Pittsburgh Influence Felt at SXSW

Photo by Brennan Peirson

SXSW Music festival wrapped as the sun went down on March 20, 2016, however, coverage continues on to shed light on the Pittsburgh, Pa. area artists who left their mark in Austin, Texas.

From March 15-20, the live music capital of the world hosted many well-known artists like Rae Sremmurd, Kehlani, Drake, Aluna George, Vince Staples, Anderson.Paak, and more at house parties, day parties, branded events, and concert venues. Crowds flocked to showcases such as 40oz Bounce mansion party, House of Vans, or The FADER FORT Presented by Converse, then enjoyed the festival's atmosphere walking the streets with the very artists who performed.

PK Delay via Jasano Brooks

Pittsburgh native photographer Jasano Brooks and Chambersburg, Pa. raised visual artist Brennan Peirson were on hand to document the eclectic experiences of South by Southwest. In their pictures, viewers see individuals whose musical and creative endeavors stem from the 412, as well as the flavors of the festival.

Truely AP, Drew, and KH of Mo'$crill Hotel, with Hardo via Jasano Brooks

Jasano said in an email to ITR, "I expected to see tumble weeds and such," on his first trip to Texas, but instead he saw his hometown comrades all at a national stage. Members from rap collective The Company Only Joel Kellem and PK Delay had performances at Pittsburgh based music blog Daily Loud's private showcase, and Team Epic's lake-house function headlined by Norman Dean. Local streetwear clothier and event promoters Daily Bread sponsored acts Choo Jackson, Hardo, DJ Afterthought, and Christo for a show as well.

SXSW via Brennan Peirson

Brennan attended House of Vans at Mohawk, a multi-purpose venue, and caught another performance by rapper Hardo and DJ-producer Christo there also. The photographer's artist pass, courtesy of Atlanta rappers J.I.D and EarthGang, gave him access to major events, backstage, free food, and power outlets to charge his phone.

Specifically, Jasano, or "sano2fly" on Instagram, attended SXSW to capture the artists of Mo'$crill Hotel, KH and Truely AP, two more Pittsburgh ambassadors.

"You don't go to SXSW to see the big acts, you go to see the up and coming," said Brennan over the phone. 

iLL Chris via Jasano Brooks

People attend SXSW to support the artists on the brink of success and popularity. The creative atmosphere breeds socializing and collaboration. "Anyone that wasn't really big, I got so many of their business cards, CDs, phone numbers, and texts asking for photos," said Brennan. He discovered a Minnesota hip-hop artist called rajítheone. Beyond the music listening and culture, SXSW proves to be valuable for its networking experience. Jasano linked with a fashionable artist from Seattle, Wash., iLL Chris, and took some photos for him.

DJ Afterthought via Jasano Brooks

Much of SXSW's foot traffic patrolled on Sixth Street, described by Jasano as a bigger and much livelier East Carson Street. With Sixth blocked off, entourages belonging to major talents flashed by and intermingled with the public. "I saw Rae Sremmurd walking down the street 20 deep at least. The more crew members artists had the more official they were," Jasano said. He noted rappers Lil Uzi Vert and Migos passing by too.

Additionally, Brennan bumped into star studded faces like DRAM, Rome Fortune, and Lil Uzi on the Austin streets and shared their portraits on both of his IG accounts, "ForgetBrennan," and his namesake.

"You just run into some crazy stuff you didn't plan on seeing," said Brennan. On his walk home one night, he came across a Downtown Boys punk rock show held on a bridge.

Now, all the artists who attended and participated in SXSW hope to build on the connections they made and create new experiences to reach their desired successes. 

Liana Bank$ Dates Commas Not People

Liana Banks, a 25 year-old singer and songwriter from Queens, New York, garners attention for her effort on her debut single "LVLUP."  The song is aptly featured on ITR's "Run and Tell" playlist and also reached number 10 on Spotify's United Kingdom Viral Chart.

Since riding her wave of success, Liana keeps her momentum following up her debut with a track taken from her forthcoming Insubordinate mixtape. The new single, titled "M.O.N." (Money Over N*ggas), is sage advice made more appreciable by its R&B and soul tones.

"People will hurt you. Commas won't. Date commas," Liana says.

