little bit. When I told him to drop a comment he said “he’d leave that Killer Mike, because the comments section was too wild for him.” Dude drove from Little Rock, AR because all flights were booked up. Dedication.
The show must go on performer — B.o.B. & his band
In advance, everybody involved with planning & stage setup did everything they could to insure that Bobby Ray and his band had proper sound. Guess what? There were still problems (they weren’t just limited to our set, I believe). My assumption is that most sound crews that deal with Hip-Hop may not be all the way ready to work with a live band. So, did Bobby & crew bitch & moan, typical of these new age prima donnas? Nope, they played straight through until everything got on the same page, tearing it down as evidenced by the video footage. He proved himself to be the consummate professional and another reason why I think, as a person & as an artist, Bobby’s ahead of the new school pack in terms of what he will contribute to our proud culture. Respect due to TJ, B. Rich & their whole team.
The Funniest — Curren$y
Hands down. Point blank. Period.
Besides the clips we’ve posted, dude was a straight character! If rap were compared to high school & college, Curren$y would be the cat who stays skipping school, perpetually high…but getting good grades. Consider him a functioning stoner who’s good @ what he does & knows the importance of weed to enhance his performance.
Literally, every convo I had with homie was predicated on weed. He came in the venue (early, a surprise for a stoner), immediately spoke, then asked “can we smoke a little weed in here?” “Is it cool if we smoke a little weed?” Of course I wasn’t 100% sure, so he & I moved around asking others in the know, to which Spitta’s opening words were “Can we smoke a little weed?” and “It’s cool if we smoke a little weed?” After he found out he couldn’t exactly smoke in the venue, he stuck it out & actually put on what had to be my favorite set. After his performance, I caught up with him again while I was taking a cigarette break. He informed me that “Come thru. I got studio time and a gang of weed.” Apparently, the stoner did indeed manage to create something while in the studio.
MZ’s Note — Curren$y surprised me the most as well. I dapped him up Friday night & joked about how vertically challenged so many rappers were, telling him at six feet I was in limbo because I was too tall to be a rapper and too short to be a baller. After laughing for a sec, he got back to his favorite subject by asking “you holding any weed man?” After telling him I had to give that up due to work & just growing up, he told me he felt sorry for me. Then dropped this jewel: “I keep telling my boys that’s why we gotta grind so hard in this business.” “I don’t ever want to be forced to grow up and being successful in this here is my only chance to do it.” Then just like that he was off. In his eternal search for the next high and his pursuit to never grow up.
So if SXSW is about winning new fans, $pit Vicious got my unwavering support.
What I’d do next time in Austin — Buy a folding stool & two pairs of comfortable shoes
Seriously. My plane landed @ 930. We were on our way to the venue by 12:20pm, got there right @ 1pm…and we stood/walked/moved around until the thing was over @ around 8pm. At 9pm, we started walking from our show (on 6th) to the LRG show on 2nd. Please note: Texas streets…they ain’t made right lol. We walked for an hour trying to find 2nd Ave, then finally we got in the car & rode to the venue (long story). Once we got there, we didn’t have to stand in line (thank god) but we proceeded to stand & enjoy the show until about 3:30am.
By day’s end, my legs & feet were both painfully numb.
As a first-timer, SXSW was…an experience. Although I’ve met & dealt with plenty of artists, this was almost surreal in a sense. It’s almost like watching videos because you’re seeing Artist A do a handful of songs. Immediately after (with little to no gaps or lapse in between performers; thanks Berk & Jill), Artist B hits the stage & proceeds to tear through his songs as well…and you look to your left & Artist A is beside you with his hands in the air, rocking right alongside you. This is probably one of the few times you can cozy up to & hug Amanda Diva, dap Rae after his show, hang out in the middle of the street to talk to Green Latern & watch DJ Skee work the turntables…and do it all for free.
That may be the most impressive thing about it all. There was no velvet rope. Artists were 100% accessible. I walked outside the venue & there stood Blu eating a slice of pizza, no fans around & basically unnoticed. I told him to enjoy because it’s probably one of the last times he’ll be to do that unfettered while in public.
