The Realness

*Disclaimer: The realness is a “real talk”…err…”honest blog”. We honestly comment on our weekend and our experiences. We evaluate venues, DJs and events. This is an opinion based section. Let the truth be told. If you would like to reply to The Realness or you have some realness of your own, please post comments at the bottom of the page or email theloopmagazine@live.com.*

BYPOK’s Grand Opening of SixEleven

2/26/10

By: Dawn Nauman

On the party front, we began the weekend with  Black Young Professionals of Oklahoma City’s (BYPOK) exclusive event introducing SixEleven. This  new spot located at 611 N. Broadway.

Just incase you are uninformed, The Black Young Professionals of Oklahoma City provide a valuable and much needed social outlet for professionals of African-American descent who reside in the greater OKC area. Entertainment, networking, and community outreach opportunities are geared towards professionals aged 23-45.

The Loop had to check it out, I mean let’s be honest, Chase McKay and BYPOK are known for sophisticated, fun shindigs, and we were not disappointed.

The new lounge is great for private parties and medium sized gatherings. It’s around the same size as Paralogia. SixEleven looked chic, clean and was decorated with original art on brick walls. The lighting was just right. There was not necessarily a bar, but more of a kitchen. However, this didn’t seem to bother any of the patrons who stood in line to get a cup of whatever they were serving up in there. Word to the wise- wear comfortable shoes, there was three couches and one chair. Although the limited seating forced people to mingle, interact and network.

DJ KO had everybody movin on the dance floor. He is officially my favorite DJ in OKC! He was playin’ all the jams…and there was this one particular lady who he had doing the MOST.  Young professionals can really cut lose on the weekend… obviously democrats. I would describe some of the dancing a verging on violent…you know when you are walking by someone who is dancing and you are afraid you might get hit by a wild ‘bow.

Lola looked over at me at one point and said, “The people here really know how to dress!”…oh Lola, so sweet, so simple…Of course this crowd was on point and lookin it too! These people have jobs lol.  Obviously, they have escaped the recession.

Although really, this just speaks to a great reputation and network. Like I said, in the front room there was one chair. The bar was a kitchen serving up cups. I couldn’t find the bathroom- someone pointed me to the back door, but when I opened it I only found a dark ally way…but tell me why everyone, The Loop included, had an AMAZING TIME! And the SixEleven looked great. I really don’t care, you couldn’t tell me other wise. From what I’ve heard, Chase McKay is one of those people who could plan a fabulous wedding or presidential inauguration for $200 dollars-I think it’s probably a rare gifting.

Word Pulp:

When I arrived at Word Pulp at Queen of Sheeba, I had no idea I would be kicking off the Labor day in such relaxed atomosphere. When I stepped into the candle lit room, I knew that compared to your average night out on the town this was a very different scene.

Queen of Sheeba, on this night was urban, sleek, inciting,elegant, romantic and most of all a very charming place. There was a aroma that filled the room that was equally captivating as the venue itself, the smell tickled my tongue and seductively drew me into the room for Word pulp.

I was very unfamiliar with what Word Pulp was from what i was told, I knew that it was “different” . Seconds after being in the room, I realized it was a poetry slam complete with judges, time limits and regulations. Word pulp means, the root of the word, its inner core, like a fruit with out skin.

The crowd was mixed of poetry buffs, artist, and what looked like regulars, who understood that this event was for the edification of your spirit. I was captivated while I watched the five minute master pieces each artist painted out in front of me on the stage.

While At the Queen, that night I felt cultured and more refined like I was in a big city doing normal “city-folk” stuff. After the slam was over, made my laps to find two things that were utterly amusing me. When I discovered what the luring smell was, there was a in incense and fragrance boutique in the corner of the room that was burning a enchanting incense. I walked to the counter and sales lady dabbed a little something something on my hand. I remarked “Delightful” she replied, “The new Sean John only a dollar.” At that, I would have given her ten bucks taken ten bottles to the house.

