I want to give a big shout out to Drake for shutting down the House of Blues on Friday night/Saturday morning. The sold out show definitely set a precedent for Hip Hop concerts in Chicago, and effectively “ruined it” for Hip Hop artists seeking a relationship with one of Chicago’s premier music venues. In all honesty, we were even in the works of setting something up with HOB, and have been told that they’re reconsidering booking Hip Hop acts. In all fairness, it’s not really Drake’s fault. I mean, the Canadian upstart actor/turned Hip Hop star must have been somewhat shocked, surprised, or even just in awe of the whole situation. It’s almost unheard for an artist without a proper album, record deal, large scale promotion, or any combination of the three to headline a show at the House of Blues, much less sell it out, and then much much less not take the stage until after 3AM. But that’s what happened thanks in part to bad artist/venue management, and an unfulfilled equipment rider that left the show’s promoters scrambling for studio equipment.
I was not at the Drake concert, as I had a gig at Sub-T, but I heard about it. And I didn’t just hear about it, I heard about it a lot. While the details varied, three things were consistent: The opening acts, except for Mikkey Halsted, got booed, Drake went on hella late and used the crowd as effective vocalists, and the night ended in fights by the bar, and a shooting outside. It’s an interesting turn of events for an artist that one Chicago emcee describes as a “pop version of Lil’ Wayne”. A year ago very few people knew who Drake was, and now they are showing up in droves to see what the hype is about. It’s sad, and almost predictable that Drake’s show ended in disappointment and almost tragedy. The concert promoters weren’t prepared to handle the crowd or artists, and Drake is showing that while he’s a very talented rapper/singer/song writer, he’s stage show is just not yet ready for the headline. Drake’s rise to the marquee is the fastest of the “fast Internet Rapper rises” and it appears that the promoters of the show mirrored Drake’s rise in their thrown together attempt to host his first official Chicago concert. I hope they made a lot of money, cause Drake won’t be back at HOB for a while, and neither will Mikkey Halsted, Phil G, Rhymefest, or any other Chicago Hip Hop artists as the HOB reconsiders who they do business with, and now we all have to share in the burden of bettering live Hip Hop music’s image.
On that note, come to the Leg Room on Wednesday for A Night of Celebration For Chicago Picasso, hosted by Naledge of Kidz In The Hall and featuring new music from the album, and music by DJ Sapphire, DJ Izzo, and me, DJ RTC. We might not have Drake, but we can promise you won’t get shot…