@25Mag’s Kiah McBride reviews the “Our People, Our Haiti” benefit show at the Warehouse Loft in Washington, D.C. The show raised $1000 and featured performances from Tabi Bonney, Chris Barz, The Five One, G5 Clive, Amber Mimz and others. Review and photos after the jump!

One of the many hidden treasures that D.C. has to offer lies within a four-story brick building called The Warehouse Loft. It was here that eager musicians and fans alike gathered for the “Our World, Our People” Haiti relief concert featuring a variety of local DMV artists. The show started hours late, surprise surprise; however, once the music started, the atmosphere quickly transformed from a laid-back social scene to an all-out concert.

Opening the concert was an eclectic girl group, The Goldin Girl Tribe, who quickly grabbed the crowds’ attention with suggestive body rolls and an upbeat island sound. The diverse girl group knew just how to keep the excitement alive in the room and interacted with audience members throughout their performance.

Not far behind The Golden Girl Tribe was The Five One band who took the word “hype” to a new level.  They came on stage with such high energy that had the crowd started bobbing their heads and foot-working to every song. Their live band set featured 50′s inspired jams and a stunning guitar solo.

Following The Five One band was well-known DMV artist and poet, Chris Barz. Barz hyped the crowd up with his welcome song “Mr. Barz, Mr. Barz” from his latest project Class [Sickz] Out The Dark released this past December. Surprisingly, this lyrically gifted emcee is under 21, yet he possesses the talent and skill of a veteran as demonstrated in his tribute to Haiti, which he composed just minutes before his performance.

Finally to grace the stage was headliner Tabi Bonney, who immediately received a lot of love from the overzealous audience.  Bonney began with a shout out to Haiti and a reminder to the crowd to help those affected by the disaster. Fans rushed to the front of the stage to dance and chant along with the lyrics to his popular hit “The Pocket” off of his 2006 debut album A Fly Guy’s Theme. Bonney got into his element with quick-footed shuffles to “Jet Setter,” an upbeat track with a futuristic sound.

The Warehouse Loft was an ideal place to hold the benefit concert. The lively atmosphere and wide selection of performers made the Haiti relief event worth the five dollars it cost to get in. Among the main performers were other talented DMV artists including G5 Clive, Daron Forbes, M1 Platoon, and Mz. Mimz.  Despite the initial wait, the performers left the fans with quality music and a positive vibe.

25 Magazine’s Kiah McBride reviews Robin Thicke’s fourth studio album Sex Therapy: The Experience.

Words by Kiah McBride

Robin Thicke has strayed from the classic soul style of his previous albums towards a more contemporary R&B sound mixed with Electronic and Pop. On December 15 he released his fourth studio album Sex Therapy: The Experience, and as implied by the title, the album oozes sexual allusions and stimulating beats. As if that isn’t enough to keep the audience begging for more, he also took the idea of role-playing to another level and took on the persona of a sex therapist through various tracks. He solidifies the album with a wide variety of guest artists including Nicki Minaj, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, and Estelle. In Spring 2009, Thicke co-headlined a six-week national tour with Jennifer Hudson and he performed at the 2009 Soul Train Awards. With the release of his new album, we don’t expect him to lose his stroke as he returns to educate us on the art of “sex therapy.”

Sex Therapy: The Experience takes on an erotic tone from the beginning, with the opening track “911” establishing a sexy patient-therapist relationship that thrives throughout the album. On “I Got U,” a woman says in a lustful tone “doctor I have a pain all over my body, can you help me?” in which Thick responds “we have some chocolate-covered strawberries, if you like.” Robin Thicke gives us a taste of his sexual clock in tracks such as “It’s In the Mornin’” featuring Snoop Dogg where he says “You know I like it first thing/ Cuz you let it marinate, let it marinate.”

Based on the beginning tracks it can be assumed that Sex Therapy: The Experience is solely built around—well—sex. However as the album progresses, Thicke gives us more than just that. On “Rollacoasta,” he combines a fun beat with the quick, pulsating sound of a tuba. On this fast-paced track he shows that he would do anything to save his relationship as he says “slap me in the face/punch me in the eye/ do me how you want baby/but just don’t say goodbye.” On the track “Elevatas” featuring Kid Cudi, he alludes to fame being a dark hole that many get sucked into, singing “I’m fallin, fallin/ I’m moving so fast I might never go back.” Robin’s change in song content does well to keep the tracks from becoming redundant.

 Musical variety and the narrative journey will keep the album in heavy rotation. You will easily find yourself craving for more of his sensual vocals as he takes you to a world where the stress of fame and maintaining relationships collide. His collaborations with fellow artists add to the credibility and flavor of the tracks. Fans may be surprised that some of the tracks do start to stray away from the risqué theme and become more about crooning for love. This however, doesn’t detract from the overall appeal of the album. Thicke’s gentlemen-like persona is all we knew before, but after entering his bedroom we now see that he has no place for softness.

Lauren McEwen reviews the D.C. installment of Rock The Bells Present: Reflection Eternal at Club 9:30.

