True story: About a week ago I'm crowd-sourcing ideas for this list and ask a few local musicians and promoters I know for recommendations. One of the musicians is Solomon Tetteh, aka rapper Black Linen, who I wrote about in Creative Loafing back in February. He's one of those story subjects who's since become a friend. Don't judge me. It happens.
He makes a few recommendations. I ask him, "Don't you have one?" He says, "No." I say, "You've never written a weed song?" He says, "No." I say, "Well, write one and record it by next week and if it's good we'll use it."
Don't dare a rapper.
I'll let Black Linen tell what happened next: "So I'm on my way to Soule Jukebox to record a submission piece for the Sounds of the Queen City Charlotte anthem contest with Ali Steele. As we're riding I go, 'Aye man, I need a weed song for 4/20,' and his exact words are, 'Bruh, I've been playing this track for you every time we are riding around, and it's a weed song.' And I think to myself, 'I need to stop smokin.'
"Two days later we picked up his cousin Cosa Nostra Que to aid us in some vocals, and headed to Si-Fi Media Studios. We recorded the track in no time with the aid of Si-Fi's engineering skills. It was produced by Jet Fuel Beats of Umbrella Mindz and will debut on 4/20."
Right here at CL, of course. And then you can be the judge.
Editor's Note: First Notes is a weekly update of recent happenings in the world of music.
* The coroner is looking into the death of a 24-year-old festival goer at this past weekend's Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas. The three-day EDM event drew more than 130,000 attendees.
* YouTube is threatening to pull down music videos by artists on independent (i.e., non - Big Three) record labels that have refused to sign on to its upcoming subscription streaming service.
Editor's Note: First Notes is a weekly update of recent happenings in the world of music.
* "American Top 40" host Casey Kasem died at age 82 of complications from dementia on Sunday.
* NPR is streaming the new Phish album, Fuego.
Deniro Farrar, Well$
Tremont Music Hall
June 13, 2014
Deniro Farrar walked onto the Tremont Music Hall stage while taking off his shirt to reveal a chest full of tattoos and a better view of the braids flopping over his head. The rapper, like a number of other acts throughout the night, calls Charlotte his home and constantly reminded the crowd of this fact. But the need for such proclamations seemed odd, if this is truly one's "hometown."
The crowd ebbed-and-flowed with each new rapper who walked into the spotlight as people would embrace the new performer or fall back from the stage.
A few weeks ago, Deniro released his first major label album, Rebirth, which is filled with harsh reality raps that detail the issues of his day-to-day life in strikingly real ways. He peppered those tracks among his set along with higher tempo songs, like last year's "Big Tookie" that received a rapturous response.