key club

When I hear that J Davey and Blu will be performing at the Key Club in Hollywood I am more than compelled to attend. Furthermore, when I hear that my favorite neighborhood rapper, Def Sound, will be joining them there really isn’t much choice but to attend.

The Key Club is of course packed with new school hip hop heads hoping to catch the crew at this last stop in California before the New World Culture tour darts across the nation.

J Davey delivers their usual brand of high energy funky hip-hop. The lady tripper herself, Miss Jack Davey, has an unparalleled command over the audience, she is soultry, fun, sassy, and keeps the crowd at no less than a level 8 through the whole set. Brook keeps pocket on drums, rocks out on synths and lends his special blend of swagger to the stage that can be felt without him having to utter a word.

Blu, aptly named, is super cool on stage as bar after bar spills out of his mouth. He performs Heineken in Hand as if he were in a back yard cypher instead of in front of hundreds of people. Heads can’t help but bob to his delivery while the brain tries to keep up with his lyrics. He is a poet over beats, delivering a suave set that the audience certainly reacted to.

Def Sound is the freshest face on the New World Culture tour but he seems not too inclined to be the least remembered. He steps on stage in a black suit with a zebra bow tie, “sox on bright”, and maybe the most obscure eyeglasses I have ever seen. It was like watching Ghandi, Sammy Davis Jr., and Old Dirty Bastard rock the mic simultaneously. While other hip hop performances deliver little more than impassioned gestures, Def Sound flails his arms, makes crazy faces, and meditates on stage. He does what a true opening act is supposed to do, not only get’s the crowd ready for the marquee performers but makes you wonder why the hell they don’t have their own tour.

Def Sound is currently touring songs from his independent release LP “Alive” but at this particular show he did bring special guest  R&B soul singer,Nikko Gray, who we will definitely be catching up with in the near future. Def steals the show before it is even fully begun with a performance that is nothing short of amazing. The New World Culture tour is currently making their way from Arizona, to Tennessee, to Maryland and back to the North West. I guess my favorite neighborhood rapper, isn’t so neighborhood anymore.

give them all a shout while their on tour if you can’t make it.

key club performance photos credit Holly Port Photography