Mindzai Studios, Atlanta, GA Thursday, March 26, 2009 5: 28pm
Adrian (A): What’s your name and where are you from?
Mums FP (MFP): My name is Mums FP. A lot of people call me Mums. Originally from Boston, MA….Live in Pittsburgh, PA for a while….but I call Atlanta home, really cuz, not only have I been here for a minute, but the city has really embraced me, taken me in as one of their own, and I love it here. That really has been one of the main reasons that my career has taken off, cuz Atlanta is so poppin’ right now.
A: How long have you been rapping, period, and also in the ATL indie scene?
MFP: Overall, it’s probably going on about, 8 years now, 7, 8 years. So, yeah, I have been doing it since about 9th grade, 9th grade in high school. Been on the scene here, not long, man, a year, a year and some change maybe, but I’m getting it in, trying to at least.
A: Has the scene changed since you have been a part of it, has it evolved at all?
MFP: Yeah, it’s definitely gotten some more shine, cuz Atlanta is already known for, you know what I’m saying, the mainstream, Soulja Boy’s, the Outkasts, the Ludacris’, the T.I.’s, all them…so Atlanta has already got the spotlight on them, so it was just a matter of time before the, eccentric, or the hipster, whatever kind of crowd you want to call it was brought to the forefront, so…It’s definitely made some strides in the past year, year and a half.
A: In your opinion, who are the hottest artists in the Atlanta Underground scene?
MFP: Besides myself? (Laughs) Hollyweerd, definitely, one of the big names that come to mind, a dude named Yelawolf, is pretty dope, a chick named Janelle Monae, not really underground, she is pretty well known, but, she got her start here in Atlanta, underground. A dude named Scar, is pretty dope. I’m trying to think…who else gets it in. I’m probably forgetting mad people…don’t show this to anybody (Laughs)
A: (laughs) Nobody is Rhode Island is going to know who you are talking about.
MFP: (Laughs) Ah. Supreeme, that’s another big group, down here. Yeah that’ll probably be it, as far as Atlanta underground.
A: Personally, would you rather stay underground or are you striving to get signed by a major label?
MFP: Yeah, I definitely want to get a major backing. Whether that’s just through distribution, or, being signed on as a full-on artist. That definitely is a goal of mine, but, I’m trying to do as musch as possible while I’m here. I feel like if I can get a big enough following here in Atlanta, you know what I’m saying, just constantly pack out shows…just have my name amongst the people of Atlanta to mess with, I feel like that would definitely happen here.
A: What kind of other things do you do? Do you go to school? Do you have a job?
MFP: I’m not currently enrolled this semester, I will be if things don’t happen the way I think they are this summer, then I may re-enroll in school next semester………..
Arriving 10 minutes before the scheduled show time, I am dumbfounded by the massive line that stretches all the way down Washington Street and continues to wrap around the corner to go half-way down the next block. Maybe I had too low of expectations of the accommodations that Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel had to offer, but I had no idea how it would be feasible for all these people to fit in this club-like venue. Refusing to go to the end of the line, especially since I had already purchased my ticket online, my girlfriend and I slipped into the line, close to the door. Luckily for us, the people who we cut in line were boisterous high school students who reeked of alcohol, so if they even noticed us, they didn’t seem to care one bit. As I enter the club, I feel like I have just walked into an old, run-down, possibly once luxurious, hotel. The usher scans my ticket and asks to see ID if I want to drink. I decide not to brandish my fake ID, therefore am denied the neon green wristlet that yells “I’m getting drunk tonight!” And with this, my evening begins.
The Scene
If I were trying to make a read on the type of concert I was attending based solely on the people I had seen, I would have had an extremely difficult time putting my finger on it. The crowd clearly had some elements of hip hop; some looked like r&b fans; some reggae fans; some hipsters. So if I had to guess, I would have wagered that I was attending a concert that featured The Pack, Daddy Yankee, and R. Kelly headlined by Jay-Z. For the most part, the crowd is relatively young, ranging from about 14 years old to 30 or so with the median age probably being somewhere around 22. Racially a melting pot, I saw people of all different ethnic backgrounds however it predominately seemed to consist of blacks, Latinos, and Cape Verdeans.