Previously Posted — Video: Bun B Performing At The Austin Music Hall | SXSW Video: KiD CuDi & 88-Keys In The Streets Of Austin | Video: Curren$y - “Modern Day Hippie” @ SXSW | Video: B.o.B. - “Lonely People” & “Haterz Everywhere” Live @ SXSW | Video: Blu & Exile - “No Greater Love” Live @ SXSW | Video: Mistah F.A.B., Zumbi (of Zion I), Kosha Dillz, & Others - Freestyle Cipher | Video: B.o.B & Alien @ SXSW
Posted in GENERAL — Tags: B.O.B., Black Spade, Charles Hamilton, Curren$y, Gangsta Pill, Mickey Factz, pacific division, Rockwell Knuckles, SXSW, The Cool Kids, The Grand Ole Party Of Bootleggers & Tastemakers, VIDEO
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56 Comments
lol @ MZ’s Curren$y story
methinks next year’s SXSW might be on some next shit…maybe not for the better, as all things become tainted eventually…that’s why I’m jealous y’all perhaps got to experience something that happens as frequently as the planets align…
but that accessibility & no velvet rope mentality is definitely what’s up…i like to think that what transpired at SXSW is a momentary physical embodiment of the hip-hop blogosphere
its been goin down like for a few years. as long as its based around indie’s and up n comers it should be worthwhile. really wish i had gone this year.
word up to Mazzi’s t-shirt
was Mistah Fab the lone Bay representative? kudos to him for getting out there, The Yay needs someone who’s wiling to network & keep it relevant, think outside the box
SXSW… yeah!
It’s gettin’ too big for it’s own good; but it’s a helluva a spectacle. it used to be like Coachella or Lolapalooza–just wild music from a mix of mostly underground bands. Then the tech cats came and made it music and geeks… then the hipsters came… and the sponsors followed…
and now you get the madhouse that charges $780 for individual passes, etc. Oh well. progress, i guess.
It’s nice to hear that cats left their rockstar posing at home. Though, I can see that because you go to SXSW to build up a fanbase, not do a victory lap. You’re there cuz you need to be, not because somebody thru a fat check at you and told you their little show would be nothing without you on center stage.
I might save some duckets for 2010. i should roadtrip it from LA. comfortable shoes and all…
As for the white people? Gotty we ain’t but 12.5% of the country–you’re hard pressed to fill a pothole in your own neighborhood without at least 2 white folks somewhere having some input in it.
Yo, this shit was just major as hell in every aspect…
What I appreciated the most is that from the initial meetup of the whole crew, there were no awkward moments of getting-to-know you type crap from any of us in attendance.
I enjoyed myself a little too much the night before the show, and the crew was raggin on me, but it was all good. No awkward moments, just rolling from the get go. Put that “naturally home” feel on both the crew and the artists. As Gotty mentioned, the velvet rope was removed, and there was a real mutual respect that was pretty remarkable in my opinion.
I think that’s why having the lineup we had made it so special. It was two forces of the rap community that came up during the same time and are on the verge of a global takeover: a new breed of MC’s and a new breed of Hip Hop journalism ready to progress a culture that’s teetering on the verge of becoming formulaic.
After this weekend though, my fears of that happening have been significantly quashed.
Holler to everyone involved with SxSW x TSS x NahRight, ahh hell, holler to everyone involved with TSS in general! We major!!!
(Now where’s my drink?)
@ Teef: Mazzi’s t-shirt is based on Kaos’ mixtape. I think he was selling them at some point. http://www.kaoseffect.com
Waddup to both Mazzi and Kaos, coz i know ur both watching…
Before I start to read, drink, smoke, & read some more I would like to show my appreciation to the TSS fam, and everyone else that contributed to this strongly needed hip-hop culture event!! And also Thanks for keeping me intrigued for the last couple of years, sadly I never had a meaningful relationship last longer than 4 years….until now so this blunt of crypt is to the new love of my life!!
Shoutouts to YN, Jeff Weiss & Maura @ Idolator. Fuck a rapper. I almost jizzed my pants when I met both Maura & Jeff @ the same time lmao.
i think White People were also responsible for making sure shit was punctual at last year’s Rock The Bells in B’more
but from what I’m reading: SXSW >>> RTB
great write up. damn gotta check this SXSW ish out some time…
Damn.
damn. Damn. DAMN!.
