Lupe Fiasco Gets Acquainted Live At New Orleans Jazz Fest 2011

Lupe played the prestigious New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival yesterday Friday May 6th. Video up above features Lupe and his band mates performing "Hip Hop Saved My Life." Read the concert recap below.

As reported by Doug MacCash at The Times-Picayune

New Orleans Jazz Fest 2011 Congo Square fans were swept up Friday afternoon by Lupe Fiasco's brand of hand-made hip hop.
But before going on, I want to thank the friendly Fiasco fans who helped me out with the song titles and other facts during the fast-paced show. At this stage of life, I prefer covering acts that I've never seen before over the old standbys. Trouble is, I don't always know the details.

Not that you had to know much to be charmed by Fiasco's generally upbeat musings, carefully wrought tunes and frenetic stage antics. For the first 15 minutes of the show, the lithe singer was in constant motion, seemingly being propelled around the stage by the sonic waves of his highly skilled band.



My Congo Square colleagues agreed that the stylish keyboards, slashing guitar, theatrical drumming and melodic vocals of Fiasco's backing band was more musical than many rap acts. There was no DJ, no thundering bass line. In songs such as "Superstar" (view video performance above) and "The Show Goes On," the refrains were almost as slinky as something from The Commodores.



One of my favorite segments of the performance was when Fiasco issued the string of tongue-twisting staccato syllables in tribute to his hometown Chicago: "I'm-from-a-city-in-the Midwest-the-best-city-in-the-whole-wide-world." In another song, I loved his pantomime of skateboarding to the refrain: "kick, push, coast." (view video performance above) And near the end of the show, he comically pretended to play a little bee bop trumpet (using his voice to imitate the horn), just to prove that rappers really can play instruments.



Read the full story HERE

Photo links:
Film Magic
Getty Images
Wire Image
Flickr (courtesy of Chris Schwegler)

(video courtesy of makaksaleOpa and 12barbershop)

Juvenile & Mannie Fresh Deliver Hometown Tunes Live At The Jazz & Heritage Festival In New Orleans

via The Times-Picayune

Both Juvenile and Mannie Fresh have new albums out from late 2009, but Sunday (May 2) at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage presented by Shell, the rapper and DJ -- who go back almost 15 years as Cash Money Records label mates -- stuck largely to the old school.

It went back even farther than that at the set's opening on the Congo Square "My Louisiana" Stage. DJ Mannie Fresh did not, actually, DJ at all during the set; that was left to Leroy "Precise" Edwards, who produced Juvenile and Mystikal's earliest tracks, and DJ Wop, who's been running with Fresh since the early 80's, spinning at block parties with the New York Incorporated hip-hop crew.

After a verse from "Go DJ," and the Big Tymers' "Still Fly," Fresh invited out rapper Gregory D, with whom he'd put out an album, "D Rules The Nation", in 1987.

"Me and this dude basically started this," Fresh explained, grinning. The larger-than-life Gregory D replied, "I knew Mannie Fresh wasn't gonna come out to the Jazz Fest and not invite Gregory D!"

A bass player slapped his strings as the two performed their 80's local hit "Buck Jump Time," a shout-out to New Orleans projects, local references and in-jokes with a second-line tuba bass line and a syncopated beat. Then Juvie took the stage and fast-forwarded things ever so slightly, with "400 Degreez" (1998) and "Set It Off" (2000).

Juvenile detoured to the present once, with "Gotta Get It," the second single off of last fall's "Cocky And Confident," but for the most part, he and Fresh stuck to their old catalogs, sparring and joking easily as if the stage were their living room.

"This is the greatest hits of Universal Juvie right here," he said. "Did we forget anything, y'all?"

The mood was briefly somber as Juvenile gave shout-outs to two late Cash Money artists who were killed in the 90's, Pimp Daddy and Yella Boy of UNLV. He then performed "Slow Motion," a collaboration with Soulja Slim that became a posthumous hit when Slim was killed before its release in 2003.