As I make my way from the foyer area to the actual club, the first thing I see is the crowded bar. Interestingly enough, every single person sitting at the bar is a female. I suppose this is the best way for them to acquire free drinks, and also the best chance for a guy to strike up any kind of conversation. Looking for a good place to see the stage, my date and I scurry over to a wall that separates the VIP from the general population. Seems to be a good spot; a wall to lean up against, elevated up the floor in front of the stage, and relatively off to the side. Directly behind me in the VIP, sit a few radio station employees and what seem to be the only upper middle class-looking white people in the whole joint.
Waiting patiently for the first performer, the house DJ plays a medley of popular club tunes to get the crowd moving. The DJ seems to be playing mashups that have popular hip hop and reggaeton songs with uptempo, house-like beats behind them. Though the concert has somewhat turned into a party with people dancing and grinding on each other, it is clear the people are ready to get this show on the road. 35 minutes after 9, the time that the concert was suppose to began, two radio personalities jump around the stage trying to excite the now restless crowd. “I know you guys been waitin’ patiently,” the female MC shouts in a heavy Providence accent, “JON HOPE!”
About 40 minutes later (which seems to be the standard wait time between each performance), Serani, the next performer steps onto the stage to a loud and deafening welcome. Me, not familiar with Serani, pull out iPhone to find out exactly who the guy is. I turn to my girlfriend and say “Oh, this must be some local guy too” to which she nods. Turns out he is an extremely successful dancehall artist from Jamaica with one of the hottest club songs out right now. Sidebar: Somewhere in conversation a few days later, some friends ridicule me saying, “Dog, you don’t know who Serani is?! Wow.” Though I am unfamiliar to the tunes, Serani has got the whole crowd, including myself dancing in some way to the music. It was something I couldn’t control, similar to that of one’s bodily response when listening to Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour.” Closing out his set, Serani performs his smash hit “No Games”, which has a catchy melody, simple concept, and thumping beat, the formula to a mainstream success. But that’s another discussion.
“ETHER BOY!”, shouts a mysterious voice over the speakers. The crowd begins to yell and chants as Ron Browz makes his way to the stage. Wearing a leather jacket, fitted hat, sunglasses, pants sagging way below where I would even wear mine, and a gaudy diamond necklace, he fits the mold of rapper perfectly, although his music isn’t so stereotypically rap. His sound is almost like a mixture between T-Pain and (a very poor man’s) Run DMC with his usage of Autotune and his relatively simple drum heavy beats. When performing his 2008 club anthem “Pop Champagne”, a good percentage of the crowd belted out the song word for word with the other in the minority being able to deftly shout out the chorus, “OOOOOOOOOHHHHH, POP CHAMPAGNE!”
Closing the evening was the headliner, The-Dream, a singer/songwriter who is the genius behind songs like Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”. As soon as his set begins, the mood in Lupo’s immediately shifts from the club to the bedroom. A medley of sex noises blare from the speakers as The-Dream slowly walks down the stairs and seems to eye every female in the crowd individually. Suddenly all of the couples seem to get a little bit closer, strangers begin to get closer to those who they had been trying to get the attention of, and those who are alone stand awkwardly. The-Dreams sensual R&B tunes, known for their slow, pulsing and potent rhythms and raunchy lyrics, are sung word for word by every girl in the building as if the lyrics were on a screen, karaoke style (A select few gentlemen, including myself are able to do this as well). The-Dream closes with his hit single and one of my personal favorite songs at the time, “Rockin’ that Sh*t”, which everyone in the building ends up dancing, singing, or making out to. A pleasant ending to what had been a standard/interesting/enjoyable evening.
