TRUE NOTAURIOUS STORIES: THE FABOLOUS SHOW AT KOOL HAUS

Normally I would reserve this for a MY THOUGHTS post but what I experienced on Saturday night goes beyond a simple review. It was more like the Fabolous concert experience. There’s so much to say about this concert.

T-Rexx was the host for the night, he introduced the first opener. Some guy from London who rapped over B.M.F. which seemed to be the theme of the night. MCs if you want to know why a crowd doesn’t respond to you? Don’t call them Mother Fuckers repeatedly. That set was super forgettable. Next up was Hype Holla from Rhode Island who sounded like Steve Urkel no joke. He rhymed over Nicki Minaj’s Roman’s Revenge and even tried to rap like her. To make things worse dude even rapped over Fab’s own song! Two openers down, place is gettin busier. Next up Tommy Spitz he just yelled on the mic for 10 minutes, JB joined him and then they were off. Next up King Roti he just came on stage no intro or anything. There was some blonde chick standing modeling some T-shirt. You guys should have seen her face; she looked so pissed like they held her hostage to be on stage. Or maybe it was the fact that Bishop was rapping sweet nothings to her. Either way she was like the crowd, bored. T-Rexx came back on stage plugged Rap City for the umpteenth time, introduced Future The Prince who came on and got the crowd really hyped up just running through all of the hottest songs out right now.

That went on for about 15 min or so and then some guy comes on stage to introduce the next act Quanche. He does it then nothing happens T-Rexx comes back on the stage and re-introduces Quanche. Here’s where the night goes south. I’ve never heard of this guy he comes on stage with these girls in tutus and booty shorts giving out CDs, he’s yelling on the mic. I really don’t understand why everyone was yelling on the mic, the mic was a good mic, no need to yell. His crew followed on the stage and began to throw CDs into the crowd. And not nice passes these guys were doing some Brett Farve throws in the crowd. Of course people like to pay their hard earned money to have CDs thrown at them. Quanche doin his yelling and stuff and next thing you know more guys are on stage throwing up signs posing and doing all sorts of twisty shit with their fingers. It was mess up there and of course CDs are flying across Kool Haus. I guess people had enough and they started to throw them back at Quanche and Co. Clearly they weren’t impressed and decided to stop to tell the crowd how much money they have and so on and so on. But before Quanche left the stage to a crowd of boos, he did tell the people throwing CDs and drinks they could meet him in the parking lot.

Now the crowd is really annoyed. T-Rexx is nowhere to be found, the stage is covered with all sorts of people just standing around and then some other guy comes on stage, again I have no idea who he is. Guess what he’s rapping on? B.M.F it was just after 1 am the crowd around me was like what is going on? Thankfully that guy had a short set. Next up some guy from the UGO crew had the mic to assure the crowd that Fabolous was in the building and that they were going on next and then Fabolous would take the stage. A few more minutes go by and then UGO comes on. This was horrible this guy just rapped over Kanye West songs, badly. Then the whole thing turned into a rock show. Right then and there the crowd had enough booing and throwing stuff on stage. Blues Jays could use some of these people in the pitching line-up. The only saving grace to this performance was Red 1 from The Rascalz came out and did his verse from “Top Of The World”. Finally UGO came off the stage. Props to the stage crew that took down UGO’s equipment and cleared the stage super quick. Only thing that sucked was where was Future the Prince to spin music to hype the crowd. We were treated to Hype Holla’s backing CD, twice! People were tired they didn’t want lose their spot to go get a drink. I know the hundreds of girls in high heels were wishing they wore flats at this point.

Want to find out what happened when Fab finally hit the stage?

BLINK AND YOU’LL MISS ME

Over the years I’ve lent a hand in some of my friends music videos. I don’t really don’t do it unless there’s some reason where I have an actually have something to do other than stand around. At the same time music video sets are fun. All you do is eat food and crack jokes all day. Plus it’s fun to lend a hand. So here are some of my greatest moments on video and the stories behind them. I’m not telling you where to look watch the whole video.

ETERNIA – EVIDENCE (2005)

Now this video I wasn’t supposed to be in at all. The plan was for me to get an interview with Eternia for an online magazine I was working with called Beatbox (I wonder where that is????). I had just met Eternia a week before the shoot and had just started to work with Roundtable. We were promoting the release party for her album “It’s Called Life”. I thought it would be a good idea to kill two birds with one stone get an interview and promote the party. So I get to set and It was a lot of hurry up and wait. There was a lot of crowd shots and they needed people to simulate chasing E through Toronto. Funny thing is I remember getting there at 3PM and being there right up to the final take at 1AM running in alleys behind Queen West. All in all it was a productive day got the interview. (Which I’m going to go look for.) And met a lot of people who are still my friends to this day like Mindbender and Ken Masters. Funny thing was I didn’t think anyone would actually see me in the video. Wrong.

THE CARPS – COMPTON TO SCARBORUGH (2007)

I’ll never forget the day I got to the set of this video and saw my name on the casting sheet. Taurean Scotland – Thug #2. I made it, I got to play Thug #2!!! My mom was so proud. Ok all jokes aside. This was fun and I was happy to play Thug #2 in Compton to Scarborough. I went to school with Jamal and we re-connected years later. Well one day I get a call that he needed someone to bring a Scarborough vibe for the song, so of course anything for a friend, plus the song was one of my favorites of theirs. You have to see them do it live. One thing I’ll never forget about this was how cold it was that night. It was one of those -20 February nights. We were lucky cause we got to keep our jackets on, but Neil and Jamal performed take after take in their tees and shirts. I wish I could remember the kid’s name he was mad cool and was a good freestyler. I didn’t even know when this vid came out I just stumbled onto it one night watching Much Music when they played music videos.

AYAH FEAT TONA – PUSHA MAN (2008)

I don’t remember how I got talked into this video. I don’t think it was Ayah that asked me to do it. Might have been the director Trevor. Either way I was like sure cause I’ll just wear something from Lounge and get it some product placement. That didn’t work my boy Willis wanted me to wear one of his Peter Franco Sneakers sweater, then Hek from Livestock found out what I was doing, so he tells me wear the new Livestock hat. I’m like great free clothes and all I have to do is stand around in it. Good thing about this video was it was right around the corner from my apartment. This was also the shortest time I ever spent on set. I did my take and was out. I won’t forget the poor squirrel that lost its life during filming. Poor thing got sliced in half by a Streetcar.

SHAD – YAAA, I GET IT (2010)

One day I get a text, come to the new Shad video shoot at some address. I think sure what do I have to lose. I just started to work with L and thought it would be good to bring him along. So I figure we’d just swing by chill out and be out. All I had was an Address and I was told the scene was a concert scene. We get to the spot which turns out to be the Thrush Holmes Empire Gallery. When we get there, this guy says go around the back. So we go around to this spot with some big lumberjack lookin guy asking if we were there for th Shad video. We say yeah, then he opens the door and tells us to go into this dark room down some creepy stairs with no lights. This place looked where a serial killer would hide bodies. We keep walking down this long dusty hallway and follow the sound of this booming beat and find a crowd of people just wilding out to Shad rappin like his life was on the line. It was the last take but it was crazy. Kinda sucked we got their late but I’m like ok we came got some beers and that’s it. Nope, they needed some portraits shots, next thing you know there we are nodding to the beat.

So there it is. My music video adventures. I doubt these will be the last.