First of the month ladies and gents, so you all know what that means. Those bills are due and my boys Wild Wayne of New Orleans own Q93 and Nuthin But Fire Records CEO and rapper extraordinaire Sess-45 held the 40th Industry Influence at the Hanger.
Industry insiders, dj's, rappers, directors. singers, models, and fans packed the building to get some real knowledge on how to further their careers.
The night started off with EF Cuttin at the one's and two's while New Orleans own premiere modeling group "Pink Ink" took to the stage to model some of Springs newest fashions. Wearing everything from dresses, to swimsuits, to beautifully done jumpsuits the girls gave a little eye candy to the nights opening events.
For all those who don't know about Industry Influence or have never attended one you should know that Wayne himself even gives people that normally wouldn't be able to perform or speak, a chance to grab the mic and share with the crowd their personal successes. If it be the smallest thing as letting everyone know about their services or business, or a new music related endeavor, all is welcomed.
The evening continued with performances from local and surrounding artists kicking off with a young rapper by the name of "Freakie Da Dude" A solo cat who kept the energy and set the tone for following acts.
"Flo'rescent", a quick witted female out of the local New Orleans area. She was even compared to as "the next best thing since Mia X" You all know how I feel about someone comparing themselves to my mama.... I'll honestly be looking forward to future music from her because I tend to give props to ANY female who gets it in onstage. She could stand to work on her stage presence a little, and your "hypeman" should NEVER enter before you or be the mail focal point during a performance. Present ion is the key folks.
A group by the name of "Pay Homage" hit the stage and seemed to bring their own cheering section with them. Word of advice to all aspiring entertainers bringing your own crowd does help. Hell...they got my attention.
A rapper by the name of "Iago" slowed it down a bit with some smoker-esque beats and poetic rhymes. I will mention this, when trying to make a name for yourself and performing in front of a new crows its always best to stat off with a fast paced song to get every ones attention and audience participation.
a new favorite of mine graced the stage. A young and upcoming lyricist by the name of "Dee-1" He performed his new single "Jay-Z, 50, & Weezy", which paints a vivid picture of him having a round table discussion with the namesakes of the song. He released the video for the song and its already reached national recognition, even being played on the ever popular MTV Jams. The ex middle school teacher is unique in many ways. Keeping profanity out of his music and a positive vibe while bringing important facts and issues to light seems to be his speciality. He patiently waiting and quickly becoming even more of a factor in the game.
The performances came to an end and made way for the first panel of the night. "Creating Viral Videos" was the topic of the night with special guest speakers rappers Dee-1, Y.Luck, and Natee', video directors Bonose, Big Ramp and 2 Cent. All of these speakers had one thing in common, they all created a following off of their self made YouTube viral videos, and film projects. Speakers explained the importance and benefit of using simple editing tools and the Internet to create a fan base. If you look up any of the above names on YouTube I guarantee you wont be disappointed with the quality of their work.
The final and most informative panel featured world famous DJ Drama. Drama explained how he got his start simply hustling his own mixtapes around Southern college campuses. The Philly native grew up watching the likes of DJ Clue and the late but great DJ Screw. He studied their hustle and grind and basically emulated it. Instead of presenting his face to the world Drama kept it strictly about the music acting as just a "worker" for DJ Drama when people would ask who he was. He explained how rapper Lil Jon dropped the "Gangsta Grillz" soundbite that you hear on all of his mix tapes and how he basically branded it and made it known all around the world. I was amused by one thing in particular. Drama told the crowd how while rapper Dee-1 was performing his song onstage earlier he was looking up his music video for the song. It goes to show you that no matter how big you think a person is in the game, you never know who's watching for newer greater things within the industry.
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