Red Bull Sound Select Presents: Denver Featuring Bun B, FL and The Reminders | Marquis Theater | April 27 | Review
Red Bull Sound Select Presents Bun B: Curated by DJ Low Key (Photo Credit: Robert Castro
Growing up hip hop played a huge influence on my life. I grew up during the era in which East Coast and West Coast rap were battling back and forth for hip hop supremacy. See I grew up in Texas and while many of the artist from both coasts constantly found their way to my rotation, something else was brewing in the south, particularly in my home state. Texas was becoming a major hub for a whole new sound of hip hop especially in Houston. Groups such as the Geto Boys, Paul Wall, Scarface, Mike Jones and UGK from were establishing a new niche in the hip hop world. Southern hip hop stood out more for its booming bass and slowed down lyrics, in fact it was were chopped and screwed was invented by DJ Screw. Soon after chopped and screwed went hand in hand with "purple drank".
Aja Black of The Reminders getting things started. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
Sunday night Red Bull Sound Select brought one of the forefathers of southern hip hop to The Marquis. One half of the legendary group UGK (rest in peace Pimp C) Bun B made an appearance, in fact it was his first time performing in Denver. The nights festivities got started from The Reminders, the husband-wife duo of Aja Black and Big Samir, who brought their patented stage show to life. With carefully orchestrated lyrics and complementing beats from DJ Lazy Eyes, the duo wowed the crowd from beginning to end.
FL rocking the mic (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
Next up was FL of The Foodchain, this was my first time hearing FL and I could definitely see why he is one of the best emcees in Denver today. His sharp lyrics and penchant for storytelling captured the crowd, a perfect warmup for the nights headliner. Be sure to check him out as he has a slew of upcoming dates coming up.
DJ Low Key curated the awesome night of hip hop (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
The legendary Bun B (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
Bun B has been captivating fans of hip hop for many years now, I can't name a single soul who doesn't know his or Pimp C's verse on Jay Z's " Big Pimpin". I have seen Bun B perform a handful of times down in Texas during SXSW (seems like he shows up every year, this year he joined Future at the Spin Party). Bun B has a stage presence that captures your attention, swaying from one end of the stage to another he personifies a business only demeanor. He brought out the classics and shouted out to the crowd what an amazing opportunity to get to see a hip hop show of such proportion for a mere five dollars. Red Bull Sound Select continues to etch its way into the Denver music scene, it's a good thing they are, as we continue to enjoy the great music they continue to bless us with.