Now the second item was more surprising to me I when left the booth and I was dancing hard to the slamming Dj Mack and Spence Brown get in down on the 1&2’s. Side bar for those you who don’t know who is Spence Brown is I willl include a link.

Now, what surprised me was even though it was poetry slam it had music and these poets were breaking it down, but the Dj was really throwing in the mixs. So, I wondered my way up to the booth and Dj mack was to my surprise was spining his tracks on a glisting brown and gold Louis Vatatone turn table. I had never seen that before, but i think it made the music more enjoyable. It was a beautiful sight to see.

Now, on September 17th Queen of Sheeba will be having it’s second word pulp of the month, and if your looking for a sweet spot to kick off the week, this is wear it’s at!

*snaps fingers* I am out,
Lola Times 10

80′s babies skating party- success!

As I pulled my hair into a nice side pony tail and looked down at my bright pink dress with leggings, I wondered if it was too much for the 80’s party…how could I have ever been so wrong.

In case you are wondering, M.A.C Entertainment brought a new standard for themed events. And let’s be honest, an 80’s theme vs. the popular color requirement is much more ambitious. I’m glad that we took tons of pictures so that it can go on record how high the bar has been set.

Before hand, my expectation for the party was low. Simply based on the location of the event- Midwest City, the theme required a little more effort, the whole skating aspect, and of course…I’m still not sure  if there was alcohol.

Here’s the deal, when I walked into that skating rink I was time warped. My head was spinning…fanny packs, too-toos, gold chains, jogging suits, neon- everywhere- neon!, are those pixie sticks?

, leg warmers, exposed chest hair, jerseys, Adidas…I had to regroup myself next to the air hockey table. My lame outfit was sub par. How could I be such a fool?!

M.A.C. Ent. totally flipped the script, the location was perfect, the skating rink wreaks the of 80’s already. They had the details worked out down to the music, 80’s chart toppers nonstop. This was a great change of pace from what is usually done in Oklahoma City, and it was obviously welcomed because everyone took the 80’s to an unmatched level.

Here is some realness: This party was refreshing. To me, right now everyone is trying to do what they THINK everyone else is doing in more

culturally advanced places in the U.S. I’m talking about… The whole

upscale, high class, ostentatious, pretentious, and dare I say, artificial and inflated feel that’s been dancing around events these days. Don’t get me wrong, that’s nice- I love a bow tie (I see you Chris Brown!) . However, sometimes it’s nice to just have fun, not worry about what everyone is wearing,  or who looks the most like a they just won a day time Emmy.

That’s why this event was so successful. Truly it was fun and funny, and that’s what it’s about. I looked around at the large crowed as they rolled past me, and I noticed that they were here because this was the place to be, not because this was the place they ended up.

I give it a four out of five.

-Dynomite Dawn

Here we go again…Okc Gorilla Hip Hop take over

It was the best of times and it was the worst of times, as they say. Want to hear about it? Well, here we go…

After a wonderful church service, Dawn and I headed to the Gorilla Hip-Hop Takeover event at the secluded Bricktown Live. A venue that is customarily reserved for hardcore rock bands located on Flaming Lips Alley, but seemed to effortless adapt to the various faces and sounds that hip-hop has inspired.

After all, what is hip-hop, but an ever changing culture and sound that adapts and evolves with the people who love it and there present surroundings. I could think of a lot of places suited for a hip-hop concert, but I felt Bricktown Live really played on the diversity of bands that Gorilla brought in for the Takeover.

That’s one mark in their favor.

Now, the artist Gorilla had performing is a whole other story. So much, in fact, that I had to ask the organizers how they came up with this mix of “hip-hop” artist; and I use that word loosely on some for those characters. I swear, there were times when I looked at the performs, looked at the crowd, then at Dawn and couldn’t even say a word. I was like, ” What the H.E.L.L.O. is going here? Did they pull these rascals out of a hip-hop karaoke bar?” I mean, I’m not saying everyone didn’t put there best foot forward, but some people were in desperate need of a pedicure. You feel me, Loves?