The only off-kilter moment was the introduction of So Fresh, a gangly, teenage-looking rap duo from Metairie currently working with Fresh. Gesturing and jumping like an extra-spastic version of the Beastie Boys, they performed a song that seemed to be about being excited to turn 21, so that they could drink Jagermeister and throw up. It was very hard to tell if it was a joke.

Thankfully, their song was as brief as it was confusing, and it was back to back-in-the-day. The closer was the party-pumping "Back That A-- Up" (little attention was paid to language at Congo Square during Juvie's set) seguing into "Drop It Like It's Hot." Even in the light mist of rain and gusting wind, the crowd did as told.

Photo links:
Getty Images
Wire Image
Film Magic

(Video courtesy of BillyHarrellH20)

Drake Live At The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Concert Recap

As reported by Susan Langenhennig / The Times-Picayune

Drake is a ladies man, no doubt about it.

About 20 minutes into his 6 p.m. close-out set at the 41st annual New Orleans Jazz Fest (Saturday, April 24) presented by Shell, the Canadian-born rapper decided to pluck one lucky woman from the audience to join him on stage for a dance. The heavily female, mostly under-20 crowd responded with what could only be described as Beatles-era shrieking.

"Now ladies, you have to know, if you come up here, anything is liable to happen," he teased as he scanned the faces for volunteers.

Despite all that bluster, the 23-year-old rapper was a perfect gentleman when Jade, the young lady - or should I say girl - who caught his eye was handed up to the platform.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"Seventeen," she responded.

At that, he kissed her on both cheeks and forehead and sent her on her way.

When he wasn't romancing the ladies, Drake, born Aubrey Drake Graham, was rocking an R&B-infused rap set. Dressed all in black with spotless white tennis shoes, he perched at the edge of the stage. Launching into "I'm Going In," he gave a shout out to New Orleans (incarcerated) rapper Lil Wayne, calling him "My Big Brother."

For his final song, Drake segued into "Say Something," prompting the crowd to break out in a collective bounce that sent plumes of muddy brown water splashing up in waves, just as the sun began to set.

Photo links:
Film Magic
Wire Image

(video courtesy of stopandhearthemusic)

Lil Wayne & Juvenile w/Mannie Fresh Schedule Hometown Concert Appearances

via Nola

Homegrown rap superstar Lil Wayne is slated to headline the New Orleans Arena for the second time in less than 12 months on Monday, Dec. 28.

With additional dates as follows:

Dec. 17 (Thursday) – Dodge Arena - Hidalgo, TX
Dec. 18 (Friday) – Laredo Entertainment Center - Laredo, TX
Dec. 20 (Sunday) – American Bank Center - Corpus Christi, TX
Dec. 26 (Saturday) – Phillips Arena - Atlanta, GA
Dec. 28 (Monday) – New Orleans Arena - New Orleans, LA
Dec. 31 (Thursday) -San Diego Arena - San Diego, CA
Jan. 1 (Friday) – Don Haskins Arena - El Paso, TX
Jan. 2 (Saturday) -Tucson Convention Center - Tucson, AZ
Jan. 5 (Tuesday) – Ford Park Arena - Beaumont, TX
Jan. 6 (Wednesday) – Travis County Expo - Austin, TX
Jan. 7 (Thursday) – Allen Events Center - Allen, TX
Jan. 8 (Friday) – Cajun Dome - Lafayette, LA
Jan. 9 (Saturday) – Alltell Arena - Little Rock, AR
Jan. 10 (Sunday) – Desoto Civic Center - Southaven, MS



via New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

Juvenile w/Mannie Fresh handling DJ duties is scheduled to perform at the 2010 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival the weekend of April 29 – May 2.

and the Associated Press

Though dotted with major national acts, the festival is made up of more than 80 percent Louisiana artists such as The Neville Brothers, Irma Thomas, Pete Fountain, Dr. John, rapper Juvenile, Trombone Shorty and Buckwheat Zydeco.