Author: 2Blunt

Catherine T. Morris has done it again by putting together Boston Arts & Music Soul festival for the fifth consecutive year. This time around BAMSfest was ment with rain showers, ponchos and a healthy crowd of people from all over.

Vendors, musical acts and an audience alike came to Franklin Park to enjoy the festivities. The crowd was a diverse group of wellness and cultural fans coming to enjoy themselves in a celebration of community and joy.

The whole festival went from Thursday June 23 to Saturday the 24th, both days at Franklin park. The festival hosted vendors of all ages and genres, dance workshops, sponsored drinks, two stages with back to back acts and food trucks, and that’s just to name a few attractions.
Can’t forget the kids zone where parents could leave kids to play under supervision and the street artists that we’re creating murals throughout the event.

BAMSfest is not only a festival but also a non-profit that is focused on helping black individuals and organizations make it through hardships and attempting to “create ‘a knowledge-passing mechanism’ between Boston artist [installing] a sense of community and solidity” as Julian E.J. Sorapuru described in The Boston Globe.
It is said that thousands of artists apply to perform at BAMSfest every year but only a few out of the thousands are chosen.

This years artist included Nate Nics, kei, and Notebook P., The Visionaries, Tori Tori, headliner Grand Master Flash and more!

Kara Elliott-Ortega from the mayor’s chief arts and culture office said, “spaces aren’t truly public until we feel welcome there, like we can be ourselves, and truly relax and enjoy each other and our culture. BAMS is actively creating that sense of belonging.”

The crowd was a good sport as they communed together in commerce and beverage, ponchos out and all. Climax of the night is when DJ GRAND MASTER FLASH blared ‘Can I kick it?!’ Through the speakers.
Shout out to Catherine for putting together a great festival, we don’t get enough of them in the city! Big salute to @theblueprint39_ for providing the awesome pictures featured in this blog!

SLEEPY HALLOW set a four show tour where he stopped by BIG NIGHT LIVE in Boston on May 11th, 2023 for his third show.

The New York drill scene has been going crazy since 2018 and many people would credit WINNERS CIRCLE ENTERTAINMENT for helping establish the sound. With both SHEFF G and ELI FROSS stuck behind them bars, SLEEPY HALLOW is looked at as the front runner for the team.

Since we last linked up with SLEEPY he has dropped two projects; mixtape  SLEEPY FOR PRESIDENT and STILL SLEEP? a full studio album.
SLEEPY has also recently dropped a track for an audience that’s has been gravitating towards him, the ladies. The track ‘MARIE’ has the smooth laid back SLEEPY that the fans love.

Don’t get it twisted though, he is a rowdy one, as SLEEPY was in the news last year for throwing chairs at a restaurant in New Jersey during a brawl.
Through his music you get a real feel of SLEEP’s personality and where he is in life. In his recently released track ‘2 Minutes of Pain’, there’s a fire sample of a throwback Raggae track which sets a perfect tone for SLEEPY, as he delivers a track that is more like what we are used to hearing from him.

Last year, Spotify drop an exclusive on their RADAR segment where they interviewed SLEEPY HALLOW and gave the audience a chance to get an authentic feel of how he feels about his career. As mentioned earlier, SLEEP’s charismatic counterpart, SHEFF G is in jail and in the interview you really get the impression that SLEEP is trying to keep his head straight and stay out of trouble.

Focused on music we hope that SLEEPY HALLOW keeps dropping good projects. It feels like he his gearing up to put one out as he has a song that came out a little whiles back, ‘Die Young’ ft 347aidam. The song has a commercial appeal and would serve well as a single.
Who knows though, we’ll see. For now we’ll say FREE SHEFF G and ELI FROSS and just hope for more good music from WINNERS CIRCLE ENTERTAINMENT.

photo cred: @tonyrichhh 📷 📸

It has been said that getting notable attention nation wide is hard for artist in Massachusetts. However over the past several years a few artists have been knocking on the door of superstardom. BLANCO, the artist known as MILLYZ, is the focus of this article.

MILLYZ has been putting in work for years. Watching his interview on POWER 105.1’s BREAKFAST CLUB really put that in perspective. From the first night we seen him at that old club, CAPRICE downtown in 2011, all the way to his Cinco de Mayo homecoming concert at House of Blues Boston. Cambridge’s own MILLYZ really has come a long way.