Disappointed fans were greeted with signs that read, “Slaughterhouse will not perform tonight due to injuries,” upon arriving to the 9:30 Club for the Washington, DC installment of the Rock the Bells tour, last night. Although this news was met with some frustrated hisses, within five minutes of the actual show, it was clear that the other acts were more than capable of giving the audience their money’s worth.

The first performer up was legendary DJ, Pete Rock. He entertained the crowd throughout all of the show’s transitions, by serving u p old school hits that almost every person in the room seemed to know, line for line.  From Pharcyde’s “Runnin’” and “Passin’ Me By” to A Tribe Called Quest’s “Bonita Applebum” and Wu Tang Klan’s “C.R.E.A.M.,” Pete Rock did a virtual roll call of 90’s hip hop favorites, keeping the audience calm during the rough patches of the show by demonstrating his skills with the turntables.

Next to take the stage was improvisational freestyle artist, Supernatural. For anyone who had never witnessed a well-executed freestyle in person, he delivered it—creating a poem that incorporated three words from the crowd, rapping about random items that audience members pulled from their pockets and spinning around and becoming a “different MC” by doing impressions of hip-hop greats from the past.

Once Supernatural was done wowing the crowd, Slum Village took the stage. After tragically losing group member Baatin, the remaining members, T3 and Elzhi, performed a lot of new material off of their upcoming album, “Villa Manifesto”, seeming to want to avoid the pain of performing songs in that had included their fallen friend, as much as possible. When they did perform some of their older music, they did it well. They led the audience through the high-energy “Raise It Up”, the smoother sound of “Disco” and their more mainstream hits “Tainted” and “Selfish” with energy and enthusiasm to spare. During their performance of “Tainted” they respectfully turned down the music and whispered Baatin’s verse together, a sweet gesture that the audience appreciated.

Talib Kweli was last to perform, welcomed to the stage by excited fans chanting his name. He came onstage filled with excitement, dapping up the crowd as he sailed into his set, taking the audience through many of their Kweli favorites, including “Eternalists,” “Hostile Gospel Part 1 (Deliver Us),” and “Memory’s Lane”. A born solo artist, Kweli commanded the stage, keeping the audience’s collective heads bobbing throughout every number.

Real hip-hop seemed to be the theme for the show, and true lovers of the music almost gravitated to 9:30 Club. If they were in search of lyrically-driven songs and good production, they were not disappointed in the least.

Electrik Red transforms girl power into something more extreme, a little dirty and well, electric in their album, How to be a Lady: Vol. 1.

The foursome known as Electrik Red has transformed girl power into something more extreme, a little dirty and well, electric. Kyndra “Binkie” Reevey, Lesley Lewis, Naomi Allen and Sarah Rosete started their careers in entertainment as background dancers. Allen and Rosete were both raised in Toronto, while Reevey and Lewis hail from New York City. The two sets of childhood friends eventually joined forces while working as background dancers for artists like Usher and Madonna. They soon discovered each other’s love for music and after shopping their demo around, they found chemistry with super producer The Dream and thus, Electrik Red was born.

Electrik Red’s debut, How to be a Lady: Vol. 1, is not for the faint of heart or men with big egos for that matter. “We F*ck You” boasts proudly, “You was like ‘Flash’ in the sheets/So fast I have to finish when you leave.” Ouch. Electrik Red is unapologetic even when they contradict themselves, on the opening track, Reevey raps, “I’m not a freak/I’m not a nasty hoe/Okay I’m lying but I’m classy though.” Its this unabashed attitude that makes the album; it even appears on softer tracks like “Blind” which explores a woman’s embarrassment and disappointment in herself after exposing a cheating boyfriend. But to Electrik Red its this willingness to show vulnerability, explore sexuality and still command respect that defines “a lady.”

How to be a Lady: Vol.1 is undoubtedly executively produced by The Dream and Tricky Stewart. Prepare to hear The Dream’s signature falsetto “ooh ooh oohs” and vocal drops of the quintessential club chant, “AYE!” in the background of almost every track. How to be a Lady: Vol. 1 definitely has some bangers but falls short in the vocal department. Naomi Allen leads most of the songs and frankly her chops are nothing impressive and Reevey’s “rapping” fails to distract listeners from the sub-par vocals.

Electrik Red’s debut is a solid one. It explores a new perspective in womanhood and rebels conventional gender roles. While Electrik Red comes out swinging on their debut, focusing on the redefinition of “a lady,” they have room to grow musically and now must prepare for an even more daunting task–allowing their individuality to shine through while redefining what it means to be a “girl group.”

The Cool Kids x Don Cannon- Gone Fishing (C.A.K.E Recordings/Cannon Music)

Let’s be real, The Cool Kids just want to have fun. They are great at rapping about absolutely nothing important and will only get better at it. The duo known for their flashy gear and their bass heavy production style, found each other on Myspace in 2005. Three years and four mixtapes later, The Cool Kids are back with their most impressive project yet. They have enhanced their production, but have left their lyrics behind in the release of their mixtape Gone Fishing with Don Cannon, a prelude to their highly-anticipated upcoming album, When Fish Ride Bicycles. They made a huge splash in 2008, opening for M.I.A. on her World Tour, joining the Rock The Bells concert roster, and headlining the “NBA 2K Bounce Tour” with rap veteran Q-Tip. The two are not the most profound lyricists, but with recent approval from Hip Hop notables such as Q-Tip himself, many wonder what gives The Cool Kids, their cool?

