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Of all the personalities you’ll see on stage in the DMV there’s no doubt Sylvia Bunny Traymore Morrison was born to be there. The nationally renowned impressionist has been pretty much the star of the show all her life. She was that elementary school student teachers trusted with speaking roles in ceremonies, a talent show winning singer at Western (now Duke Ellington) High School, then went on to finish as 2nd runner up in the Miss Black America pageant while a student at Spelman College before launching a wildly successful career that’s included hosting a roast of Muhammad Ali to opening on the Whitney Houston tour at the height of Whitney’s glory days. Name a venue and she’s probably played it. Name a national act and she’s probably appeared with them. She flawlessly impersonates Mo’Nique, Whoopi Goldberg, Wendy Williams, and First Lady Michelle Obama. She’s the Queen of Impressions, and she’s DC’s own!
Sylvia is also the author of Almost There, Almost, a must read book that chronicles her life in an unfiltered view from growing up in Washington DC to going on the road to America’s most well known entertainment halls. Get your copy as a way to pay tribute to a hometown girl who really has done it. And make sure 2012 is the year you catch one of her shows at a local venue. Connect with her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @SylviaTMorrison to get the latest tour date info.
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Back in October when we dropped the hot video “Rollin” into the OnStage Video Showcase we figured 2012 would a real breakout year for DMV artist Young Sir. Now, I.A.M. Music Group has announced the release of his second mixtape N.E.M. Nothing Else Matters and the lyrical growth is evident. We held off on posting anything until we actually listened to the whole project on datpiff.com. If you haven’t heard it we highly recommend you check it out. Pay special attention to the 9th track, “Secrets” our personal favorite. It’s an excursion through the growth of an artist, a mixture of optimistic swag coupled with the realization that success in the music business means essentially doing it on your own. If you don’t get a co-sign you still have to grind, if you don’t get a feature you still have to keep working. That’s a strong theme throughout the tracks and a good indication that Young Sir is poised for bigger things. Keep checking for Young Sir. His management team is the highly respected I.A.M. Music Group This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. And you can get frequent updates on Twitter from @youngsirdmv and @I_AM_MusicGroup.
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We’ll be spotlighting quite a few of #TheOnesToWatch in 2012 and can’t think of a better place to start than DMV artist A.C. Springs. Keep an eye out for this Seat Pleasant, MD rapper. His newest song is “My Life” and he’s already been featured on WKYS DMV’s Own. Of course we dropped his live performance video in the Video Showcase but don’t stop there. Check out all his music and upcoming event information at his Reverb Nation page and at http://soundcloud.com/a-c-springs. We think you’ll agree he’s got a positive flow and mad potential. Many thanks to Chekeska Rashad for introducing us to his music. YouTube video courtesy of CoalHeartedLIVE.
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Not that he needs to hear it from us, but we’ve got so much respect for Raheem DeVaughn that we wanted to write something that acknowledges his tremendous contributions to entertainment in Washington DC and beyond. We were reminded of his impact a few nights ago when we caught a replay of an interview he did with Big Tigger on Direct Access. What we saw was a professional at the top of his game.
In this business creating an image, cultivating it, and using it to connect is just as important as having enormous talent. Honestly – and YouTube and all the television talent shows are proof of this - there are thousands of folks who have star quality talent in America, plenty of them in the DMV. But along with talent they need another ingredient that’s harder to define. Let’s call it industry acumen. The music industry is a business and folks who do well in it don’t stray too far from remembering that it’s a profession. The moment on the stage doesn’t end when the lights go down. The whole world is a stage. Performing is the easy part.
A three-time Grammy nominated artist, Raheem DeVaughn has called himself his own “best marketing tool.” And he is. He can smoothly update an audience on his radio show , his new mixtape, “Freedom Fighter”, and his upcoming appearances as if they were lines from a ballad. But he markets more than himself. Follow his Twitter account to see how he’s created a platform for the artists of 368 Music Group and for social causes. That’s the critical ingredient – knowing what to say and when to say it, knowing what enhances your career and when to act on it, creating and keeping a connection with your audience. It’s a winning formula. There may be three or four personalities in the DMV who have it, and Raheem right now is the leader of the pack.
