My Tour Van is Totaled and I Need Your Help
Although almost every day on the King No Crown tour has been memorable for one reason or another, today is a day that I will probably never forget because it is the first time that I have ever gotten in an accident on tour and the time I came the closest to losing my life. I am still pretty shaken up by today’s events but I will explain.
Check out my new podcast “Super Duty Tough Work”
After many demos and some experimentation, I am proud to announce the debut of me and DJ Rare Groove’s brand new podcast, Super Duty Tough Work, where we speak about current events in hip-hop but with a grown man perspective. Check out this episode:
El Paso, TX – King No Crown Tour Recap
I’ve had a lot of success in El Paso in the past. In fact, prior to last night, I can’t say I’ve ever had really bad experience there, which is saying a lot considering I’ve been going there and headlining shows for the past ten years. My first time playing in El Paso was the week before my 1988 album was released in the spring of 2005. It was also the first time that we experimented with trying to play a week’s worth of shows in a single state that wasn’t Ohio. The show itself was great and we made a lot of contacts and friends that I still keep in touch with to this day. I actually really dig El Paso, especially the people there.
But last night was one for the books.
Dunedin, FL – King No Crown Recap
To be completely honest, I had never heard of Dunedin, FL until I was booked to play there last year. Since 2011, I have been coming to Florida and putting in a lot of work here, and even though I had played a lot of markets down here, I don’t think I had ever mentioned the city’s name get mentioned. It wasn’t until my guy Swamburger mentioned that his former roomate Jon had just moved back there that it started coming up in conversation. I found out that Dunedin FL was just outside of Tampa, had a growing hip-hop scene, and might be worth a shot since my last Tampa show went really well. I’m always down to try new markets out, so Count Bass D and I performed there for the first time in 2014 on the Respect the Architect tour.
Knoxville, TN – King No Crown Tour Recap
If somebody was to ask me the difference between Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee I would probably say this: playing in Nashville is kind of like dating a pretty girl who knows she’s pretty and playing in Knoxville is like dating a pretty girl who doesn’t know she’s pretty. Both girls are pretty, but there’s something really incredible about a beautiful woman that doesn’t carry herself like she just knows she’s the shit. Conversely, there’s something kind of annoying about a woman who’s pretty and carries herself like she’s the prettiest girl in the room wherever she goes.
Nashville, TN – King No Crown Tour Recap
First I would like to thank the people of Nashville who came out last night to rock with me. I also want to thank everybody that promoted the show and the people at the venue for being awesome. I do appreciate yall.
Now, onto this blog.
Raleigh NC – King No Crown Tour Recap
I’ve always had a good vibe about Raleigh, NC. Part of it has had to do with the fact that when Illogic and I played a show in Chapel Hill in the summer of 2013 in front of about 10 people (summer shows in college towns are usually a bad idea), the entire crowd had driven in from Raleigh. Seriously, not a single person from our show was from the city we played in. Another part of my love for Raleigh comes from the fact that, even though we had a pretty bad show that night, I met a few really awesome people from the Raleigh scene that I continue to keep in touch with.
Harrisburg PA – King No Crown Tour Recap
Physically, we were at a bit of a disadvantage going into the harrisburg show because the drive to Harrisburg from Evansville, Indiana was about 11 hours. And once you took in the time change and stops for gas we were looking at a 13 hour drive, which was the longest of the tour. This meant that after the show in Evansville ended around 2am, we immediately started driving to Harrisburg. I did about 2-3 hours of driving that night before pulling over for an hour or so of sleep, then woke back up around 6 am to continue the drive. It was rough, especially for just the second day of tour, but me and DJ Rare Groove switched out the driving as we normally do to get the long drives done.
