[Show Review] New Grand @ Thirdspace - FNL x Flotivity Media x Juice Farm

We threw our first show to end 2016. In 2017 expect more shows as we attempt to connect circles. Our first show was a success in our opinion. And of course it was not because of us - it was because the artists showed up to rock.

First off, DJ Blesd1 (AOTA) and PsychoPat (AOTA/101.1 The Beat) are professional killers. They cut, mix, and scratch like the best of them and keep the party moving with a mix of old, new, and obscure. AZ is seriously blessed with an abundance of dope turntablists.

DZE got the night started and true to form he was a beast on the mic. Running through a set list that included Kids, Natives, and some new stuff, DZE showcased his gruff, aggressive rapping. On Natives, he went full ham. He called out Futuristic and said to make sure and tag both of them in any videos posted to social media. It was the manner in which he spit the rhymes in that song though that showcased he meant it. He spit like a rapper with a chip on his shoulder. When he got to Kids (our personal favorite), he kicked the first verse acapella. It was a fitting end allowing the flow take the curtain call as he showed he gots rhymes with the best of them when he's on.

KY Sluggah got up next and proved that you can be a seasoned veteran even when you're a young dude. Going on tour with Fated and Blaine Coffee throughout the southwest and west coast must've helped KY refine his live show. Once he grabbed the mic he exudes confidence, charisma, and a knack for drawing the audience in. He engaged the audience with call and response choruses and by getting in their personal space, looking them in the eye and treating the moment like he was speaking directly to them while rapping. It was a captivating performance from a young dude who I'm sure will do great things in 2017.

MastodonRare came up and took us to church. His musical is a spiritual awakening. It's gospel. It harkens to a small room with an organ player and beauty of an in sync chorus. I only know of four people making music like that right now - Kanye, Chance, MastodonRare, and Dorian Colter. It was an uplifting moment when he got up and rocked the mic. His sound was much different than what New Grand typically offers. And it was a sign of things to come that evening.

Anything Guild right now is popping. Guild is more than a collective of beat makers however. Pseudocentric is a rapper AND a beat maker. To see him do both live is dope. At one point, he went into straight beat making mode and dropped straight fire. Talented dudes those Guild guys are.

TruVonne or Aesthetically Sound, as she's both known is incredible. The whole night had mostly been about rapping and the snarling, vicious, turnt up energy drawn from that. TruVonne makes blissful, calm, serene music. It's like a slow walk through the woods or staring out a windows on a rainy day. She manages to grab that musical space Lauren Hill and D'Angelo created on Nothing Matters. It's soulful. She grabbed all that energy and put the room in a trance. (So much I failed to take any pics - I literally couldn't stop myself from being in that moment with her). It was mind blowingly beautiful. And did I mention she did it all while making the beat as she performed. Singing while making beats is dope. Doing both well enough to make the entire crowd feel is special.

In the end, New Grands new maestro, Mykr Fiend X and Ohm rocked a quick set. It was cool. And Puritan from Fated kicked a sick freestyle. It was a night befitting all that hip hop has become. It encompassed the old and the new styles. The youth are doing their thing well. And the older dudes still know how to rock with the best of them. At the end of the night though, the new hip hop stylings are vast and diverse and it was great to be a part of presenting it in its various forms.