The key to The Cool Kid’s success is their ability to make music that mixes boom bap and early rap influences as a soundtrack to simply having a good time. With fun storytelling, punch lines, and amusing analogies, they show their playful tone on many tracks as in “Popcorn,” where Chuck says “Doorbells, door knocks/ Open up it’s the cops/Sike naw it’s The Cool Kids/Came to jump on your couch.” Their arrival complements the new wave of rappers with a refreshing approach to Hip Hop, where the alpha-thug is no longer the genre’s idol.

Throughout the mixtape, their corny yet cunning style of word play continues to work in their favor. On the bass-loaded “Premium Blends,” Mikey Rocks feels he can reel in women like a master fisherman saying, “Throw that girl a line and I bet that I can catch her.” But Chuck makes it clear that there are many fish in the sea and he is not in for the long haul. On “Weekend Girls” (Don Cannon borrowed from Camron’s “Weekend Girl”) Chuck says, “You looking wedding day nice/ Now I don’t want you to think that I’m the wedding day type/ I just had to make it clear/ Before we make it outta here.” Their cockiness when is comes to the opposite sex is both cheesy and entertaining.

The Cool Kids go beyond their often heavy bass production on the laid-back “Summer Vacations,” where the keyboards rule the track. But some things never change for the two, as they still show signs of having gold chain obsessions on “Gold Links,” a follow-up to The Bake Sale’s “Gold and Pager.”

One won’t find memorable lines on Gone Fishing, but it is amicable in its entirety, keeping one zoned in track by track. Also, Don Cannon doesn’t overload the tracks with drops, making it an easier listen than most mixtapes. With Gone Fishing, the duo makes it clear they want to make good music for relaxing and nothing more. This mixtape is a solid preview of The Cool Kids’ upcoming album and shows that the two charismatic charmers are more than ready to put out their first LP.

(Photo Source: coolxkids.com)

Link to Free Mixtape Download

-Natelegé Whaley

The Dream is back at it again. The self proclaimed “Radio Killa” releases his sophomore album Love vs. Money Tuesday, and fans wonder what he has up his sleeve this time.

The singer/songwriter came on the scene successfully in 2007 with his “Shawty Is a 10″ (Love Hate), and is also responsible for Beyonce’s quintessential ladies anthem “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”. Yet, like far too many über-talented writers, he gives most of his good stuff to everyone else.

Love Vs. Money in it’s entirety is not a disappointment, with the melodic, chart-topping hit “Rockin That Thang” leading the pack as one of the best songs on the album. Not far behind is The Dream’s revived version of The Police’s 1979–dance-groove “Walkin on the Moon”, featuring a vocoder-less Kanye West (the way he should always be). However, The Dream shows signs that he may be running low on metaphors, especially on “Put It Down” where he compares his affection to a “monster truck” and a “white tee’d thug”, over a beat too hype to get it cracking to. The title track, “Love vs. Money”, has one of the most enthralling beats on the album and gives off a paranoid feel as he sings about losing love to what else, but money ( Instead of loving you/I was making it rain…). The melody and the sound of glocks popping are puzzling, but the point of the song becomes more clear after listening to “Love Vs. Money Part 2.”

The Dream gets his R.Kelly on in “Sweat It Out”, breaking down article-by-article what piece of clothing he wants to remove from his girl, so he can “properly put it down” and “sweat her hair out”. Fortunately for her, The Dream forewarns her to “call Latisha” her beautician before he takes action, so that she can get her hair re-whipped in the next morning.

Overall, Love Vs. Money saves itself from the evil pitfalls of the “sophomore curse”, but The Dream does not match the standard he set with his surprisingly pleasant debut Love Hate. The album still has worthy cop-ability though, and he proves he can still come correct…even if it is on someone else’s joint.

- Maya Rhodan

Chris Brown makes a smooth transition into his newfound adulthood with his sophomore effort Exclusive. He takes familiar themes of young love, cheating and lust adds his own spin without over maturing his work. His lyrics are genuine and appealing while still maintaining his youthful swagger. This is especially obvious in the track “Hold Up” featuring Big Boi from Outkast; “Hold up/ Wait, wait a minute/ I’m genuine wit it/ I aint tryin’ to put no pimpin’ in it.” This album is filled with catchy yet addictive tracks that don’t seem overworked, like Take You Down, which inadvertently deals with the subject of sex, a topic most would consider farfetched for Chris. Even so, this R&B heartthrob comes off like a seasoned vet, and lets it be known that “It ain’t my first time/ but baby girl we can pretend;” a stretch from his innocent beginnings. While in the song “I Wanna Be” his vocals sound reminiscent of the coos of Omarion and “With You” seems a lot like a production flashback of Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable,” Chris manages to make the album all his own. The positives certainly outweigh the negatives and dispel the sophomore curse by showing his growth and potential.