I’m so jealous I missed this. It feels like when LC left me out of the band. Ah well, I’m just happy to be a part of something that was integral in making a festival of that nature so worthwhile. It sounds like TSS held up it’s MAJOR status with flying colors. And from the looks of it, had a blast in the midst of it all. Congrats fam, I think y’all took us up another notch.
WE MAJOR!
BTW….i really hope shit doesn’t change for next year, because believe you me I WILL be there.
It feels like when LC left me out of the band.
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lol @ you for remembering that
It feels like when LC left me out of the band.
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jojo @ 1:50
Youtube is doing maintenance, I’ll un-private those vids later.
Hahahaha awwwwww, Beware… you know I love you.
That is how we do in the ATX.
I planned to hit you guy’s party but was asked to spin at the Digiwaxx/Zune party while I was there. DJ Class, Blaqstarr, Pac Div, Cool Kids, Asher Roth and others.
SXSW is my fav time of the year. I may have a better day but to string together almost a week, it can’t be beat. To go almost a week and almost every conversation you have is about music is amazing.
For a week, it feels like the center of the world or maybe another planet. Almost everyone I talk to is kind of bummed to have to go back to “real life” after it is over, that is not just regular peeps, it is industry folk at all levels too.
I posted some of my photos at http://www.myspace.com/jazz1.
Matt Sonzalla being added to the SXSW office has made it a lot more hip hop friendly. Not enough good could be said about that dude.
Y’all come back now ya’here.
Jealy, jealy, jealy…
Props to the crew for doing y’alls thang down there…
Sux when your j-o-b provides you the fundage, but not the time to attend events as such.
If the crew is in attendance next año, I’m there…
Gotta take @ least one photo w/ MRS. P and LC to satisfy this goofy little e-crush thing I got going, and break bread w/ the homies.
Back to work.
Gotty - I just wanted to say that the venue and the TSS / NahRight showcase you all put on was off the hook. Thanks for giving Buff1 the chance to perform, and for showcasing ALL those dope artists.
You all did it really big. Congrats!
Damn.
damn. Damn. DAMN!.
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What he said lol.
i like to think that what transpired at SXSW is a momentary physical embodiment of the hip-hop blogosphere
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And I friggin’ missed it.
Shit looks like it was a dope event. This just inspires me to get my grind on, so when SXSW rolls around next year, I can be front & center lol.
I was left out the band too…
But yo, TC & I kicked it with Curren$y again last night and that lil’ nigga is a fool. Had us rollin’ all night.
I can’t believe no one threw a chair, got maced or tasered, had their chain snatched, got knocked the fuck out…lol
*daps* to Gotty an the whole TSS team, shit was wild! let’s do it again real soon.
when i got there on friday i was thinking “damn, howd a mailing list turn into this?”
congrats gotty and the rest of the crew.. hope yall do it even bigger for ‘10
^
when I was in a car w/ both Gotty & eskay @ the same time, I had to check my phone to make sure the internet stil exsisted.
@MZ…
^^^. That’s awesome. I want a pic.
^ were they turning water into wine too, on some Black Jesus shit? lol
^^ That must’ve been a crazy car ride lol.
Go ahead, keep rubbing it in MZ (Ayo!) lol .
^ lol.
at some point eskay, gotty, YN, myself and someone else were having a conversation and this kid who was sitting at the bar was like “Yo, it’s like the watching The Internet Gods. Shit is unbelievable”
I wanted to tell him he needed a life, but I was halfway blown away too.
Shout outs to pretty much everyone. The list is too damn long.
Gotty does even use the keyboard, he just holds his hand 2 inches above it and spreads his fingers out then words appear on the screen.
& no pic Beware… I value my life. He had us saying we were Gotty.
*doesn’t
He had us saying we were Gotty.
===========================
Sounds like him, on some counter espionage/body double type ish lol.
>>when I was in a car w/ both Gotty & eskay @ the same time, I had to check my phone to make sure the internet stil exsisted.
lmao, yo, MZ had the fate of the rap Internets in his hands.
Gotty does even use the keyboard, he just holds his hand 2 inches above it and spreads his fingers out then words appear on the screen.
_____________
True story.
Smoking Sessions with Curren$y and Amanda Diva smells like haven and Trident. Shouts to Dan Solo too. It’ll take me a couple days to round off everything so fucc it. ever
LMFAO @ MZ
Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories…internet style.
