I had to make a quick blog post for this one. Opening for GZA from Wu-Tang Clan in Greenfield, MA at Hawks & Reed was amazing. The show was sold out, despite it being -15 degrees outside. Hip Hop was in the building with 400+ people.
I was one of a few artists on the bill, alongside my friend Entellekt and others who also opened the show with me. My set went over very well. I played a couple of original tracks, including Supreme, The Long Game, and No Matter What, and then I launched into my whiteboard freestyle exercise, which go the crowd involved on another level.
The night’s highlight for me was off the stage, on the venue’s second floor, in the green room. I was put in the same room with GZA’s live band, The Funky Nomads. I spent the night hanging out with the drummer, Ramsey Jones, GZA’s cousin, and… ODB’s brother. My close friend Jules Jenssen rolled with me to the show, and we heard countless enchanting stories from Ramsey’s era. I also got to link the with keyboard player, Entrfied The God of Sound. We got to build on many levels and talked a lot about production.
GZA’s show was amazing. They played through the whole Liquid Sword’s album, a classic. I felt connected to the band after hanging out all evening.
It was huge to be able to meet GZA. Hearing his voice in real life was awesome. It reaffirms that so much of a rapper’s style is based on the actual sound of their voice.
You can watch my full set right here!