#SoIFlowLive Recap w/ Graffititech & Greenspan

So what did you miss last night? Well, if you didn’t notice me spamming your Instagram, I attended SoIFLowLive artist showcase held at the brand new Play Hookah Lounge.

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The event was hosted by the lovely JanaeTru, blogger for the notorious TruDat Blog. She did an awesome job hosting last night’s festivities by keeping the crowd laughing and ready for the evening’s honored guests.

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This Wednesday at SoIFlow, it was all about Baltimore’s own music producer Graffititech and Bmore hip-hop artist Greenspan. Each of them brought some oomph to the night.

The night began with Graffittech. Instead of having the event turn into a strictly a listening party for his set, he decided to be a little different, and brought an entourage of artists with him to perform over his beats.

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In honor of one of hip-hop culture’s legendary artist, Graffititech also allowed the audience to take a listen to his 13 year anniversary tribute to the beloved Aaliyah. We rocked out for a minute for his tribute had Bmore written all over it. He remixed Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody?” by giving it a homey sound and we danced to a brand new “Baltimore Club” song in remembrance of her. (Take a listen to the track.)

Following Graffititech came DJ Blaqstarr. As one of the event sponsors, he blessed the stage with his musical graces. Years of his musical expertise showed him to be transparent because we could all tell this guy put in a lot of work to be where he is today. All we can do is respect this man for what he does.

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Greenspan wrapped up the night for us. Along with him came Al Great and Ashley Alexander. All three of these great talents actually whipped me back into shape after being blown away by the hookah I was sharing with Janae. Janae was a little blown away up there hosting, too, as she mentioned the hookah gets her a little dizzy. It’s all good tho. Ha-ha!

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There was also a buffet included with the ticket purchased for the event. It didn’t have much but after tweeting that I hadn’t eaten all day, that plate of chicken and salad saved my life. Then when I turned around and I saw some banging jewelry by New Vintage By Sam and wished I had some more money.

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I’m steady shaking my head at myself because I was literally a starving artist last night.

Though the night was amazing, I can’t help to fathom why there wasn’t more people there to savor the experience with me. Once again it was artists supporting other artists. The artist-to-fan ratio was whack.  I’m glad to see we got each others back out here in Baltimore. But we still need to bring out those crabs who only want to watch me post from my Instagram account. Haha! A change is coming Baltimore, indeed.

Never the less, I enjoyed my time at SoIFlowLive and I highly encourage others to support. SoIFlowLive is every Wednesday at the Play Hookah Lounge from 7-10 pm.

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Based off what you see, did I convince you to come out to more local hip-hop events? Leave your comments below.

Did you see the other Aaliyah Tribute via another Baltimore artist? See Maryland Rivers Tribute to R&B Legend Aaliyah on Doc’s Castle Media.

Doc Attends The Real News Network Grand Opening

Now let’s learn to be more politically correct here. Knowing that the majority of my audience are 20-something-years-olds, a lot of the people I carry a conversation with lack awareness for what’s really happening in the media. Just the other day, I asked one of my friends were they going to vote and they didn’t realize there was an election going on. Now that’s a problem. That exact incident weighed heavy on my mind at last night event as I attended The Real News Network’s studio grand opening.

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It was such a nice little shindig. Multiple people took part in the celebration and opening of the year old independent online news site in downtown Baltimore, MD.  From rappers, noteworthy guest speakers, poets and even a special appearance from actor/film director Danny Glover, we all came together on one night to recognize what’s really important while streaming our concerns to the rest of the world from the Real News Network website. We’re came together to show that we care about our community’s well being. Along with the extravagance of being blessed with the presence of some very important faces, we still participated in celebrating something that I love so much, hip-hop. It was a very good night.

I saw some familiar faces, too…

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As I attended the grand opening, I wrangled up a few important messages that caught my ear. The messages constantly being pushed at last night function by the keynote speakers were

  • “we should participate in what’s happening in our communities,”
  • “we should become the government that we want instead of bashing what we have,”
  • “we should always love who we are,” and
  • “we should work hard to become who we are and not let anyone stop us from doing what we love.”

With every speaker and performance, there was a sense of power that came with their presence; the kind of power that makes you want to leave from the event and create a masterpiece of your own. You can’t tell me I wasn’t ready to go write an opinion essay after I left out of there. My notebook gained 4 more pages worth of “scrap literature.” Praise be to the motivation!

I look forward to learning more about The Real News Network. It’s still pretty fresh to me. But when something is unfamiliar, I don’t hesitate to learn more about it. I’m thinking of a way to somehow volunteer my services for them. They’ve also mentioned the need for a lot of help from people in the community so you should find your place in getting involved with The Real News Network, as well.

Take a stand! The Real News Network will also be having their part 2 to their grand opening tonight. If you’re seeking to get involved sooner opposed to later, go check ‘em out! RSVP at the Real News Network’s event page on Facebook and follow the address below:

235 Holliday Street

Baltimore, MD 21202

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Have you attended any of the Beet Trip events? Read Beet Trip is the New Wave on Doc’s Castle Media.