Last June, the first-ever NOLA Summer Jam hip-hop festival was held in Washington Square Park. This year, the festival’s chief coordinator and organizer, Lawrence Parker (owner of Traffic Boutique clothing shop and the Supreme Street music group), is making the event even bigger and better than the last time around.
“The first year is always a testing ground, and we survived, so now it’s time to step it up,” says Parker. “The first improvement will be hospitality. The greeting when you enter into Summer Jam will be remarkable.” Among other things on Parker’s checklist for improvement are better production and more marquee names on the lineup. An undeniable venue upgrade shouldn’t hurt the festival’s outcome either. This year, the Sugar Mill will offer patrons shelter from the stifling summer weather.
But fans aren’t the only people an ambitious Parker hopes to accommodate and affect throughout the process of throwing this event. “My goal is to see our local artists have a fair chance at getting their music to the masses. I believe that no matter where you’re from in New Orleans, or surrounding areas, you should have a shot at the big stage. That’s what NOLA Summer Jam is about. I love my city.”
Tickets for the festival, which takes place this Saturday, June 18, from noon to 7 p.m., are $20, or $40 for VIP entry. This year’s lineup promises to offer a wide variety of artists ranging from long-time New Orleans legends to teenage rappers fresh on the scene. Live performers include Twerk Team, Mickey Factz, Chase N. Cashe, Jealous Monk, Partners-N-Crime, Keedy Black, SK David, Christian Radke, LG, Kreative Kouture, Da Goonz, AOB, Super Fresh Kidz, Paasky, Remy Ro, Jlie, Power & Money. DJ Chicken, E.F. Cuttin, and DJ Rqaway will hold down the turntables. For full info, check the Facebook event page.
Here’s a preview of a few of this year’s NOLA Summer Jam artists:
Chase N. Cashe
At the ripe age of 15, the ambitious Jesse Woodard, IV got his first job in his hometown of New Orleans. Before long, the repetitive accusations Woodard would receive from his languid peers as obsessed with “chasing that cash” culminated into something more than a simple monetary agenda.
Today, working under the moniker Chase N. Cashe, Woodard applies the same ambitious attitude to his rap game, and it shows. Earlier this year Woodard claimed first prize at BMI’s 14th-annual Unsigned Urban Showcase, which won him a variety of prizes sure to help in his endeavors of making it big.
In addition to being a talented rapper, Cashe also shows promise in the field of production. On his recent, independently-released debut album, Gumbeaux, Woodard takes credit for production on 14 of its 18 tracks.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbjTpbEbAN8[/youtube]
Partners-N-Crime
Any New Orleans inhabitant or native concerned whatsoever with the genre of hip-hop is most likely familiar with the legends Partners-N-Crime, who now base themselves in Los Angeles, CA. The dynamic duo, comprised of Kango Slim (born Walter Williams) and Mr. Meana (born Michael Patterson), have been at the forefront of the New Orleans hip-hop game since the mid ’90s and show no signs of slowing down any time soon. In May they released their latest single, “She’s Badd.”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ry35Iyxbqc[/youtube]
Mickey Factz
Mickey Factz is the stage name of Mickey Williams, an up-and-coming hip-hop artist hailing from the Bronx, New York. Though still young, Williams has made significant strides already. He was signed to Sony-affiliate Battery Records around this time last year and is the newest member of Lupe Fiasco’s vanguard, the All City Chess Club.
Other noteworthy achievements include collaborations with big names like Drake and the Cool Kids. He’ll be releasing his debut full-length studio album, The Achievement, later this year.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFViIhvPsvo[/youtube]
Twerk Team
After watching several of their music videos, it’s easy to tell that Twerk Team—the dance and rap duo of Lady Luscious and Mizz TwerkSum, hailing from Atlanta—will feel completely at home in New Orleans, where bounce music is a local phenomenon. Check out Twerk Team’s home on YouTube if you need to be convinced.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln6MLYH79Nk[/youtube]
Christian Radke
Like many artists on the lineup for this year’s Summer Jam festival, Christian Radke could easily be classified as “up-and-coming.” The Louisiana native’s auto-tune heavy hip-hop leans more towards contemporary R&B a la The Dream or T-Pain than anything else.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TEWz972pEA[/youtube]
Kreative Kouture
Kreative Kouture is comprised of two New Orleans native brothers, RayVon and J. Mula. The duo’s limited exposure thus far has earned these two young rappers comparisons ranging from Nas to the Cool Kids. Earlier this year they released the mixtape The Congratulations and a music video for their track “Klean Kut.” This is their latest video, for “Rocketeer” and “Summertime.”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUMU0G12_EA[/youtube]
Remy Ro
Remy Ro is the stage name for Eldridge Romain Leblanc, a hip-hop artist born and raised in Gonzales, Louisiana who now lives in Georgia. Ro receives inspiration for his music from various places, but his mother and the city of New Orleans are two of his most critical sources. “New Orleans is our bread winner,” says Remy. “It’s our roots. The city means so much to me because it opens so many doors for Louisiana artists.” This is his first single, “Our Way.”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFVlX7fYSuM[/youtube]
LG
Out of all the acts on the lineup for this year’s NOLA Summer Jam festival, the young New Orleans native LG Meyers is a definite standout. In preparation for this weekend, LG optimistically contemplates the importance and impact of holding a festival like Nola Summer Jam in the Crescent City: “There are a lot of artists out here, including myself, that really have the potential to [make it]. Might as well showcase the talent…out of the handful, somebody’s going to get it.”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIozLSVWTfk[/youtube]
STS
Sugar Tongue Slim, a.k.a. STS, is an “Atlantadelphia representative” that got his start in the hip-hop industry by way of honest poetry. Today, his music still embodies certain poetic qualities that can be traced specifically back to slam poetry. With two releases already under his belt, Slim is well on his way to accomplishing his self-appointed task of reinventing the hip-hop scene.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=royNCTvQ950[/youtube]
