“Cool” - Laelo Hood, featuring Lyriciss and Pro’Verb
We like the narrative backdrop for this video with Laelo Hood assuming the character of a Boss and spitting over Shaft themed beats. His flow is precise, evocative, and sets up the follow on features by Pro-Verb and Lyriciss. Of course folks who’ve heard them would expect nothing less than excellent delivery from each and they don’t disappoint. It’s a good video, reminiscent of the early days of Hip Hop videos when the narrative was on equal par with the music. Produced by Raw Footage with the wardrobe provided by Rock It Again, this is a fun video and definitely ready for Da Stage.
The good folks at Red Eye Films sent us this video and it took us less than a minute to know we wanted to feature it. DC Don Juan was number 9 on WKYS’s list of the hottest 2010 DMV rappers and there are plenty of his videos to choose from. But this one shows him up close and personal in what he calls his JuanMix of Weezy’s original. It’s raw emotion set against a backdrop framing him seated in a chair in a room, alone and in touch with his feelings. It works well because it conveys a moment in time every guy, or woman, can connect to. The video footage strengthens as it goes along with a nice close. Good work from DC Don Juan and from Red Eye.
“SwagBeat” - $urreal, featuring Reaction Band
They’ve got Howard U roots but $urreal has a rapidly expanding fan base. They can handle the microphones as you can see from this video produced by Corbin Howard. The hookup with the great Reaction Band is a real plus for viewers who get to hear a Cranked Up beat behind the deft lyrics from this crew. This is just confirmation of our long held theory that every DMV rapper should have an affiliation with a GoGo band. It’s a winning formula. Nice scenes in this video from the club where it was filmed. Looking for real big things from $urreal.
“Wassup” – Triology III featuring Lando and Nu Era
Either they’re channeling Bone Thugs and Harmony or they’re the closet thing we’re ever going to see to a reincarnation, but with this video Trilogy III almost makes a better case for BTH’s legacy than BTH did on their last album. The video scenes are good, not exceptional, but good, but the beats and lyrics bang. We caught this group performing at the H Street Festival and immediately asked about links to their work. Don’t know what kind of footprint they have in the DMV but trust, they’ve got mad potential.
Okay, the video is not even a real video but Sir Daj is a personal favorite at OnStage. In fact, we’re willing to stake our reputation on our belief that this rapper has immense potential and a huge upside. Homie can rap, period, and we pity the A&R rep that hears his work and doesn’t sign him. He’s committed to the game as evidenced by the fact that he caught our attention with a CD his crew was passing out outside the 9:30 Club a few weeks ago. There’s nothing to see in the video but listen to the lyrics and the delivery and we think you’ll be as convinced as we are. This is the kind of talent we showcase at OnStage.