Baltimore Soundstage
was rocking and so alive Wednesday, September 26, 2012. The Funk Volume Tour had come to Baltimore and the fans
came out and really supported. As I
walked towards the building, I seen the line and noticed members and supporters
of Wisdom Court
who had come to show love to Billy Lyve and also seen the fans of Hopsin and
Funk Volume. Hopsin even came out front
with his skateboard and was hanging out with the fans.
The show was opened up
by Billy Lyve. On his set he had other
members of Wisdom Court ,
Team Flex, Voice and DJ Cliffstarr, and also his son Sky was gracing the stage
as well. For those in the crowd who had
never heard of Billy Lyve or Wisdom
Court is was apparent that they became fans with
the music and his stage presence. The
picture there you can see Wisdom
Court supporters and those who came to see Funk
Volume having a good time. By the time
Billy Lyve finished his set, which included members of Wisdom Court coming on stage to rock out
to his new song “Love Me Baby” ft DJ Cliffstarr and produced by Imahj, the
crowd were new fans of this “unknown local artist”.
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| Voice |
 |
| DJ Cliffstarr |
 |
| Billy Lyve and Team Flex |
 |
| Max Beatz |
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| Wisdom Court |
Then it was time for
The Funk Volume Tour show to begin. The
tour consisted of DJ Hoppa, Jarren Benton, Dizzy Wright, SwizZz, and
Hopsin. I had never heard of any of
these artists until I was told that Billy Lyve was opening for them. And in all actuality the only name I heard
was Hopsin. So I went and listened to
his music from the last cd I could find which was called “Raw”. I was so impressed that this young man was
lyrical and said things that I think most artists think but are too scared to
really come out and say for fear of being put on a shelf or being released from
their record label. Also on the cd was a
young man named SwizZz. I have since
went to Funk Volume’s web page and downloaded all the cd’s they have
listed.
All these young men
have a fan base all their own. People
were there to see Jarren and there were others who swore to me that Dizzy was
the best emcee they have heard. And of
course Hopsin and SwizZz were the main names that are thought of when someone
says Funk Volume.
Jarren Benton started
the Funk Volume set off and as I listened to this young man I thought I know
there is hope for the hip hop community.
He had the crowd hype and was truly having the time of his life on
stage. And at one point, DJ Hoppa came
from behind the turntables and began rapping too. Jarren even went out into the crowd in the
VIP section and did part of his performance there.
Next up was Dizzy
Wright. And he did not disappoint me at
all. He is a laidback kind of guy and
his music reflects just that. During one
song he was performing SwizZz came on stage and did his verse and then Hopsin
jumped on stage and the crowd sounded like they lost their minds.
I even won a copy of
Dizzy’s cd “Smoked Out Conversations” before the show began and I never win
anything. Although I had never heard of
any of these guys the crowd obviously had because young guys and girls were
singing along with them and they didn’t miss a beat. These guys reminded me of a few local artists
who have been doing their own thing and making the moves no one else is making.
Then it was time for
what everyone was waiting for Hopsin took the stage and let the mosh pit and
jumping up and down begin. The crowd
literally went crazy. He performed songs
off of “Raw” so I could sing along as well.
During the song “Trampoline” Hopsin dove out into the crowd and stood up
while being held up by the crowd.
I was impressed by the
lyrical content of Hopsin and SwizZz before I seen them perform and after
seeing their performance as well as the performances of Jarren Benton and Dizzy
Wright, these young men should be on the radar of every lover of hip hop.
Don’t take my word on
it because it is after all just my opinion but you can find their music on www.funkvolume.com and you can find videos
on YouTube. I love storytellers and
these young men are storytellers.
