March 14, 2010. Michele opens her spellbinding set.

Concise performs the King Coz-produced “Playing Marbles With The Planets” at The WOW on March 14, 2010

The song that inspired the name of the event… “The WOW” features Damien from The Legendary KO. Performed by Radio Galaxy on March 14, 2010

HISD performs “Lando”, the lead single from The Weakend. Footage captured March 14, 2010 at The WOW showcase in Houston, TX

Performed at “The WOW” on March 14, 2010. From their upcoming project entitled “_____ _______”. This is Scottie Spitten’s (From HISD) favorite song this year. That’s a direct quote. That’s Scottie sticking his head thru the backstage curtain.

HISD shared the stage a few days ago with Madlib, and here’s some footage from that show. Includes a performance of “Break Of Dawn”

Footage from a recent show that finds us performing crowd-favorite “Untitled” from the Universal album. Tough crowd that night, but we still did our thing. Appearances by D Rose and The Niyat. Filmed by (DJ?) Remix.

HoustonHipHop.Com caught up with the legendary Cut Chemist at the recent Red Bull 45 Spin event in Houston. Featuring appearances from The Are, DJ Sun, Brett Koshkin, and John Doe.

Friday, Dec 4, 2009. Lower Life Form performs at The Standard in Houston, TX and delivers a top-notch stage show. This clip contains the end of the show, where they perform “Run Go Get It”, along with a freestyle jam at the end. Drummer Eggy assures me that it was completely improvised. I believe him.

The last in a series of clips from our recent performance with D. Rose and The Niyat. We saved the best for last – “There Can Only Be One”.

From Remix (who was holding the camera):

“Ya know, when we walked in through the backstage, I had the camera on the guys the entire time. You could see that they weren’t taking themselves too seriously. They’re a group of regular guys with their own identities and personalities who have talents. They know they’re not pseudo-celebrities, or arrogant artists who can’t see through their own egos.

When we all hit the stage, the crowd was definitely expecting Tech Nine, but within 2 verses the boys won them over. Once ‘There Can Be Only One’ came on, they started really WATCHING. They were looking at the stage at first, but after a minute or so, they were intently watching. It was an interesting change.

As soon as the set was over, the boys all went back to being the same people they were before we went on: quiet, humble, funny, witty, interesting people capable of holding ACTUAL conversations and not feeling themselves because they can jump on stage and rap. They were normal people with no egos or misconceptions about who they are and what they do. Immediately we went back to talking about whatever inane, unimportant topic we were ranting about earlier, probably picking on each other.

A lot of the magic of these guys is really lost through the camera, but hopefully we can show it somehow over time.”

-Remix

The KO Show – Episode 2.2: “The Science” from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

Talk about irony – after knowing the members of The Niyat for over 15 years , this was the first time that we actually shared the same stage at the same time. Sure, we’ve had showcases together where we perform on separate sets, but this was a milestone for us.

This particular performance is a good study for younger musicians. No matter where you are in your career, you’ll occasionally come across crowds that are largely unfamiliar with your music. This show was a perfect example of that. Over the years, i’ve seen a lot of less experienced artists run into this situation, and are shocked because the audience isn’t really reacting to their show. Then they berate the audience and tell them “ya’ll ain’t feeling me” or “I thought {insert name of city here} knew what real music was!” Wrong move.

If you look closely at the video here, you’ll notice that the crowd - who has no idea who we are - are just kind of standing there and studying us. Listening. They came to see Tech N9ne. And when it came time for the crowd participation, they were right there with us. That’s a good sign.

So don’t get discouraged if you’re faced with an unfamiliar crowd and they’re not jumping through the ceiling for you. Do you best show, get them involved on some crowd participation, and if you’re opening for the headliner that they came to see – shout out the headliner.

Enjoy.

This is the first of a special 3-part edition of The Show, co-starring D. Rose and The Niyat. We take you behind the scenes of a recent performance.