Now, in all fairness, we didn’t get there at the beginning. Come on, it started at 4 o’clock and the people who sold the least amount of tickets (i.e. those that weren’t so great) went on first. Needless to say, we went about 6 o’clock. I felt it was the best time to go because the lameness would be moving along and the real talent would be moving onto the stage. That’s just real talk people, and I was right.

When we got to Bricktown Live there was a terrible group on stage. Thank God for me, and them, that they were just finishing up or they would have been personally called out, by name, on their wack attack on the crowd.

To be honest, I would have put together a way better line-up. I was there for a total of three hours and I remember only three or four acts that I saw:

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Proof on the mic, Rockwell, and Frank Black. Photo by: Matt Goldsmith

1. Rockwell and his crew- The best act of the night in my book and the crowds. Not only did he bring in a crowd… they left with him too. lol They weren’t just artist, they were entertainers. Other artist were coming up to me asking who they were and talking about how dope they were on stage. If anyone had star quality it was Rockwell and his band of brothers. Not to say that it was without flaw. They had some mic trouble and their hype man was a bit on that lame status. They really needed Kid Fresh and Kilo’s hype-guy. That would have put it over the top. What I liked about them most is that you could see Hip-hop in them. A lot of the performers felt hip-hop and maybe even love hip-hop, but they embodied hip-hop. From their attire to their Drake-like, Kanye style, they are what hip-hop and its culture has become… young, vibrant, creative, and fresh. I am a fan for life and they didn’t even come with the best of what they had to offer.

2. King Cobra and his acapella  opener- This dude came out straight with no beats, no gimmics, and no glitter. It was just a man and a mic- straight old school. Now, normally that would be a recipe for disaster. Most artist, even on the radio, need the studio and producer to enhance their sound and get people feeling their music. But, this was a rare moment when true talent manifest itself in verbal poetry that caught the attention of the crowd. People stopped and stared as King Cobra came at them with the rawest performance of the night. You could feel his truth and everyone had to stop and respect what he was doing at that moment. Heck, I even made a 180 to see what was going down.

3. Kid Fresh & Kilo and the dopest hype man of the night- Real talk. The biggest reason I remember this pair is because of the intro they got from their hype man with the sparkling shoes. But, that’s not the only reason I remember them. These dudes came on stage with neck ties and vest and slacks on like they had just come from Easter service. I know you want to laugh, but it works for them.  They also had really good hooks and, when you could hear and understand what they were saying, lyrics that were on a whole other level. Their style was intellectual without being over your head. Don’t get me wrong, you could tell they were Pre-med students, but they made it work for their act. True enough, they do have some things to work on and they will need to feel more comfortable on stage as a unit; but if they can do that… they will be alright. I love these guys and I hope they continue to perfect their craft.

Kilo and Kid Fresh rocking the stage. Down in front The Queen on the Scene’s arm, Jovanna OkC Fashion Queen, and DynomiteDawn Editor. Front Row baby!!!

4. Moochi with Boiling Point Entertainment- Now, at first I wasn’t really feeling this grouping. They weren’t bad, but they weren’t really catching my attention either. Then, this tiny little thing comes from the background and steals the show. I felt like I was watching Left Eye or Eve. She wasn’t tacky or offense, but she still had that hood edge and swag to her. In a time when female rappers are few and far between and aren’t talking about much, Moochi felt like she could really bring something to the table. I know I hope to see a lot more of her in the future.

All in all, I think it was a good night for the Oklahoma Hip-hop community. The artist did their things and showed on-lookers that Oklahoma really has a lot to offer if we just take a minute to listen and really hear what is going on in the city. I hope that this is the first of many events catered towards the urban community and culture in Oklahoma. Perhaps with a little tweaking, oppurtunities such as these could really put Oklahoma on the for front of the music scene. It’s about time and we are ready.

Overall, I would give it a 4 out of 5 mics. Two fingers up and out. Peace.