The interesting fact is this statement would very rarely come from a male. Sometimes males have no regard for females' emotions and have doggish behavior towards the women they interact with. Sometimes males' pursuit to money is just as much of a vice as is the p*ssy. True or untrue, these statements come from the mind of a male, so I hear the songstress on focusing her attention on stacking paper and finding love later. "Find someone who can add to your money so instead of your own personal stack, y'all can have stacks on stacks together," my girlfriend hopes for Liana. Companionship over everything.

Either way, listen to "M.O.N." below and stay tuned for Liana's mixtape release date. 

InTheRough - Run and Tell (Playlist)

+ Binge watching 'Game of Thrones' is suggested. The only takeaway is: do not walk through the forests alone.

+ You are sure you want to vote for Trump?

+ No respect from spraying bullets.

+ Do good business unless you want to fuck up a check or relationships.

+ Eating fruit can cause happiness.

+ "Trust your struggle," said Jace, part of Two-9 quintet, in his latest mixtape.

+ Who are you without a woman?

Listen to Kendrick Lamar's New Album, 'untitled unmastered.'

Kendrick Lamar is a Compton, Calif. native, hip-hop artist, seven-time Grammy Award winner, and Afro-American male who bettered himself, his family, and his community in an environment disadvantaged from much of the U.S.A.

The neighborhood that raised Kendrick juxtaposes the disenfranchised African American experience some face daily. 

A music news channel on YouTube, Noisey, documented Kendrick speaking on the city, its lifestyles, and the rapper's longtime friends involved with street gangs, like Piru (Blood) and Crip. A segment in Part 5 of Noisey's "Bompton" series talks about how mass incarceration is used to hide problems such as poverty and institutionalized racism. The observation eliminates the classic, "get a job," or, "go to school," retorts from society because it acknowledges the situation many black people in Compton and America face. 

Through Kendrick's music and the light he sheds upon his home, it is necessary to understand that people sell drugs because they have to feed their families and kids, all the while supporting themselves. They never received proper guidance because one parent is in jail for life and the other was killed before the kid became a teenager. They never received a good education because low-income neighborhoods have school systems that do not receive a fair share of state and local funds. Lives like these are real, but not by choice. K.Dot shares the following:

“It’s both physically and mentally. It’s not only caging us in the prisons, but up here [points to head] as well. Making us feel like there’s no hope so you will always be institutionalized to know that up here [points to head] your son is going to be thinking the same way, forever locked up. You get cats that say, ‘I’m in the hood. All I know is the hood, I wanna go back to the hood and do this and do that and be on the block.’ They do that because they got to do that. They don’t want to be doing what they doing. It’s not for the luxury, it’s the circumstances that be.”

However, for some, Kendrick's songs about his unique experience, the on-going struggles, and self-improvement are entertainment, and for others his songs are inspiration and messages for fairness and equality.

Foremost, Kendrick's mission continues in the form of his newest album, which is called untitled unmastered. The project is eight tracks spanning from 2013 to 2016 and carries a tone of empowerment, insight, and celebration. He raps, "No more discriminatin' the poor," in "untitled 01 08.19.2014" and "The politicians always mislead the youth," in "untitled 07 2014 - 2016" (also produced by Egypt, Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys five-year-old son). iTunes editors call the latest album, "political and expressive currency."

In listening to Kendrick Lamar, one can understand that we all come from different circumstances, but different should should not mean disadvantaged. Hopefully, some may see aspects of life that are unequal for certain people when listening to Kendrick Lamar's untitled unmastered.

Sh'mi - My Wrist

@realshmi

The Company Only, an artistic collective, occupies a substantial part of Pittsburgh's rap scene. With six members, Joel Kellem, PK Delay, Seas, Deem Trill, Fat Corey, and Sh'mi push projects, perform, promote, and support each other individually and as a group. Viewers can peek at their lives through Kellem's "Just Chilling" episodes.

Sh'mi makes waves out of the bunch currently because of his new single, "My Wrist," which follows his effort on "See Me Ballin" with Seas. The new song chronicles a young man's come-up in an urban jungle. "My Wrist" is featured on Sh'mi's forthcoming extended play called "The Slicky Williams EP."