Jazmine Sullivan @ Sonar in Baltimore
This week marked the beginning of my birthday celebration. On Thursday of last week, my friend and soror, Luz Celenia, told me about an awesome deal on a Jazmine Sullivan ticket (they called it the stimulus sale, lol). What better way to start off my Birthday Week than with a Jazmine Sullivan concert? I immediately hopped on that deal and on Monday night at 7pm I was on my way up 295 to Sonar in Baltimore City.
We were a half and hour late and the show still hadn’t started (which I wasn’t mad about because I thought we were going to miss alot of the show). I promised my sister that I would have long term amnesia in terms of everything prior to Jazmine Sullivan. But let’s just say that Kia or Key Calloway (whatever her name is) should be shot.
Ryan Leslie was the sub-headliner (I guess that’s what you call it?). He opened up for Jaz and did a pretty good job. I had never heard of him before that night and apparently I was missing out on something because as soon as he walked onto the stage the ladies went CRAZY! He’s a medium height scrawny little guy with a big personality. He jumped around that stage so much I was sure that he couldn’t have been singing for real! He was cool. Not my type of music, but cool.
After he left, the stage dimmed and the crew set up the band for the next set. We waited for about twenty minutes before the stage went dark and the room went crazy! We knew that meant Jazzy was on her way to the stage. I was so excited. This girl is amazing! If you haven’t heard her sing, here’s a little glimpse:
She sang almost every song on her album and even covered a few songs. She sang a cover of Kanye West’s song “Heartless.” Replacing the word “woman” with “nigga.” It was classic. She’s so versatile and I love that about her. She ended the show with “I Need You Bad” – a woman’s anthem laced with a reggae track and Missy Elliot’s voice subtly in the background.
The concert was priceless…I would pay to see it all over again the same exact way. She’s a star destined to be a legend.
Mindstate Mixtape
So, after a conversation with one of my avid readers (who shall remain nameless…ahem…thanks Janae!) I got more information about the group in my previous post. Their name is actually Mindstate. After a little research, I found out that one of the founders of Mindstate is actually a Towson Alumna; J Pope is her name. The artists in the video are J Pope, Black Root, Wordslave, and LOVE the Poet. According to their website, Black Root shared his vision for Mindstate Mixtape with J Pope mid-year 2008.
“It [is] a terrific way to promote and support the Baltimore, DC and the Greater Metropolitian area (the DMV) and reach a broader audience of people displaying their talents bestowed upon them.”
The actual mixtape is called Mindstate Mix Vol. 1 and is available on their website. I’ll have another video up real soon from them. Their an awesome group that mixes hip-hop, R&B, poetry and just pure hotness! Be on the look out for another video!
iWrite
V-MORE feat. iWrite
It seems like as soon as I post some of my own poetry, I get featured on someone else’s blog! Good stuff. 
Janae Griffin, author of V-MORE, a vlog about life in Baltimore City, featured me on her blog on Thursday. Griffin is a Towson University student and a fellow poet connoisseur. One of her best friends is probably one of the hottest poets I’ve heard in a long time! So, her opinion is quite valid in my eyes. Check out her post!
