I knew I was going to be in for one hell of a night.
As the show carried on, the host — or lack thereof — proceeded to shout out his homies like he just won a Grammy before allowing each of the 27 artists to enjoy his three minutes of stage time. The set was a complete bust. Through the muffled, crumbling bass, one thought rang clear in my mind: Is putting on a quality hip-hop show that hard?
Short answer: yes.
Putting on a rap show, or any type of
Let's take this one step at a time. One of the biggest recurring problems with South Florida rap shows is sound. It doesn't take an expert ear to identify poor sound quality and unmastered music, but it's not always the artists' faults. They, just as much as anybody, find it pretty damn important to make sure they don't sound like they are rapping underwater. For Noski, a Miami-based rapper from the trio Rap Supreme,
Another huge problem with local shows is the fee. And, no, I’m not talking about the ticket price, but the common South Florida practice
In other cases, promoters offer alternatives, like allowing artists to sell tickets themselves. Fort Lauderdale rapper
One of the biggest problems with local rap shows doesn't happen before the concert begins but during it. Crowded lineups can absolutely ruin a rap concert. If you’re squinting at a show flyer, trying to find your homeboy on the lineup while simultaneously realizing you need glasses, it's safe to say the show is oversaturated. “These flyers for virtually unknown artists are starting to look like a 20-word vocabulary quiz,"
One time, I watched an artist perform one verse, one
“Focusing on quality rather than quantity, promoters should headline artists that will bring out the type of fans they are targeting," he explains. "Once that's done, they should thoughtfully plan out the performance list so performers complement each other or lead up to whatever vibe the headlining act will have."
It's a lot of different factors to consider. But if even one of them goes ignored, the consequences can be horrible.
I've seen it happen: The feedback from the mic blaring into the 54-person crowd as the last performer shouts out his producer for the "fire ass beat." The stage, which was poorly constructed, caving in a bit as the artist and his crew walk off to greet a handful of friends that seem to have really enjoyed what I felt was the worst three minutes of my life. Many of these production issues require a simple fix that can make local entertainment a lot more enjoyable for the artists and the attendees. Together, both artists and promoters can fix this. To paraphrase our old pal Smokey the Bear (who actually had a very brief shitty rap career himself), only we can end shitty rap shows.