The KO Show – Episode 2.1 “Before The Show” from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

On Nov 3rd, we opened a show with Slaughterhouse and Tech N9ne as the headliner. We knew that it was going to be a pretty serious show, so we brought in D. Rose and The Niyat to make sure that the heavy hitters were represented. We’d heard about Tech N9ne’s fans and the Juggalo culture, but never really experienced them for ourselves.

Yeah…

They’re… interesting, to say the least. When you look at the video, you can tell that we’re a little apprehensive right before we hit the stage, but it turned out to be a good performance.

“Cameos” from members of Slaughterhouse.

This is part 1 of 3.  Tomorrow we’ll premiere the performance of “The Science”. Thanks again to D. Rose and The Niyat. We’ll definitely have to do this more often! Thanks to Remix for the camera work.

Michele’s live performance from the inaugural edition of “The Standard”.

Oct 2, 2009

Michele Thibeaux – “Babylon Soldier” (Live) from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

Mos Def – “E=MC squared” (Live) from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

April 24, 2009
Arena Theater
Houston, TX

During the “Chris Dave & Friends” set

Mos Def performs “E=MC squared”.

Soundtrack by Chris Dave and co.

Not really sure what this song is for / from, but it sounds good. He performed it at the Chris Dave & Friends show on April 24, 2009. Arena Theater. Houston, TX

Get the mp3 of this performance after the jump.

Bilal- “Playing This Song For Nothing” (Live)

Neon Collars – Anarchy (Live) from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

The Lounge Sessions: HISD – “The District” from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

The Lounge Sessions: KO – “World Renown” from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

D. Rose & DJ Cozmos performing a song I don’t have yet. This must change!

Check out the full recap of The Lounge Sessions with performances by H.I.S.D., The Legendary K.O./K-otix, D. Rose & DJ Cozmos, & The Gecko Brothers!

LLF / Hero & Rad – “This Is What You Wanted” from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

Lounge Sessions: D Rose – “What U Wanna Hear” from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

From Damien:

I got a call from D Rose about 2 months ago. He wanted to set up a brainstorming session, which included Savvi from HISD. The reason? He felt like it was time for the whole crew to finally commit to what we’d been talking about doing for the last several years – putting on a show that highlighted our collective talents. We tried and came close at SXSW, but that fell through.

D Rose has called me nearly everyday since then. It’s been eating us all up. So when the three of us met up at my crib, we held an hour long meeting to map out what would become The Lounge Sessions.

All four of the acts involved (HISD, The Gecko Brothers, KO, and D Rose) signed on without hesitation. That was the easy part. We only had a couple of weeks to promote. That was the hard part. After seeing the venue filled nearly to capacity, we knew the the work had paid off.

HISD opened the gates and set the tone for the show. As always, they employed a high energy set, and flawlessly ran through their catalog of modern classics. Although i’ve known them all for a while, this was only my 3rd time or so seeing them perform. It’s scary to see how much better they get with every performance.

The Gecko Brothers appeared as special guests of D Rose. Originally from New York, they came down for the weekend to handle some business and honored us with a tight show.

Next up was K-otix / The Legendary KO. It was our first time performing in over a year, but it felt like we just performed yesterday. I can’t really say too much about our show because I couldn’t really watch it. We brought The Are on stage for World Renown.

D Rose brought the show home (i’m glad we went before him). He has the uncanny ability to make everyone connect with every word that he utters. I don’t know if he realizes this, but everybody’s behind him. He clearly had the most support that night, and gave us a show for the ages. Ironically, he would tell me later that he was in the restroom just before his set, praying that he would remember his verses (claiming that he drew a complete blank). I’d say that his prayers were answered.

April 24, 2009
Arena Theater
Houston, TX

During the “Chris Dave & Friends” set

Mos Def performs “E=MC squared”.

Soundtrack by Chris Dave and co.

