#FromBatonRougeToJerusalem
A Marcel
P. Black Travel Blog
Date: Saturday January 20th,
2018
City: Houston, Texas
Venue: The Secret Group
Show: 2 – City: 2 – State: 2
Mane hol’ up… The last time I did a
show in Houston was May of 2017. I did my “Hip-Hop Is Alive” concert there and
booked all Houston acts that I either went to college with, or made friends
with in my years of doing shows in Houston. One of them being Kyle Hubbard, an
incredible emcee, and really good guy. He’s been tryinna bring me to Houston
for a long time, the time was finally right, and he made it happen.
Originally, I was supposed to do San
Antonio too, but I got the call to come begin the process of moving back into
my apartment that day, so I opted to cancel the San Antonio show so I can move back
in. Though I hate cancelling, the show wasn’t gonna pay as much as I normally
get aaaaannnndddd it was an 8 ½ hour trip. My wife wanted to go because her
sister who we haven’t seen in like 7 yrs was lives there, and even though I had
my main mane Mark Dub riding with me, it just ain’t really make sense to not
adult and move back in to do that show. Bad timing, hopefully they don’t think
I’m a flake and they’ll book a real nigga again.
Update: We’re moved back in!!!
However I didn’t cancel the Houston show.
HTX is only 4 ½ hours away, a pretty easy slab. We pick up Part Man/Part Thug
and head to Houston, pull up at my wife’s soror’s crib in Katy, a big ase suburb
of Houston. We’re kinda late, so I hurry up & change then head on back into
the city, an hour drive from where we are.
Avoid TF
Out That Lava…
Though I was a special guest, I was
really there to open for my man Casey aka Full Metal for the release of his stellar
LP “Avoid The Lava.” This dude can really rap, as well as Kyle and my guy Virgil
Wolfe. DJ Discipline is on the tables spinnin’ real ass Hip-Hop, I realize I
can’t play with these boys tonight. While I’m at the table, Mark tells me my
boy David aka Dirty of Dirty & Nasty along with his wife Dara. D tells me that
since that he had to come because he didn’t wanna fail the #PullUPChallange,
which I found hilarious with all the respect in the world. Long story short, I
had a lot of people who say they fool with me tough or wanna work with me not
pull up when I came to they city last year. I told folk this year, if you don’t
pull up when I’m in town, we ain’t got nothing to talk about. Well D accepted the
challenge & pulled up, so we gonna build.
Virgil goes up first, and rhymes his
ass off. Good energy, good productions, really good raps. Next up is Kyle, who
is the scenes local hero, and he’s going for it too. I’m like shit, I can’t
come outchea and get washed like that. Another note, my guy D-Risha is supposed
to come, and I haven’t seen him in like 3 years, and I know he wants me to put
on a dope show, so I can’t afford to even have a mediocre tonight.
Kyle finishes and D-Risha comes in.
You can tell this nigga ain’t been out in a minute since fatherhood/family life
has him working hard af to provide the wonderful life for his daughter and fiancé.
He was lit af, and I mad at him one bit. I start off with “BR7MC,” and Risha is
screaming “talk yo shit Black” at the top of his lungs, in the front of the
stage, and it’s giving me all the like. Then I hit em with an acapella, going
straight into “Stare & Whisper” adding a li’l crowd participation to it, which
I normally don’t do, but it’s working tonight.
Next is my 5 things, and into “Where
I Stay,” which has a Pimp C sample on the hook, so I was hoping it would go
well, and it did. More really good call & response. None better than “Hallelujah”
though, a song in which I have a room of roughly 60 mostly white Texans
screaming “Fuck Donald Trump” at the top of their lungs. Mark told me one guy
was looking mad uncomfortable, but he ain’t wanna fight, so NDC.
I hit em with “FreeBLKPPL” next, one
of my all time favorite songs that I still haven’t figured out how to perform
yet. I manage through it and before I’m bout to “Freedom Music,” they tell me I
only have time for one my song. I chose “Cry Freedom” for 2 reasons:
1.
It has a Journey sample
and crowd is mostly all white.
2.
On “Freedom Music” I profess
the Black Woman is God, but there’s no Black women in the room (#Wypipo wins
again… smh).
Lemme Find Out You Racist Against Jesus & God
“Cry Freedom” goes over well, another mostly white
crowd in the South I converted with these Black ase raps. I then go to my table
and sell tf out some merch. One the way to the table, a white guy stops me and
says, “I’m a Christian too, I didn’t understand anything else you were saying
because of our different experiences, but I support rappers who are Christians.”
I tell him I believe Jesus was Black and that God is a Black woman. He looks puzzled,
I dap him and tell him to come to the table, he never shows up. Lemme find out you
racist against Jesus & God lol…
“After the show It’s the After Party…”- Jay Z
After Casey kills it I sell more cd’s & shirts,
then head over to the big side of The Secret Group for their “90’s Dance Party”
which didn’t play all 90’s music, but they played nothing but dance hits from
all genres, and it was lit. Mostly Mexicans and White folks, but mane they knew
every song that played, and we cut up.
3 Dope things me & Mark witnessed:
1.
A small Black dude dressed
like Ini Kamoze whom we called the “Hot Stepper” who came in for dolo literally
vibed with every type of MF in the club including Black’s, Whites, Gays, Latinos,
Asians… That nigga was intersectional af.
2.
A tall Asian lady
tryinna make her booty clap to some ignorant rap song. She failed miserably, but
what she lacked in booty she made up with in heart.
3.
I had no idea Daft Punk’s
“One More Time” is White People’s GOAT club banger. That bih came on and White
folks lost they mind. Which led me on a journey to figure out what touches White
peoples’ souls… Stay tuned for my findings.
At the end of the night we had a great time, got
some fire Whataburger, and headed on back Sunday afternoon. Another successful
show in the books, def felt like I shook that monkey off my back with this
show.
Venue: 4.5/5 (Small, but perfect for an underground Hip-Hop show)
Crowd Response: 4/5
Sound: 4/5
Merch Sales: 4/5
Set List: BR7MC, Stare & Whisper, Where I Stay, Hallelujah, Cry Freedom
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