UP CLOSE N PERSONAL

Getting my new years resolution off to an early start. The past 5 years ive been stuck in a work schedule that left me too tired or unwanting to get outside and be amongst the art going on in the city. If you ask me this hurt me as an artist and thus FirstCo. as an art project. So now that I no longer have the schedule as an excuse to be reculse Im back outside. Up Close N Personal.

2 Saturdays in a row i've been treated to performances that I will give credit to naming this series. The 1st Saturday night I attended the release of Harris Rudmans new album 'In Some Ways'. In what felt like a company party of Harris' friends and family in The Starlet Room at Harlows this was very much, Up Close. 2nd Saturday morning was spent at 'A Year In Review' with C Plus, a live interview that at times got so Personal you can feel several people holding back tears.

In Some Ways

The Album is a Sacramento love to, "Thought we'd end up as friends" story that we all know too well and hope to never return to. Hearing this live was my first time hearing the whole album and I thought I was alone in that but as Harris and I were talking before anyone else showed up a stranger walked in and introduced himself as a fan that flew out from Boise, Idaho to come see Harris live; it would also be his first time hearing the album. This would be the first "Okay im not alone" moment of the night for me. The other moments came from conversations I had with other artists in attendance. We talked about returning to the scene, in past years it was as simple as go to the club and it felt like you were back. This time around its more intentional, returning to the scene doing art and avoiding doing content for the sake of doing content. In alot of ways Harris Rudman and the performance he put on was the best example on how to approach this return for me.

Fun Fact : Boise Idaho is The City of Trees.

11 albums 1 mixtape 1 year

Repeat that title as many times as you need to, then go make a top 10 list of rappers / musicians period that have done that.

Very important to show up for artists like Plus because not many cities have somebody like Plus that have been active as long as he has, toured the places he's been and rubbed shoulders with industry greats without straying from his message. True North Star for rappers from our city from the content of the raps to the technical skills. Over coffee at Burnside Coffee C Plus described the year and process of making these projects and at times went into topics that are often hard to talk about. Interview really got personal and I wont try and describe it for you so please just give PlusMoney a follow on IG and wait for it to drop, its worth it. Towards the end the conversation was opened up to the audience, all gave flowers and some audience members like FinesseGod4x got praise from a Grammy nominated producer from Hippie Sabotage sitting right behind him. When it was my turn to give flowers I got to talk about how I was introduced to his music, what songs helped me get through some things in the past and 2 of the songs from his album 'Viernes Negro Quatro' that when played in sequence really hit home "Streets Dont Love Nobody" and "Live For Today".

Overall the inspiration of seeing 2 greats from your city do thier thing has me excited for next. This is my New Years Resolution to keep doing this, and to do some of events of my own. Hold me to it and I look forward to seeing you.. Up Close N Personal.