Snatched up by JADAKISS and his SO RASPY team, MILLYZ is aiming to make a real impact in the industry. JADA accompanied the Cambridge star to POWER 105.1’s BREAKFAST CLUB earlier that week. During the interview,  they both illustrated how much work they have been putting in to make good music for those who love real Hiphop, Hiigh Level Rap, if you will.

Last time we checked in with MILLYZ he had just put out BLANCO 4. It’s early May ‘23 and BLANCO 6 has been in rotation for a few weeks now. You can hear the progress MILLYZ has been making in his music. As his confidence grows his music and delivery improves. Every song on his latest project resonates especially if your into introspective rap.

On May 5th, 2023 BLANCO kicks off his MILLYZ AND FRIENDS Tour at House of Blues Boston and he truly couldn’t have picked a better venue. The place, of course, was sold out_ packed to the brim with fans from all over New England ready and eager to see the potentially biggest artist coming from the Boston area.

With a new fire project out gaining spins and an arsenal of tracks in the vault, MILLYZ was more than prepared to put on a good show. To up the ante, BLANCO brought a few other recording artist to the stage with him in order to deliver an even more enjoyable show for those in attendance.

That boy from Marion, ALBEE AL came out to perform Risk Takers with MILLYZ a few other tracks. AL didn’t disappoint as he delivered that energy that he is so well known for. It’s dope to see the MASS/ JERSEY link up like that before they both respectfully really blow. Don’t sleep, we’ve been keeping tabs on ALBEE since 2019 when he was on bail.  Go check out KODA if you haven’t yet! He’s a great storyteller and keeps his audience engaged.

DAVE EAST is a more notable artist that hit the stage that night. EAST and MILLYZ have been linking up for projects since about early 2020 and dropped a full featured album last year rightfully titled Pablo & Blanco. The MASS APPEAL RECORDS artist, EAST, has been making noise since 2010 and feels like a great person for MILLYZ to work with to help transition into the game.

It was a star studded event for the Boston local scene. Other than JOYNER LUCAS and BIA, no other artist has been bringing as much energy and attention to the city as MILLYZ. It was great to see him HOB Boston and awesome to see how much support he got from other local artist. GIO DEE came out to perform his track with MILLYZ, entitled Love/ Hate (side note; Check out our video playlist to see the official music video!). DTHEFLYEST came out to play too, but stayed low key.

All in all it was a great night for the Boston HipHop scene. We’re sure MILLYZ AND FRIENDS will continue to sell out throughout the tour which is just awesome to think about. We wish MILLYZ and the rest of the performs prosperity, peace and more success throughout the tour.

Photo cred: @scoobzfrmboston + @isaacremsenphoto 📷📸

It’s late April and the cool spring air has people ready to come out and enjoy the city. RED BULL has been hosting dance competitions across the nation and picked great Friday to put on a free show for all who love seeing high packed energy dance offs.

The competition was located at City Hall Plaza down by Government Center. Side note, it’s nice seeing how much the city has changed! All the new buildings got Boston looking and feeling great on a cool night.
RED BULL made two great picks in host to guide the pretty big audience through the show. Mr. #140 on BOSTON MAGAZINE’s 150 Most Influential Bostonian List DJ Real P was accompanied by the beautiful Melisa ‘MELI’ Valdez, who is normally an in-arena host for the Celtics, were hired to do the job and they did a great one!

The show was well orchestrated and entertaining to watch. It was bracket style, one on one dance offs, red versus blue, winner advances.
The show included a neat way for the audience to interact while voting. Everyone was given a light up bracelet upon entry, after every round the audience would vote for their chosen winner by raising their bracelet in the air glowing in the color of their choosing, red or blue.


The show lasted several hours and had participants from all over the nation. The creative moves and at time intense competition between the dancers kept the crowd engaged and participating throughout the night.


Shout out to TRIGGERHOUSE who did a fantastic job with the stage set up and the lighting. DJs Big Bear and Young Paul worked the music all night and made some great selections for the dancers and the audience alike to rock too.
The show was a great time! Big up to Berk, marketing director over at RED BULL for putting the event together. Shout to out everyone who participated and to those who came out to vibe!