Experiments in Podcasting
The past month or so I’ve been developing some podcasting ideas behind the scenes. I’ve always been a fan of podcasts, but because I listen to so many, it’s important for me to really develop my ideas fully. The last thing I wanna do is start a podcast that either sucks and has to stop, or one that’s good but too difficult for me to do with regularity. A lot of my current experiments in podcasting deal with the technical side of it:
East Coast, West Coast, and Midwest Tour Dates Added to King No Crown Tour
Is your city on the list? The “King No Crown” tour starts on May 21st and has now added East Coast, West Coast, & Northwest dates:
5/21 – Evansville, IN @ PG | http://on.fb.me/1xetA8x
5/22 – Harrisburg, PA @ Appalachian Brewing Co | http://on.fb.me/1HwouVk
5/23 – Washington, DC – Heaven & Hell | http://on.fb.me/1Iq1rN4
5/24 – Raleigh, NC @ The Pour House | http://on.fb.me/1N4v0qd
5/25 – Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor | http://on.fb.me/1FT8QVD
5/27 – Nashville, TN @ The Stone Fox | http://on.fb.me/1bqhNun
5/28 – Knoxville, TN @ Long Branch | http://on.fb.me/1Cm4Lb6
5/29 – Boone, NC @ The Local | http://on.fb.me/1Hz8e9A
5/30 – Asheville, NC @ Timo’s House | http://on.fb.me/1BoSOg2
5/31 – Columbia, SC @ Back Alley | http://on.fb.me/1HwsJjO
6/01 – Atlanta, GA @ 529 | http://on.fb.me/1y11j0r
6/03 – Gainesville, FL @ The Backyard | http://on.fb.me/1Bgj7Gc
6/04 – Orlando, FL @ The Social | http://on.fb.me/1ENf2gb
6/05 – Jacksonville, FL @ Rain Dogs | http://on.fb.me/1bqinrV
6/06 – Fort Myers Beach, FL @ Nervous Nellie’s | http://on.fb.me/1BKHzP1
6/07 – Dunedin, FL @ The Dunedin Brewery (FREE SHOW) | http://on.fb.me/1FzPxSw
6/12 – Austin, TX @ Flamingo Cantina | http://on.fb.me/1bqisMh
6/13 – San Antonio, TX @ Fitzgerald’s | http://on.fb.me/1BoT2Uw
6/14 – Fort Worth, TX @ Lola’s | http://on.fb.me/1BoT3Yp
6/17 – Albuquerque, NM @ Burt’s Tiki Lounge | http://on.fb.me/1C7w3Rf
6/18 – Santa Fe, NM @ The Underground at Evangelo’s | http://on.fb.me/1HzafCF
6/19 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Flux Capacitor | http://on.fb.me/19hqZ2z
6/20 – Denver, CO @ Moe’s | http://on.fb.me/1bqiDqQ
6/21 – Grand Junction, CO @ Mesa Theater | http://on.fb.me/1xev2YB“Great Eyedeas Never Die” Official Music Video
Download “Great Eyedeas Never Die”: http://bit.ly/1FP93uO
Order “King No Crown”: http://bit.ly/1w6N4eKGreat Eyedeas Never Die
For those who have checked out the track list to my upcoming album King No Crown that will be released April 28th, you may have noticed that the final song on the album is titled, “Great Eyedeas Never Die.” This song is about my late friend and original Rhymesayers artist, Eyedea (aka Michael Larson).
Blueprint “Just Move” Official Music Video
Check out the track and music video “Just Move” from my upcoming album King No Crown.
Download “Just Move” here: http://bit.ly/1IOIsvX
Announcing the King No Crown Tour
I would like to officially announce the first set of shows on my upcoming King No Crown tour with special guest Supastition and DJ Rare Groove. More dates will be added, but here are the first 25 confirmed dates so far:
What A Night: Chapter 7 – Kalamazoo, MI
What A Night
Chapter 7: Kalamazoo, MIBetween 2003 and 2005, Kalamazoo, Michigan became one of the most supportive cities of my music. It all started when Western Michigan University’s student-operated radio station, WIDR FM, began putting the Soul Position Unlimited EP and my production album The Weight Room in regular rotation. Unlike most college radio stations—whose programming is directed entirely at the student-body—WIDR’s show programming and events calendar garnered the support of the entire community and the surrounding area.
