covering music and culture in the harrisburg area
Drake, hip-hop’s next big thing, at PSU. Photo by Leon Laing.
Today marks the release of perhaps the biggest album of the year—Thank Me Later by Drake. In honor of today, vigoronline.com, Music Man and Midtown Soul will give away two TML CDs. To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment in this post. We’ll announce the winners soon. Continue reading ‘‘Thank Me Later’ giveaway’
Last year, Nino Marron and his V.S.O.P. collective opened up for the Lil Wayne (see video above) and Trey Songz/Fab concerts. Now the local rapper, who exudes swag, will release his Gold Bottlez: The Rose Mixtape on May 28th. Continue reading ‘Local CD releases this week’
Photo of McCoy (left) and DJ Drama by Louis McKinney.
What do LeSean McCoy and DJ Drama have in common? Jadakiss. McCoy and Dream Catcher Entertainment will hold Community Day at 11 a.m. in Harrisburg on May 15th. The event will offer acitivites for all ages. McCoy will cap the night off with a performance by Jada at Eclispe Nightclub in Harrisburg. Doors open at 10 p.m. Continue reading ‘Jadakiss to visit ‘Burg’
Maxxx Flair, who attends F&M College, just dropped his EP.
It’s April 23. Night falls on the Franklin & Marshall College town. Meanwhile, local rapper Joshua “Maxxx Flair” Harris, his crew and I dart to the Other Room, the place where Maxxx Flair will be performing. I thought the Other Room was a small nightclub. It’s not. The building, a stone’s throw away from the Lancaster-based college, contains a multipurpose room. That night, the Other Room morphed into an underground, hip-hop venue. Continue reading ‘Takin’ it to the Maxxx’
CD cover photo taken by Michelle G.
Euphoria
Don’t let Lei Row’s appearance on her new CD cover fool you.
Her blowout coiffure might suggest that she’s a neo-soul artist, but Row says her style is more R&B and pop. However, a former neo-soul club helped to mold her. “I was able to touch the mic before it went down,” she recollects about The Five Spot, a legendary venue formerly based in Philadelphia. “Philly brought out the performer in me.”
Ready to blow: windchILL in Harrisburg. Photo by Leon Laing.
Self Medication
Fist Up Records
Eminem named his last two albums Relapse. On those gripping albums, Em highlights some of his obstacles, such as drug abuse. windchILL — also a white rapper — links his new album title to medicine, too. There is a difference, though. On windchILL’s Self Medication album, the Mechanicsburg-based backpack rapper uses music for a natural high. Continue reading ‘CD review’
Local R&B singer Sincere. Photo by Leon Laing
In the photo above, local R&B singer Sincere opens up for Trey Songz and Fabolous on Dec. 20. He and former group member Siano will perform in Hummelstown on Feb. 13 — just in time for Valentine’s Day. And Harrisburg-based artists Shaashawn Dial and Michelle G. were once part of the defunct SisterArt association. Now the two will be releasing individual CDs this month. See below for more info. Continue reading ‘Upcoming events’
Brockington drops his mixtape today. Photo by Mike Chin Productions.
Darien Brockington
“I was a church boy,” singer Darien Brockington says about his childhood. “Me listening to secular music—there was none of that.” Things have changed since then. In 2006, the North Carolina native released his praiseworthy debut Somebody to Love, a collection of heartfelt slow jams and up-tempo joints sprinkled with hip-hop beats. Brockington’s boy-next-door persona and quiet storm music is reminiscent of crooner Carl Thomas. Continue reading ‘Artist on the rise’
Katana is a wordsmith from York. Photo from artist's archives.
Back in the day—20 years ago to be exact—celebrity rapper Kwamé Holland changed the game with his polka dot gear and radio-friendly debut album, Kwamé the Boy Genius Featuring a New Beginning. (Kwamé even performed at Harrisburg’s Forum back then.) Today, a local rapper with the same moniker is also making his own lane in the rap game. Kwame Katana’s swagger is Mick Jagger. On top of that, the rapper, who reps York, dropped his bangin’ mixtape, I Just Wanna Be Heard in January 2009. Continue reading ‘Kwame Katana’
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