Dwayne Michael Cater, JR began performing at the young age of 12 years old and 28 years later he his still blessing us with his presence on stage. On April 13, 2023 the self proclaimed biggest Red Sox fan, LIL WAYNE stopped by the House of Blues Boston for his Welcome to tha Cater tour.

The CASH MONEY/ YOUNG MONEY Entertainment tycoon graced the city with a full set of performance tracks delivered with the energy only LIL WAYNE himself can provide. The legendary artist performed about 30 songs and left the audience with a lasting impression.

The venue was sold out and pack with Weezy fans, providing a great atmosphere to welcome the 5 time Grammy award winning artist.

The city has been hosting a lot of great concerts as of late. But this one was definitely one for the books. It’s great to see after all these years LIL WAYNE is still a force to be reckoned with, even while sporting pajamas and a sweater with a Pokémon on it. Lol

@bizulas x @emilygardnerx x @besakof 📸📷

Vas is on a roll with his show roll outs throughout the year. This time around he brings out the crazy in love duo BLUEFACE and CHRISEAN ROCK.

The two have been in recent headlines due to domestic problems but seem to be doing pretty well now in 2023. They are touring together, making good music and seem to be having a lot of fun doing so too.

Look out for more of Vas shows coming out through out the yea

JI Prince of New York dropped One Way or Another project in time for Valentine’s Day this year and he is out touring to celebrate. The project consist of a combination of classic JI heartbreak songs and street ballads.

So much passion coming out of such a small guy, we feel you JI.. we feel you. lol. This record is an addition to a discography that includes singles with many other young NY artists such as LIL TJAY, B LOVEE and A BOOGIE WIT DA HOODIE.

JI was actually touring with HIIGH BRIDGE and both A BOOGIE and DON Q stopped by the Providence nightclub with the young New York star.

The night wouldn’t have been complete with out the flyest stepping out. DtheFLYEST pulled up and made an appearance that night as well and was def needed as he held it down for the local rap scene.

The spot was packed and the vibes were right. Shout out to Ace Entertainment for putting together a good night. Look out for them putting together much more good nights out there in P Town.

@ISOLUIGI📸📷

2022 crept in with unpredictability as varient as the weather has been here in NEW ENGLAND. One thing for sure though is like the PATRIOTS, we are taking a back seat in this years run for awards. Not 2 devastating though considering our young team showed glimpses of worthy competition, well not in the wildcard game but throughout the season. Another thing that is certain, is while still enjoying the transition into the new year MASSACHUSETTS continues to be a hub for local and underground music.

J&G PROMOTIONS took their talents to a local concert hall in PLYMOUTH, MA by putting together an highly anticipated concert. The host of the show was @thedoncoogi who managed the crowed and ushered in and out of the acts for the night.
J&G PROMOTIONS made sure to keep the show-line up filled with great artist from all over the city.
Notable mentions include STEVEY, FAT FLEE, DLEFTY and headliners COUSIN STIZZ and DTHEFLYEST. We were hoping to hear that the artist known as KEI would be present, but it turns out she performed at CENTRO NIGHTCLUB the night before. She has some fire music.

“Everybody slacking on they mustard better catch up.. 🏃🏾‍♂️ 💨”

-KEI

Each of these artist have there own respective buzz with in the state, it was great to have an opportunity for fans to see them perform in person.

“Living way 2 fast.. take drugs 2 help me slow down”
– FAT FLEE

The crowd was said to have gradually grown throughout the night and PLYMOUTH MEMORIAL HALL proved to be a good venu for the show.

“..Living in a vice land, out of sight out of mind”

-STEVEY N

Having the show in PLYMOUTH is a reminder how much room there is in MASSACHUSETTS for great underground shows. Big shout out J&G PRODUCTIONS for putting together a great one.

“Smarten up.. they go hard just 2 kill it.”
-COUSIN STIZZ

Your favorite COUSIN came through and kept it all BLESSINGS. STIZZ is arguably the biggest artist from Boston as he is authentically from DORCHESTER. COUSIN STIZZ was not the only local star to bless the stage as the rarely seem but highly acclimated DTHEFLYEST masked up to do his set.