April 24, 2009
Arena Theater
Houston, TX

During the “Chris Dave & Friends” set
Bilal performs “Sometimes”

Brand new song from Neon Collars – “Anarchy”

Performed live at the Arena Theater in Houston, TX

April 24, 2009

April 24, 2009
Arena Theater
Houston, TX

During the “Chris Dave & Friends” set

Mos Def performs “Ms. Fat Booty” over Slum Village’s “Fall In Love”.

Soundtrack by Chris Dave and co.

I realized how good Dilla’s tracks sound when they’re played live.

More videos featuring Bilal, Mos Def, Stokely, and Neon Collars coming later this week.

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Kay featuring Stokely Williams – “Walked On By” (Live) from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

You may have caught the re-re-release of Kay’s “The Talk Show” recently. There’s a song on there called “Walked On By” featuring Stokely Williams of Mint Condition. Well, this the live version. With a really good band.

Things you may notice:

• Robert Glasper (Rhodes organ, foreground) is trying to tell the soundman to adjust Jon Jon’s monitor on stage, all while never missing a beat on the keys.
• The stage at the Arena Theater (where the performance was held) rotates, so catching good angles for this show took some work.
• Casey Benjamin (who plays the synthesizer / guitar thing) had on some glow in the dark orange and green nike Dunks. You couldn’t really tell with he red lights.

I’m a big fan of Neon Collars. It’s not a secret. Plus, you know Kay is my boy. So when he invied me to the showcase on April 24th, I had to fall through. The lineup was: Caretta Bell (with Michele Thibeaux, also Savvi from H.I.S.D.); Neon Collars, Chris Dave and Friends (Robert Glasper, Jon Jon, Casey Benjamin, Stokely, Bilal, Ledisi, and Mos Def… along with a HOST of musicians).

This is a selection from Neon Collars’ set featuring Kay, called “Pain 2 Glory”.

I was finally / formally introduced to lead singer Fran, and had to compliment her on her almost surreal vocal arrangements. She’s going to be “it” someday. I told you first.

Tried to sneak some backstage food to 8 Months, but security wasn’t even allowing opening acts backstage.

Also found out that 8 Mos and I re from the same neighborhood… Sunnyside stand up!!!!

Sadly, I didn’t get my camera powered up in time to really get Michele and Savvi in action – it didn’t occur to me that THEY JUST MIGHT BE PERFORMING….

This is the star-studded final teaser of “There Can Only Be One”, featuring previews of D. Randle’s and D-ology’s verses, along with a statement by Big Mon and reactions from HISD.

I know that we stretched out this whole teaser thing for a while, but it’ll be well worth the wait. Mark your calendar – MARCH 17, “There Can Only Be One” will officially drop on Rappers I Know!

Today’s peek comes courtesy of yours truly, D. Randle, and one of the greatest lyricists ever to grace a microphone – D-ology of The Niyat. More on D-ology next week when we feature The Niyat during Rappers I Know’s “Get To Know… Week”.

The date was November 16, 2008.

It was a perfectly sunny, but cool autumn day in Houston. I’d had the opportunity to watch D Rose perform the night before, and was making a rare “consecutive day” outing to watch Neon Collars perform for the first time as a live band.

I had pretty high expectations going into this. I had no choice. Just a year or so before this performance, I got a call from Kay saying. “D, I got this young cat that I want you to meet. He does beats.”

Young cats making beats are a dime a dozen these days, so my noncommittal response was, “Really? Hmm… just shoot me some of his stuff and i’ll check it out.”

Kay: “D, you don’t understand – this dude got HEAT! Him and his boy chop, play keys, and play live guitar.”

I’m still only semi-sold at this point: “Cool – when I get a chance, i’ll take a listen.”

Still sensing my lack of immediate interest, Kay cues up “Simone”.

J” 8 Months” Lewis “Simone” featuring Kay of The Foundation

I’m not usually the one to get blown away but things, but “Simone” was off the chain. I couldn’t front.

