Wrap it up, B.

Spotted at Kei's place

We put the "A" in Austin Mixtape (SXSW Atlanta Hip Hop acts)

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What I'm listening to.

I'm giving a good hard listen to two cats that have been doing it in ATL for a good long minute. I'm not going to lie to you- Ghetto Tech is not my thing but there are some strong songs on this Grip Plyaz record:

- Party Pack ft The Fewture
- Yall Already Know
- Black Matado


With the Killer Mike record, I like the entire thing. My favorite has to be Pressure, though right now. Go pick these up.

It was awesome.

I had a great time Friday night at Fuggin Awesome 3 It was hot as hell in the Drunken Unicorn Friday, but nobody complained. Ladies were dancing, the fellas were smiling and the bass was bumping all night. ATL DJ Duo The Audubon Society set the table. Their set had tremendous range playing everything form K-os "Superstar" breakbeats to Spank Rock and B.o.B. The first act that stood out to me was ATL based MCsAnimal House. I know you're thinking that with a lineup featuring ATL underground stars like Muffy, Grip Plyaz, Killer Mike, etc that it's odd for me to mention a little known group.
The truth of it is that as soon as their beats dropped, booties dropped. Ladies emerged from their comforting perches along the dark shadows of the walls to bounce it like it's tender to Animal House's set. I can't lie, I was getting into it too. Were the lyrics mind-blowing? No. The beats were incredible, however and they rode those beats perfectly. The lyrics were about partying and bullshit but that message was right on time Friday night. It was obvious that they began to tire towards the end of their set because it didn't have the energy the rest of the show had but their point was made already: don't sleep on Animal House. When you talk about groups that have the potential to create a single that can catapault them out of the underground, this is one of them. I can hear that music being played on any top 40 Urban station.
Muffy's set was interesting in that they incorporated a little theatrics into it. I think it will continue to improve and has a chance to be impressive down the line. Her backup singers are beautiful and with Muffy's art direction you know they were styling on folks up on stage. Magnificent fashion. People expecting energy from her got it and as her stage show matures, she'll have a chance to give some great shows in the near future. The foundation for it is there. Hollyweerd performed with more energy than I've noticed from them in the past Friday Night. Of course what stood out most from them again was their fashion sense, their ease with each other on stage, Staggo Lee's Sax Solo on "Weerdo" KED's energy on his features and the fact that they have some really solid singles they perform. They are a young group- together for only 6 months. Their live show will only get better. Hollyweerd has the benefit of constantly performing, affording them the ability to gain experience.
Yelawolf was amazing. I've been impressed with his live show every time I've seen him. He had a live fiddler playing with him Friday in-keeping with Yelawolf's 'Bama sensibilities. Like Hollyweerd, he was wasn't shy to mix it up with the fans as he performed, but the mosh pits brought another level of energy I never am quite prepared for. He invited ladies up on stage to 'perform' with him. His rapport with these ladies only added to the show, the sound, the feel. Again, if you haven't heard Stereo please go to his myspace and download it. It's an amazing EP. Anytime you can incorporate Charlie Daniels, AC/DC and Pink Floyd into a hip hop show, you are doing some major things.

There isn't much else about the show that the pics won't tell you except that it got a little too awesome at times and waiting for the show to get back under control to hear the next act became a problem more than once. It was that crazy. For complete coverage including audio snippets and interviews, check my blog on VIMBY.com. It should be up next week, God willing. There I'll talk more in depth about each of the performances, the artists I talked to while I was there, and the scene in general. I'll also have a review of Hollyweerd's EP on artnouveau . Meanwhile you can check my review for Yelawolf's EP Stereo which is up on artnouveau right now.
Before going, I'd like to add that Killer Mike performed his new single and tore the house down. I finally had the pleasure of seeing SL Jones from Grind Time official live, and that was really fun. Young Trimm from ATL's Battery 5 family is a star. The man announced getting signed to Myspace.com's new lable with Interscope and I think he'll do well. He has some great songs that can go a long way. That's all for now, folks. I think I caught my wife's cold. I can't stop sneezing. Let me handle that before I go in to work tonight, peace