Here’s one of our favorite videos in the OnStage Video Showcase; “Mo Betta” Raheem, for all you do, we appreciate you!- Details
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“Misty Blue” – Monica and Mary J. Blige
There’s a reason we begin by reviewing a video from the past. First, it’s a performance video and OnStage is, at its core, all about live performances. Secondly, this is a classic live performance with Monica and Mary J. Blige trading verses on the Dorothy Moore signature song which had an even earlier life than her version. So we want to set a standard by which we judge any other live performance videos and how we imagine other artists would come off doing a live show.
In terms of performance, this video sets a high bar. Monica brings out her best to do a duet with the “Queen” and in tribute to their innate professionalism, or dedication to practicing before the show; they swap back and forth without missing a beat. Put two great talents together and they push each other to bring out the best in their repertoire. Watch Mary J let it go at the 3:30 minute mark of the video and just as you’re thinking “Wow!” Monica comes right back to hit a note of her own!
Our point is it doesn’t matter what musical genre you either like, or perform in, the game has always been about quality performance. They just stood on the stage with microphones in their hands, and blew! The video is a classic.
“Get Away” – QUAN
Many of you may remember Quan’s early affiliation with Nas. In fact, “Just A Moment” from Nas’ Street’s Disciple was written by Quan and Nas liked it so much he added a verse and put it on the album. With that kind of pedigree you’d think nothing would have gotten in the way of continued success. But the music industry is hard, and life is twenty times harder. It ain’t always colorful; sometimes it’s black and white, like the video “Get Away”.
The power of this video is its straightforward and stark depiction of a grieving father. It’s dedicated to Quan’s son, Kayden, and is miles away from what you’d expect from Quan. No posse, no stuntin’; just anguish as the scenes move from car to grave site to a lonely figure sitting in his living room. It’s the mixture of song and rap we’ve come to expect, with more emphasis on the singing. It’s hard to pull off a credible tribute song but this works. We’re looking forward to hearing Quan’s new project, Glorious Struggle.
“Told You So” – Uptown XO ft. Diamond District
“Earned all my stripes…” is a line from UpTown XO’s video “Told You So” and that about sums it up for a rapper acknowledged as being among the vanguard of the DMV hip hop scene. You don’t expect anything less than raw spittin’ from Uptown XO and he and the whole crew deliver it on a subway ride shot the day Hurricane Irene visited Washington DC. Beautiful beat in the background and they get right to it, rhyming out a message throughout the entire ride. The video was shot by Langston Sessoms and even in black and white is sublimely smooth on the transitions from scenery to performance. Nicely done!
“Still Complete” – Pete G
The great thing about video is discovering an artist you hadn’t heard before and immediately recognizing that it’s talent you‘re glad not to have missed. Fortunately, we were turned on to Pete G by @BigSensi and after browsing through his videos we knew we had to put one in the OnStage Video Showcase. Pete G is a standout among emerging rappers. He’s got his own style, a unique voice, and an unforced delivery. He’s also got a track and video “Punctuate” with Lil Wayne on the feature. That kinda catches the eye.
“Still Complete” is directed by Mikhal Shapiro with additional vocals by Myke Nez and produced by SermStyle who has previously done work for Wiz Khalifia, Young Buck, and Yung Berg, among others. With those kinds of credentials we had high expectations for the visuals and beats and got what we were looking and listening for. Shot against an impressive scenic backdrop with movie-like quality that still doesn’t steal the spotlight from the performer as a lot of videos do, the nice touch here is that it centers the artist and allows the audience to focus on the lyrics. And the lyrics are good; “It’s in my fate, the right, what’s left, extinction? I can’t look back. I’m on a time limit breathing.” He’s not just making up rhymes, he’s telling a story. It’s a deep video and because we think there’s big things to come from Pete G it’ll be in our video rotation for quite a while!