The Realness About Friday, Aug. 15:

Hey party people–

Regina, The Queen on the Scene

It’s me again, The Queen on the Scene, giving you the know on where we go on what we see.

Tonight we kept it simple. We only hit up two venues. Club Venu for J. Wigg’s B-Day bash and Kangs, for the Laugh and Floetry Night.

We went to Venu first. This being my first impression, I think it went over pretty well. I didn’t expect  there to be that many people and to my surprise, it was kind of tight in the spot. Too bad all those people couldn’t get up enough energy to make me really feel the the place to tough. Which is a mystery to me because the DJ was on point. I mean, they all have a few hit and misses, but there were people dancing, albeit, they looked like they had been taking lessons and weren’t really “feelin’” the music, if you know what I mean, and I think you do.

The DJ was still doing the dang thing. Now, I will say this though, people were on there A game. You couldn’t even get into the joint if you didn’t have dress shoes on your feet. I saw them deny Chris McCain for some chuck taylors.

I’m not going to lie, we dipped out early. You know how it is… places to go people to see. However, there was a mad line of jazzed up people outside when we left, and it is my hope that brought some of that outside energy inside.

All in all, I would give it three out of five. Great venue. Great acoustics and music. They just need a liver atmosphere.

Next, was Kangs for Laugh and Floetry. As soon as we walked in I knew this was a different crowd. It was very relaxed and causal. People were just chilling listening to the live band play and chatting it up with each other. It had a very coffee house type vibe to it. The DJ for the night played a eclectic set with joints from Drake, to Kool and the Gang, to Mary Mary. I was lovin’ it. And, though it wasn’t the largest crowd, it had substance that you don’t find a lot of places in the city. They do need to do a little less talking and have more acts lined up, but maybe that was just this particular night. I will check back and let you know.

Laugh and Floetry is definitely the place to be for those looking to kick it without kickin it too hard. It was a perfect blend of the urban and city styles.

Three our five.

The Realness About Saturday Night Aug. 8:
Adventures in Tulsa

DynomiteDawn, Editor

I’ve always had the sneaking suspicion that there was something big going down in Tulsa. Saturday August 8th I found out just what that certain thing was. On our way up to T-Town, I began wondering, why, why, why, why am I waiting until now to find out all the wonders that may or may not happen in a large city so close to mine…. I mean, what if it is really awesome???? This would mean that I have spent oh so many nights riding around for ages looking for something to do, when I could have just slabbed out of town and been surrounded by fabulous people, poppin’ scenes, and the best music around. I wondered how could I be so unaware o the 918?

The Loop Team and Ramal The Home Town Heat

First stop Ramal The Home Town Heat! For those of you out of the loop (haha!) Ramal just happens to be THE man out of Tulsa.  He literally has more stripes that Tony the Tiger. This is the go to guy if you want to know anything about the urban scene in Tulsa. He is The promoter, amazing host, and all around badass guy. The people love him and so do we!

After the meeting of the minds, we had to find a place to lay our precious little heads for the night. As, the baby blue, Loop hatchback rolled through downtown Tulsa, we saw a sign for a hotel which advertised FREE (and *free is free* good or bad. It’s a recession baby) cookies. Lola, more or less said to hell with the Best Western, and the Double Tree was in solely on the basis of free chocolate chips. I had my doubts, but the hotel was surprisingly nice…lavish even. We also got a great rate under $100. My only complaint was that there was no free wi-fi. It’s the year 2009- I’m not really sure what that was about.

3316 S Peoria Ave Tulsa, OK 74105, (918) 749-4700

On Ramal’s recommendation, we stopped to eat at Hibiscus. This was a really swanky, hipster establishment.They serve up Jamaican and Caribbean cuisine and their bar is no joke! I had a strawberry daiquiri that had me leaning a little to the left after I had only drank an embarrassingly small amount.The Loop team tried the jerk shrimp with white rice and festival bread, Jamaican goat, and jerk catfish with greens.  The food was delicious. Very, very spice. I would recommend it to any out of towners. The prices are a little high, but still very tasty.