“Put it all on the line for the gang, gang”

– DTHEFLYEST

Picture credits go to
@shotbydw_

@jonathonchandnoit

@alexzandriaromanello

@iso_luigi

 

People often over look the man behind the cam. I mean logically, right? After all the guy who takes the picture is generally not in that picture. But you can still feel them. I mean, each photo has the essence of the photographer in every shot. The angles they chose, the amount of light they allow in the lenses.. the whole texture and feel is determined by the operator of this magical tool, a camera. The person behind the cam is usually a pretty nifty one; capable of manipulating thousands of settings at the drop of a dime in order to capture a fading moment that will never happen again.

I mean, everyone appreciates a good cameraman or at least the photos and video content they create. But few really understand the ins and outs of the trade and the opportunities and unique experiences the job brings.

The focus of this article is on the photographer responsible for the pictures featured and has been inspiring creatives all around. We took the time to call the mystery man and get a different perspective of the photos and content he has graciously shared with the public.
The photographer/ videographer we are referring to is no other than Mr. BRED HAMPTON!

His name alone is oozing with personality. BRED, most sneaker heads may have noticed, stands for Black and Red (a notorious color way combination). HAMPTON, an ode to the late great revolutionary FRED HAMPTON. Together you get BRED HAMPTON, a cheerful, light hearted, talented individual that is glad to have stepped into his glory and passion.

The trade came naturally to BRED as he always had an ‘eye for photos’. He first picked up the camera as a hobby, photography being his first discipline. BRED would show up to local shows to shoot live events and sharpen his skills. He would go to several of them before building up the confidence to speak to JAMN’ 94.5’s DJ E DOUBLE, a decision BRED would not regret.
Several weeks later E DOUBLE offered BRED a job that snowballed into a prolific budding career in creating content with exclusive access and great quality. The job that was offered to BRED was shooting an interview with G EAZY at a local concert hall. Many artist proceeded that initial interview including CASSANOVA, ROCKY FRESH, DON Q, FAT JOE and more.

Although BRED HAMPTON had became familiar with shooting musical acts his talents and portfolio does not stop there.
BRED went on to tell us about how he got affiliated with shooting for professional athletes.
It all started with a modest phone call and a favor for a budding basketball star, TERRENCE CLARKE. The young star, Terrence Clarke tragically passed away in a fatal car accident in Los Angels, leaving loved ones heartbroken and a professional career behind.

BRED was fortunate enough to meet Terrence back in high school. The two created content with each other in the form of highlight reels. BRED credits his relationship with Terrence as being the leading catalyst for meeting other athletes.

The first professional athlete HAMPTON has ever shot was no other than Boston Celtic JAYSON TATUM. The two became close and BRED has been his leading photographer ever since. BRED commented that he is at the Garden so frequently it feels like he works there! But basketball games are not the only things BRED is shooting for JAYSON.

BRED has also been responsible for capturing photos at TATUM’s personal events and for his personal/ professional content.
HAMPTON’s relationship with JAYSON soon spilled over to service JAYLEN BROWN as well providing similar content for his high profile client.

BRED wanted to be sure to shout out the HARVARD men’s basketball team for the opportunity to work and build with them. That relationship too he had credited TERRENCE CLARKE for making the connection. 🙏🏾 🕊

After conversing with BRED for sometime, we really got the impression that he is grateful for the work that he is doing. He said he’s fulfilled and content that he has found his calling, passion and trade.
It was apparent to us that BRED aspires to inspire others to find their calling and to be creative with their contributions to life. BRED had remarked that growing up he never saw anyone that looked like him behind a camera. He wants to be the guy behind the cam that inspires someone else to just ‘GIVE IT A SHOT!’

He took some time to reflect on the first time he saw LeBron stepping out of the locker room and ‘cracking’ jokes with Killa Cam backstage at a concert, and said it ‘blew [his] mind,’ he continued, ‘who would have thought this little ol camera could get me so far’.

Before getting off the phone call, we asked BRED about his experience meeting the late VIRGIL ABLOH. He explained that VIRGIL was doing a collaboration project with the ICA in Boston and came by the facilities to do a presentation. At the event BRED got the chance to take portrait shots of the great designer and get a first hand feel for his vibe and energy. BRED went on to mention that VIRGIL must have picked up on his excitement to be there and asked him ‘what’s on your mind? You look like you have some questions for me.’