Lemme find out Gotty put his muddy feet on your couch.
Def shout out to Dan Solo and B Rich.
^
BIG shout out to those two. Held us down on more than one occasion each.
The entire Ruby Hornet too
Thanks for hitting me with the Curren$y discog earlier Gotty.
“…Chamilionaire admitted to frequenting our site more than a little bit. When I told him to drop a comment he said “he’d leave that Killer Mike, because the comments section was too wild for him.”
Aha! I always thought his “Revenge of the (internet rap) Nerds” sounded like some disses thrown around here in TSS comments section……..
^ Now I may actually have to listen to “Revenge of the (internet rap) Nerds”. Cham might owe me some publishing lol.
People were pleasantly surprised we were (for the most part) a group of black dudes. They thought we were gonna be melanin deficient and 17.
congrats to TSS..sounds like you guys put on a very nice successful event
when I was in a car w/ both Gotty & eskay @ the same time, I had to check my phone to make sure the internet stil exsisted.
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at some point eskay, gotty, YN, myself and someone else were having a conversation and this kid who was sitting at the bar was like “Yo, it’s like the watching The Internet Gods. Shit is unbelievable”
=======================
LMAO
Smoking Sessions with Curren$y and Amanda Diva smells like haven and Trident.
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Don’t sweat me. Sweat TC. That man meets no stranger. He straight up molested ADiva…the very instant he met her lmao. “Hey girl, I spoke to you on Twitter yesterday” and just grabbed her booty lol.
I’m soooo mad I missed this. I gotta get my money right for SXSW next year. I’m officially a “TSS Staff Hater”.
Smoking Sessions with Curren$y and Amanda Diva smells like haven and Trident.
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Don’t sweat me. Sweat TC. That man meets no stranger. He straight up molested ADiva…the very instant he met her lmao. “Hey girl, I spoke to you on Twitter yesterday” and just grabbed her booty lol.
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Damn TC went hard huh?! LMFAO
^ haha, man, dudes “dear diary” entries are prolly retarded right now lol.
Jesse - Don’t feel bad. We were only raggin on you to make everybody feel @ home. That shifted to Track by Saturday, who cost me 2 hrs of my life Saturday by losing the keys to the car plus got us lost on the way back to his hotel lmao.
Dwight Howard Lookin’ Ass Nigga.
Great Show, I’ll see if I can get the videos I recorded while there, hopefully my phone didn’t crap all over them.
hey…like i said…i blame the key thing on either God or Magic….
but man what an amazing weekend.
and you got ME in trouble yesterday, Gotty….
I’m at the Juvenile Detention center, recording some youth poetry…
see a couple kids laughing and pointing in the general direction of my keychain……..uh oh
“whats that?”
“oh this is just a website i go to…” *puts in pocket*
“nah, that’s a chopper!”
“no, its a website i go to sometimes…” *beginning to sweat slightly as the supervisor is three feet away*
“nah that’s a chopper, you use em to break up blunts, my momma got one of those”
yikes.
“nah that’s a chopper, you use em to break up blunts, my momma got one of those”
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LMAO. Don’t blame that bullshit on me.
Tonya Morgan Cuddle Bum ( Live SXSW )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFLp6yl4qpY
This showcase was definitely a highlight of the week. I was definitely thankful that the homies Buff1 & 14KT got to rock and Blu & Exile murdered it too. I hope it still goes uphill from this year forward, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we just witnessed that legendary moment in SXSW Hip-Hop history.
Ya’ll held it down. Bring it back next year and I’m there again.
The Pistons lose again tonight… Damn
But still thanks for the Tanya Morgan link !!
Brooklynati baby
Lots of pics on http://www.austinsurreal.com thanks to everyone who came out. Was nice to see the hip-hop press in full effect. Thanks for the props JazzOne and…
“but I wouldn’t be surprised if we just witnessed that legendary moment in SXSW Hip-Hop history.”
You DJ Grafitti, it gets bigger and better every year and will be bigger and better next year. bet that. I hope to see all y’all again.
Hell yeah, this was the shit as was SXSW on the whole. Shout outs to everyone I met and thanks to the crew for puttin it together. Monumental mean-ness.