After Hibiscus, we made our way to Barcode. I dare say, this might be the biggest party in Oklahoma on Saturdays. They had me at, “hello,” the DJing was really on point. All the signs of some great work in t

68th and Lewis-Tulsa, OK

he booth- old songs,new stuff and music I hadn’t heard.I was there only about an hour before I started noticing that the crowd was actually swelling…and growing larger and larger by the second. Barcode brings out 800 plus people every Saturday. In addition to this, Barcode also books large artist for example this last week they had Slim Thug (yes, Mr.Slim Thugga was in the mixx)….so sorry if you had to find out this way. Like I said, it goes down in Tulsa in a big way! But don’t be frighten Oklahoma City friends, it was a great vibe. Everyone was there to have a good time, nothing stupid. I really wish we had a place like this in Oklahoma City. I mean, the idea is simple, come as you are, who ever you are, be laid back and have a great time.
I loved it. I will go back. I encourage everyone to move around the state more. Who wants to do the same old song and dance (literally) every weekend? Get out!! Meet some new people, see how they do it from the 918, 405 to the 580, explore a new scene. I’ve never regretted traveling. Sometimes being a regular isn’t always a good thing…sometimes being a regular is well, regular. Shake your old spot and try somewhere new. If that “new” happens to be Tulsa, do yourself a favor and go to Barcode!

The Realness About Saturday Night Aug.1

Regina, The Queen on the Scene

It was a typical Saturday night. The ladies were dressed to the max, all the fellas were on floss status, and the atmopher was just right. Me and the ladies hopped into the the Accent, turned the beats up, and got ready to hit the town. Thing were popping off and we were ready to get into it.

First, we hit up the Swimsuit Bash at the Regency Towers. Right when we walked in there was a wait. I just knew it was going to

be on that exclusive level. But, as we waited and I began to scan the room, I started to doubt my initial assessment. Now… I’m don’t mean to talk ill of folk, but let’s just be honest here… I thought it was breakfast time because I saw a whole lot of muffin tops trying to be filet mignon- You know what I’m talking about. We all know not everyone can dress to impress. Can I get an Amen? But hey… at least me and my girls looked fly.

Finally, we were let up and we work the room and mingle. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying it wasn’t poppin’. The music was real live. What I am saying is that this crowd looked liked a cross between an Eastside house party and a fraternities back to school bash. Just saying. Not to mention the fact that it was a Swimsuit Bash where no one was wearing a swimsuit nor was anyone in the pool. As a matter of fact, the pool was locked up. Can you say, “Lame sauce. Apple Sauce?”

Thank God for DJ AlReady and the livest crowd of the night. Those were the only two saving graces for that shindig, but it wasn’t enough for us to stay. We had to get to Ole’.

Now, I’m not going to lie. Right off the bat, I was feeling Ole’ and DJ Unity (twitter.com/djunity). He had that place maxed out poppin. As soon as you walked in the door you wanted to get your dance boogie on. The vibe was infectious.

I know I was even backin it up and passed out some digits. People were sweating out fresh perms, doing the stanky leg, and throwing back shots. I mean,  you know a party is hot when you see grown folk (and by grown, I mean old people who know they shouldn’t be kickin it with 20 somethings) dropping like it’s hot.

As we did the full 360, I was like, “Oh… this is it!” Ole was by far the hottest spot of the night with two thumbs up and a definite drop in next week.

…And then Club Starz happened to me…Club Starz. That’s almost all I can say about that place. I’ll put it this way, I didn’t know if this place was a strip club or a dance hot spot. DJ Grind Daily (twitter.com/Mrdurtmoney) did his thing though. They just need a crowd to hear it. On this one, I’m going to have to get back to you on if I ever go again. And, I’m saying these words lightly, Loves.

The realness has been brought to you by the Queen.

Two fingers up and out, peace.