The Baltimore Paparazzi

The Baltimore Paparazzi

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Billy Lyve, Wisdom Court, Sleep When I'm Dead Pt 2 - Eastern Shore Stop!!


On the latest stop of the Sleep When I'm Dead Pt 2 tour, Billy Lyve took it to the Eastern Shore and no it wasn't Ocean City!! It was at the American Legion in Centreville, Md in Queen Anne's County!  Which happens to be where I grew up and went to school and have family that all live there!!  So when Billy said he was going to do a show there I knew I had to be there!



The night started off slow.  There weren't very many people in there and people were coming in and then going back out!  There were a few faces that I recognized from back in the day or from family functions.  The dj was playing music and those who were there were dancing and as you can see so were Billy, JonJon and Blackstaff!!  LOL






Now I am a people watcher and I was seeing the looks we were all getting because no one knew who we were.  Everyone there knows everyone else or just about knows everyone!  So now it was time for the set to start.  Billy gets on stage with Blackstaff and starts it off with "And I Know It" which is a track produced by Street Scott.  The first line is "I'm a bad motherfucka and I know it........"  What a way to introduce yourself!! LOL  I looked around and the people were getting closer and I seen them vibing!!  It was a really good look seeing that they hadn't heard of Billy Lyve or Wisdom Court.

07.AND I KNOW IT BY BILLY LYVE PROD. BY STREET SCOTT.mp3


Then it was Blackstaff's turn.  And they did not disappoint by any means!!  I looked over to my right and seen a guy hitting the speakers, rocking like he had been a fan!  I watched as the people got even closer!  I seen the energy rise as well.




Then it was time for the last song which is becoming an anthem for those who hear it!!  "Until We Bleed" is one of those love songs that EVERYONE can really relate to because everyone has gone through it at least one time in their life when they love someone so much but they hate them at the same time.

As Mai started singing the hook I looked to the left and seen these girls come right up to the stage almost pushing Sam and Latrice  out of the way!  LOL  They were loving her voice and let's be honest, who doesn't love Mai's singing???

03.UNTILL WE BLEED FEAT MAI PROD. BY STREET SCOTT.mp3


So all  in all I think the set was a great success!!  Both Billy and Blackstaff gained new fans.  Just imagine if Street Scott, TAG, Prenz Bilal, hell and the whole Wisdom Court were there for a full show!!  Centreville would have never been the same.

And yes that is JonJon The Son! He was there for support!!!

This was after the performances!!!



Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Billy Lyve, Wisdom Court, Sleep When I'm Dead Pt 2




Ive noticed that I tend to gravitate towards people with great business minds!  I love to have people with a good work ethic and a good head on their shoulders.  So I think that is why I have gravitated towards Billy Lyve and most importantly Wisdom Court.

I can't tell you the first time I seen Billy Lyve perform but the name Wisdom Court seemed to come out of no where to me.  The funny thing is this team has been doing their thing and on the scene for a couple of years,  That goes to show you that in a city like Baltimore, there are more artists and rappers than you could possibly ever know or hear of.

A few months ago, Billy and I were talking and he was telling me about how he was putting a tour together to promote his project called Sleep When I'm Dead Part 2.  Now I'm thinking tour.  Ok.  What's he going to do hit all the spots in and around Baltimore??  No, not Billy Lyve.  The start of the tour was in Herndon, VA at a spot called Breaker's Sky Lounge on May 13th!  This was in like a shopping plaza and it was on the 4th floor!  While in the elevator I was reminded of the days of going to shows at the Belvedere and the closer you got to the floor where the show was the louder the music got.  When you walked into Breaker's you see an area with tables, the bar, pool tables and the plasma tvs.  At the front you see the dj with a huge screen behind him playing the videos of the songs he was playing!  And the VIP was huge!






At this show it was just Billy Lyve and some members of Wisdom Court performing!  And the people seemed to be enjoying the sound!  There were a number of us from Baltimore that traveled to be apart of this show. And the owner even asked him to come back to do another show!





The next stop on the tour was in DC at the Everlasting Life Cafe on June 3rd.  I got to this one late so I missed Billy performing and the first couple of acts.  At this show he had artists from Baltimore performing as well as himself.  And from what everyone was saying there was a nice turnout while Billy was performing!! I just wish I could have been there to see.

The third venue was held in Baltimore at Sonar June 17th.  When I got there, there was a line outside waiting to get into an already filled building.  I haven't seen Sonar like this for a local hip hop event in a very long time!!  As I looked around I seen some familiar faces.  Comp, JonJon The Son, M.A.M,. Records, Skarr Akbar and numerous others from the artistic community who came out to support Billy Lyve and Wisdom Court.



The performances where great!!  Wordsmith, TAG, Karron Johnson, Yuk, Blackstaff, Carbonstone,  not to mention the collabs that Billy has done on the project.  It was like everyone kept my attention.









Now I haven't listened to the whole project yet!  I have however have been sent a few of the tracks and of course I have heard the songs being performed and let me tell you from the ones I have heard, I love the direction that Billy Lyve's music is going in.  The track that use to be my favorite was "If You Ain't Happy" with Street Scott, who by the way produced 3 tracks on the project.  But one day Billy emailed me a rough copy of a song and half way through the first verse I said this is a hit.  Then you add First Lady Mai' beautiful voice on the hook and bridge and it is definitely a great song.  "Until We Bleed" is one of those songs you hear and say I know how he feels.  There are also other collabs on the project that are fantastic.  "Bullet Proof" With Wordsmith, "A Champion's Song" with Karron Johnson and the list goes on.

I can't wait to listen to the project from start to finish but what I have heard so far, this has to be one of the best music cds that have been put together.  I'm sure that I will be hearing and seeing good things from Billy Lyve and all of Wisdom Court.








Here is the link to download the cd for free!!!!   http://www.iam-hiphop.com/