Austin, Texas. Last night The Source Magazine and S.O.B.’s produced their second showcase of the night with some help from 20 Grand Vodka, Creative Recreation and Hoodie Buddie. It went down last night at Club 119 in Downtown, Austin with a slew of surprise performances. With Low-Key on the mic as the master of ceremonies and Meka of 2DopeBoyz handling the one and twos, this SXSW showcase was set up to be a big hit!
The explosive showcase featured plenty of buzzing and upcoming names, something SXSW was known for in it’s early existence. Now in an age where Hip-Hop giants perform, (see: Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and even Kanye West) tomorrow’s next star is privilege to appear and perform at an event like The Source and S.O.B’s showcase, to launch themselves into stardom.
Kicking off the showcase was Ricky Rude, who provided an energetic punk-rap performance. Rude pulls influences from Biggie and Big Pun while adding alternative influences from Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Nirvana. Immediately following was Harlem budding MC, Dub, who translated his heavy blog presence for a strong performance as an early standout. Deniro Farrar a Charlotte, North Carolina product, has opened for the likes of J.Cole, NAS and Damien Marley, Young Jeezy, Public Enemy, Wale and more during his career. Last night Farrar looked to push his brand further in order to rise to the next level of play, a Source and S.O.B.’s showcase is one way to do so.
Black Violin stole the early portion of the show, as the Floridians incorporated elements of jazz, hip-hop, funk, and classical music. The quartet provided a dope live show with impressive instrumentation and stage cadence. The foursome added some next level energy, setting the set for Trae The Truth, the Grand Hustle and hometown favorite hailing from Houston turned in a sold performance. Trae is set to debut his Grand Hustle debut with Banned later this year.
Looking around the packed out venue many special guests appeared including Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg, Bay Area rapper, V-Nasty as well as Hit-Boy who performed with Travis Scott at the previous showcase just an hour or two prior. Former WWE Heavy-Weight Champion and strongest man in the world, Mark Henry made his way to check out the showcase. While the biggest surprise attendee was American record producer and music industry executive, Clive Davis.
Moving forward and late into the night was Wyclef who performed plenty of good music. Including some new music he’s been working on over the last few months. Clef’ received great praise for his recently released “Hip-Hop” cut, which he provided a solid performance of last night.
TDE’s seen much success over the last year or two, but you would surley know that if you read The Source. The tandem of Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q braved the late hours of the showcase as headliners. Ab-Soul who was awarded The Source’s 2012 Independent Album Of The Year with Control System easily snapped with the mic late after 1:30 am. ScHoolBoy Q who served as co-headliner with his TDE comrade has been in the studio these past months with the likes of Pharrell Williams for his upcoming Oxymoron album. Performing multiple cuts off his Habits and Contradictions 2012 release, it’s easy to see why Q and Soulo were appointed the headliner position.
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About The Source
The Source Magazine continues to push Hip-Hop to new limits in its 25th anniversary. The Source continues to evolve and seek unique and innovative ways to engage and present our brand’s offerings. The Source is and continues to be the leading voice in Hip-Hop culture, music, and politics. With over 24 years as the leading voice and platform for Hip-Hop, The Source has remained the industry’s most recognizable and important Hip-Hop media brand around the world. The Source is responsible for creating the bridge needed by countless artists, brands, and corporations to successfully reach an audience that has multi-billion dollar buying power and influence like no other—the Hip-Hop community.
About S.O.B.’s
S.O.B.’s, also known as Sounds of Brazil, is a live music venue in the lower Manhattan neighborhood of SoHo. It was opened by owner and director Larry Gold in June 1982. Gold opened the venue with the purpose of exposing the musical wealth and heritage of the Afro-Latino Diaspora to as many people as possible. True to its mission, it has become renowned as the premiere venue not only for World Music, but all genres, in New York City and the world over. In its early days, SOBs existed on a barren stretch at the corner of Varick and Houston Streets, but the area soon became the trendy neighborhood of SoHo and the venue’s reputation began to grow with performances from Latin legends like Tito Puente, Marc Anthony, Celia Cruz & Eddie Palmieri. The tradition of Brazilian artists has been nothing short of incredible. Legends like Seu Jorge, Ben Jorge & Astrud Gilberto have all graced the stage of the venue which gained its namesake from their native country. In terms of the the new latin sound, the list only gets more impressive with names like Isaac Delgado, Orquesta Aragon, Los Papines, Manolito Simonet, Septeto Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro & Los Van Van. Over the course of its 28 years in business, SOBs has also developed a reputation in the music industry as a breeding ground for emerging artists and trends. For newer performers, a show at SOBs can be the springboard for their careers, garnering them press from mainstream local, national and even international publications as well as attracting attention from music industry professionals. This has been the true with uncounted artists, including John Legend, Erykah Badu, Kanye West, Common, Drake & Ryan Leslie. The venue gives more established artists the opportunity to connect with their fans on a personal level, due to its unique, intimate setting . Today the SOBs draws both local and international crowds and continues to specialize in Latin music, Haitian, Brazilian, Caribbean, R&B, Hip-Hop and World music. It exists as a unique place to experience the lively sounds from all types of cultures within the global diaspora, a fact reflective in its slogan the “Home of Universal Music.”