“Shit’s nice! Real nice!” (now that i’m typing this, I can see how ‘hip hop’ I sound sometimes)
Kay: “Yeah… but guess what?”
“What?”
Kay: “I know sounds crazy (classic Kevin Jackson), but he’s only been doing tracks for eight months.”
“8 months? Bullshit!”
Kay: “Straight up – 8 months. Banging out shit like this. Imagine what it’s gonna be like a year from now.”
“What’s his name?”
Kay: “8 Months.”
“Why that name?”
Kay: “Because he’s been making tracks for 8 months.”
“Oh…. duh.”

So that was my introduction to Neon Collars. Since that time, Justin, Denis, and co. have gone on to work with Kay on this…

“I Think (She Likes Me)” featuring Che Grand & The Luv Bugz produced by J “8 Months” Lewis

…with K-OTIX / The Legendary KO on this and with HISD on this, among a host of other credits.

So here I am a little over a year later, dragging my carcass out to 3rd Ward to watch them perform at an annual festival in the heart of the city’s historically black district (the part that’s still standing). Armed with nothing more than a cheap $300 camcorder, I witnessed a 45 minute performance of some of the most endearing music that i’ve laid eyes on. I’m just going to share 9 1/2 minutes of this greatness, and keep the rest to myself so that you can discover them on your own. You owe it to yourself .

-Damien

Neon Collars is:

Lead singer: Franchelle Lucas
Bass: Carlos Conway
Drums: Abel Cisneros
Guitar: Denis Cisneros
Producer: Justin “8 Months” Lewis

We did a show in Wil, Switzerland a while back, and the crowd was so into it we thought it would be a good idea to jump in. What Damien did was not what most would consider diving. He kind of fell in – in cake-like fashion. He tried again, and it was just as pitiful. Finally, had enough and just shoved him in. Pathetic.

A few years ago we traveled to one of the largest cities in Poland – Wroclaw. (Look it up in Wikipedia or something; it has a pretty rich history.) When we arrived, the tour manager informed us that roughly 98% of the people in that city had never laid eyes on people of color – on television, let alone in person. In fact, he went on to say that the only people who really ever saw non-Europeans were hip hop fans who could access their favorite artists through the internet, etc.

He took us to a pre-show dinner at a pretty nice restaurant in the middle of town. Everything stopped. Plates dropped. There was a quiet hush that came over the entire room. The people of Wroclaw beheld a sight that they’s never see before, and could tell their families and friends about. As a “courtesy”, the host sat us in the back corner away from prying eyes, but that didn’t stop everybody in the restaurant from taking turns for “trips to the restroom”. It seemed like people were almost lining up to walk by our table and catch a peek. Some were bold enough to take pictures. I think someone in our party got their silverware stolen towards the end of dinner – maybe somebody wanted a DNA sample. It was truly one of the most unique experiences that we’d ever had.

But the point of the story is this – we were in the middle of a city full of people who had never laid eyes on a bunch of brown-skinned, coarse-haired Americans to do a hip hop show. We performed in a small venue that was supposed to hold 300 people, and they crammed in another 100. This is an absolute testament to the power of music, in that it travels across the globe without boundaries or discretion. It was one of the best shows that we’d ever done, and we present it here in its entirety. It got so wild that they broke the guardrail at some point in the show!

It’s a pretty large file so you might have to give it a little time to load…

Last time we went to Prague, DJ Cozmos rolled with us for one of the best shows that we’ve ever had. I don’t know if they have fire codes over there, but i’m sure they broke a few of them in this venue. They were probably 200 over capacity, with people even stuffed in the balcony. THis first clip shows the intro of the show, leading into “Drop That”.

KO Live in Prague – Drop That

2nd Coming- Live In Prague

The house nearly came down on this one, and this was only the beginning of the show!

M.I. – Live In Prague

One of the high points of the performance. Notice how the crowd erupts at the beginning…

World Renown – Live In Prague

This was the finale of our set, and we performed it on top of the crowd…