Well, I got to Blakely's pretty early for once.  As soon as I got in the club doors, I was blessed with the sounds of the Notorious B.I.G.'s "One More Chance."  Ah yes, how refreshing it is to be in the presence of a DJ who still plays true hip-hop in his mixes.  DJ Green, the successful DJ from Chesapeake by way of Long Island, spun a perfect blend of music to complement the drinks the bar had flowing; a genuine hip-hop atmosphere indeed.

I had time to vibe with the people before Lloyd arrived so I began to walk around and make friends.  During my mingle moments, I chatted it up with the hilarious hosts of the night, Angus Black from 103Jamz radio and Jersey from Hot91.  It was great putting faces to the voices that I hear on the regular throughout my day.  Around midnight I am lost in a hard groove; Lil Ru is blazing the speakers, and I am having a great conversation with upcoming artist Lue Justus.  This is going to be a great night.

The first opening act was a group named the Goonies, a trio originally from Miami.  The first single "All Eyes On Me" definitely had me awake.  After that, Shy-Money, Solo, and Money Bags went in on the Wacka Flacka Flames "Oh Let's Do It" beat with their remix entitled "Where Dey Do Dat At."  All I could say about that one was CLUB BANGER!  They had the crowd, and I was wide open with delight.  They have certainly earned their place in the club scene with their hit "Everybody Knows My Name."  They are definitely a group I plan to keep an eye on.

Next up was the Gun Gang performing their single "Fully Auto Semi."  This group is more of a hardcore rap group.  The group consists of five men: Flame Bonds, Killah, Horse, Future, and Rip.  Based in Norfolk and Chesapeake, these guys didn't stop there.  They came to show their versatility, and they succeeded with their second song performance entitled "Get High" on the "Say Ah" beat of Virginia's own Trey Songz.  Now, everyone who listens to music knows that the beat alone will get you excited.  I'd have to say, their version of the chorus was extremely catchy.  To cap off their performance, Gun Gang finished up with a song I heard on the radio not too long ago entitled "I Love Me a Park Girl."  This song had ladies running from all corners of the club to the dance floor.  It's a dedication to all of the ladies that live in the many "Parks" (lower class neighborhoods based in Norfolk, Virginia), giving them praise for holding down their man without smothering them in the process.  This song is worthy enough to be put in a category with Webbie's "Independent" and "5-Star Chick" by Yo Gotti.  Yes, it's that good.  It fits right in.

Now on to the headliner, Lloyd from Young Money.  First off, let me say that his natural voice is CD quality.  I mean he can sing!  He also looks exactly like he does on television.  Now that that's out of the way, (sorry, us girls always wondered if he looked that handsome for real) he hops on the stage and immediately went into the "You" remix.  I was already on the stage so I didn't get run over by the stiletto heels of the stampeding women.  Brace yourselves.  Here comes the twist.  As he goes into the song "Bedrock" his microphone begins to scream!  I mean scream!!!  A second track begins to play over the song he is already performing and now everyone is getting confused and looking around trying to figure out what is going on.  Management signals someone to cut the music.  This doesn't faze Lloyd at all; he begins to serenade us a capella.

The management signaled Lloyd off the stage, and he was rushed into the kitchen of the club which was the closest door to get away from the crowd.  Most of the people stayed on the dance floor in wonder.  My golden press pass and I proceeded toward the kitchen.  "This is gonna be good" was all I could say!  There's nothing like a live drama.  When I arrived at the door of the kitchen there is a lady, obviously the party coordinator, screaming at the top of her lungs with her arms flailing wildly on the other side of security.  There is also a man being contained by security in fury about the sound system.  The longer I stood there I soon found out the party coordinator and the man contained by security are brother and sister.  He's upset with the sound, and she upset because he's upset.  I couldn't get into the kitchen, but a good friend of mine did so I texted him and asked him to send me the details of what I couldn't hear through the door.  Come to find out, Lloyd wanted to wait until they fixed the sound so he could finish the show, but his management forced him out of the door and into a SUV that swiftly escorted him back to the hotel.  I don't know what was more entertaining, the one-and-a-half songs that Lloyd performed or the drama with the sound system.

In my opinion, Lloyd is still all that you could ever imagine and is obviously way more down to earth than you would expect.

Lloyd on MySpace

Lloyd on YouTube

 

 

 

By Author: Monet Freeman

Monet Freeman hails from Virginia Beach, and has her roots dug deep into music. Most of her childhood was spent singing in the church choir, Voices of Tomorrow in Elementary School, and Chorus in middle school. By the time she reached high school she found that her calling was not in the spotlight but behind the scenes. Finding comfort in journalism she began to write poetry and raps to help cope with the growing pains of life. Now she has found that the best way to find herself is in the service of others, thus leading her to aid the exposure of others who are finding their way in the music industry. With her loves of fashion, cosmetology, photography, writing and music, she feels there is no better way to live than with her heart planted in hip hop.

 

 

Please login to post your comments.