Often we look at photos or videos and enjoy the content without ever asking ourselves, ‘who took this?’ The most skilled photographers and videographers can get you engaged with their characters and perceptions of life without you ever seeing them or even knowing who they are. BRED HAMPTON is one of those photographers. We just wanted to take the time to appreciate the man behind the cam.

We are well into fall 2021 and the entertainment scene around here doesn’t seem like it’s slowing down anytime soon. Promoters from all over New England are doing a great job keeping the night life vibrant and filled with events.
CONCERT CRAVE has been turning heads with all ages events that have been going up. There latest show in partnerships with PLATINUM ENTERTAINMENT GROUP was held at the Tsongas Center at UMASS Lowell’s main campus. The two promotion companies have sponsored the AVA COLLEGE TOUR and had a great line up for the night!

The first act of the night was a rising local star from South Providence, HENNESSY!

HENNY came through with a smooth laid back vibe that captivated the attention of the crowd. She was the only female act of the night and it was dope to see her command the stage with R&B. The audience received her well and it’ll be interesting to see what comes of her career. This tour was a great look for her!

The next act to hit the stage was HIGHBRIDGE’s latest signee, LIL REKK! The Philly native was a good pick as a following act, his melodies and smooth tracks made for a good transition. LIL REKK performed a couple songs and had the audience reciting every word.

The young artist has only been on the scene since 2019 with two projects out, ‘The Ticket’ and ‘World Plus’. It’s nice to see HIGHBRIDGE snatch up the talented artist. By the way REKK hit that stage you know he knows that it’s GAME TIME.

The person with the most energy of the night may have been the youngest person to hit the stage. BOUBA showed us all why they call him SAVAGE 😈😈.

BOUBA SAVAGE came to make his presence felt and he did just that. He performed a few songs including his latest track KIDNAP WHO and was really looking like an African giant on that stage.

It’s fire to see BOUBA command the crowd like he did. Son’s no more than 15 years old and he is holding his own like he’s been doing this for a decade! Can’t wait to see where he takes his career.

Ok so New York has been producing this new sound that has a mix of a nostalgic vibe and a new drill flow. The combination gives an unorthodox feel which is catchy and packed with energy. Rappers that have embraced the style include SHAWNY BINLADEN and KAY FLOCK. But the artist that appeared on the AVA COLLEGE TOUR was no other than South Bronx sinsation B-LOVEE!

B-LOVEE and KAY FLOCK have been a duo that have been making noise and even have made a few stops in the area before. Tonight though B-LOVEE rocked the stage dolo. Well he had his guys with him but, he was the only one of his crew the rock the mic.

B-LOVEE performed his tracks that had NY and tic tok going crazy since the end of the summer, IYKYK, NEAKY and MY EVERYTHING!

B-LOVEE said he got his name from the Nutty Professor. Thought that was pretty dope, it says two things about him; that he’s a ladies man and that he appreciates the 90s 💯❤️‍🔥.

Speaking of ladies’ men, A BOOGIE WIT DA HOODIE was the headliner and he came out that night as ARTIST!

ARTY was out there on stage wooing the audience with his vocals and dance moves. 2.0 came out like Michael Jack reincarnated and everyone loved it.

No cap, you can tell BOOGIE enjoyed performing. He was vibing with the crowd all night and had everyone singing along. He mostly performed tracks from ARTIST 2.0 but also dug into the archives for the fans that have been rocking with him since he was ‘stepping over puddles of pain’ in the JUNGLE.

One thing that had us puzzled though, is how he performed his whole set with that jacket and hat on! 🥴🤯

Talk about super cool, you got that ARTY!

It was dope to see A BOOGIE perform tracks we all have been singing in the shower since 2016. And not for nothing but he kinda birthed a whole new sound, so it was dope seeing it from the source.

All in all it was a great show. Hats off to PLATINUM ENTERTAINMENT GROUP and CONCERT CRAVE for a well curated show. We hope the rest of the tour is as much of a success as it was at UMASS!

Shout out to @shotsbysp_ for the great flicks. Be sure to show her some love on IG and tell her we sent you!

Click the SHOWS tab to see some video clips of the night and look out for the full recap of the show out soon on 2BLUNTLIVE!