HNHH took a quick trip to Austin, Texas this year for SXSW, to cover The Warner Sound (which included performances by, T.I., B.o.B., Wale, Meek Mill, Stalley, Curren$y, Kirko Bangz, XV & Snow Tha Product). The trip was a short one but productive nonetheless. It was my first time at SXSW and I definitely want to go back for more than three days next time. I'ma give you guys some details on our trip there, and you can expect all our exclusives in the near future!!
Wednesday afternoon me (Rose, editor for HNHH for those who don't know), Jason (who is our marketing and PR guy), and Rex D. (who is the owner of HNHH) headed to the airport to take a flight to Austin, Texas, which had one connect in Newark. By the time we arrived in Texas it was pretty late, but we had a smooth journey there, except for almost forgetting all our camera equipement and my carry-on on the plane...but s'all good. Somehow I managed to remember Jason's camera shit but not my own carry-on until we actually de-boarded the plane. I also forgot my apple (the fruit, not a Mac product) in my carry-on when we were going through customs and I had to go see the agriculture customs people (for lack of their proper title) to “properly dispense” of this one apple. The customs guy told he wasn't sure if I was “cool enough to go to Texas,” after he stood up to take a look at what I was wearing. I asked if he thought I'd be okay, but he said it wasn't for him to judge.
I guess I was cool enough cause we made it. After arriving at the hotel, which was a fifteen-minute drive from Austin, we went on a midnight Wal-Mart run to get supplies (chips, peanut butter oreos, yogurt, pudding, water bottles, tylenol; the usual). We relaxed Wednesday night because we knew Thursday would be a long day. I woke up at 8 am Thursday morning because I was supposed to meet Rex and Jason at 9, but then Jason called me saying they wouldn't be ready to meet until 1030 am. So I painted my nails and shit until they were ready to hit the road.
We sat in some traffic on our way to SXSW, not surprisingly, it seemed like everyone was out. Some homeless dude who was walking around to cars asking for change came up to us. I was sitting in the back and Jason and Rex were talking to him, and when he noticed me in the back he said, “Ohh is it 4/20 back there? What's going on back there?” (referring to my Chronic shirt). I laughed, he laughed, we gave him some money and kept driving.
When we got to Austin we went to eat sushi for lunch. The people working at the sushi place were the friendliest people ever. We were impressed. We ate our sushi and did some last minute planning, I talked to Boldy James' manager to see if we could fit an interview, but the timing didn't work out. We chilled for a bit during the day, it actually started off grey and cloudy but was soon sunny and hot, a welcome change from winter weather.
Eventually we made our way over to La Zona Rosa, which is where The Warner Sound was taking place. There was already a line-up beginning to form at around 3 pm to get into the hip-hop show that night. We met up with Punch, who hooked us up to get into the show. We also met the SoTatted Boys, a hip-hop duo, who were exactly as their name says, so tatted. They offered to smoke me on some OG kush but I had yet to do interviews, so although in normal circumstances I would have said yes, I had to decline. My boss, Rex, joked saying it might help me do the interviews. So passing on the spliff, we chilled outside for the afternoon. We asked the attendees waiting in line who they wanted to see, and who the hottest artist out is (you'll see a compilation of their answers in our video footage). Around 7:30ish we did our interview with DJ Drama, followed shortly by XV and then Kirko Bangz. They were all the chillest of people, and the interviews went well, they'll be up on the site soon.
We went inside the venue around 8 pm, and watched B.o.B.'s soundcheck. I charged my phone, drank a redbull, ate some gum, and we did some more waiting until they started letting people in. The show itself eventually started, with Snow Tha Product opening. Each artist performed a short set, as there were eight artists in all.
XV followed Snow and he did a dope job, coming on stage in his clown mask. He performed “Awesome,” “Swervin',” and others, with great energy.
Kirko Bangz was on next, and the crowd was getting more hype with each performance. His single, “Drank In My Cup” was well-recieved by the crowd.
My personal favourite, Curren$y, hit the stage after Kirko. He did some classic cuts, including “Michael Knight.” Meek Mill missed his flight, so since he only ending up getting in after 11, B.o.B. and T.I. performed before MMG.
B.o.B. did some solo stuff first, and then T.I. took the stage, starting off with the classic “Rubberband man,” before jumping into newer material. The two performed together, and the crowd was the livest for them. B.o.B. had two dancers and T.I. joked to the crowd, asking why he didn't get any dancers. They did a great live show, even when the mics messed up on occasion.
MMG closed the night, with Stalley, followed by Meek Mill, and Wale last. Wale actually jumped into the crowd, and began moshing with everyone, giving off a lot of energy. When he got on stage he said he was pissed because they told him he could only perform for twenty minutes, but he made the most of it. He started by taking off all his jewerly and getting rid of his cellphone, before hopping into the crowd, probably a wise move. Even with the time limit Wale had a dope set. He performed “Chain Music,” “Lotus Flower Bomb,” and others.
All in all, it was a sick experience. The next day we had to fly back home, surviving on barely two hours of sleep, and having two connections. But we made it home and I went straight to my bed before smoking a (well-deserved) joint.
We'll be releasing a lot of footage from SXSW this week, so stay posted!!