Review by Melvin Lester , Pics by Pimpin Ken

Saturday, July 16th was a good day for San Antonio. The 2nd installment of the All-Texas Hiphop Tour was officially ready to rock & the SA heads were ready for some good music. This series of events is one that the Prhymemates initiated to help further expose other TX hip hop talents & allow these artists to network with like minds from around this great state that we all reside in.

Finally, after a long bit of planning & promoting, showtime was upon us. The venue had cleared out their earlier rock show & DJ Spinner T showed up to get the party started. The lineup of the event was one of the strongest to date. The show was being hosted by old-skool Austin head Mr. Cree & DJ'd by his partner in crime, Spinner T. The real heads in Austin know whats up with these cats that have been droppin' science for decades now. So as Supher & Feb began to prep their canvases outside & the Keep crew's bboys & bgirls rolled the linoleum out & got ready for the get down, Spinner T commenced to drop classic after classic on the 1s & 2s. The crowd started to build, as did the hype for the forthcoming breakin, graf & music showcase. Right as Spinner T got the crowd warmed up, Dallas' Priest TD took over the crossfader & started lacing classic break record after classic break record, much to the delight of the folks working the dancefloor. The breakers & the DJs officially got the spot jumpin off & it was time for Ground Opening crew out of Dallas to take the stage & get the live music portion of the event started.

As soon as this Dallas/Ft.Worth all-star squad took the stage. it was apparent that they weren't playing around. Dallas rolled deep into the Alamocity on this night & the crew's showcase proved why. Diverse stylings were provided from the likes of Riq the Briq, Blazewon, Mes the Jive Turkey, Travii, as well as DJs Fischer Pryce, Niro & Priest TD, & of course TX freestyle legend, Headkrack. Mics were ripped, fists were pumping & heads were nodding in approval as the G.O. crew ripped through a flawless set on a bangin sound system. The highlight of their set had to have been Headkrack's energy, presence & content on the mic. As he rocked it, he proceeded to remind the crowd that they were at a live-ass hiphop show, when he took a leap of faith into the crowd, mid-rhyme, off the 4 foot stage. The few sleeping heads woke the fuck up & G.O. laid their mics to rest.

Spinner T jumped back on the decks, as Garland-native / Austin-resident, Bavu Blakes prepared to blaze some saddles. Bavu's set started off with a quick soundbite from Bun B of TX's legendary duo, UGK, in which he let the crowd know that Bavu is the real deal & it's time that they recognize. Bavu proceeded to rip into his Blazing Saddles set & flipped a number of notable tracks from the project, including 'Play the Role,' his forthcoming single 'Nobody's Leavin,' & a gang of other hot tracks. He was accompanied by DeLoach from Louisianna & NTMD8 & a DJ that I didn't catch the name of...but DeLoach! The boy ripped it in a fine fashion as he & Bavu broke into the track that they collab'd on. I stood impressed to say the least. It was a bit frustrating that the crowd seemed to be dwindling at this point, but it seemed to have more to do with the temprature in the hot ass venue, than it did with Bavu's vivacious performance. The real heads stayed tuned in & gave Bavu the props that his set definately earned, while he reflected the energy throughout his set.

At this point, both Supher & Feb had finished their grafitti pieces, which were raffled off at the end of the show. Spinner T & Mr. Cree were back up, holding the crowd down, in preparation for the return of SA-town favorite, V.Zilla, who hails from Houston.
V.Zilla, Chico & Comp quickly stormed the stage in true monsterous fashion & immediately captured the crowd's attention...which at this point on such a hot ass night, was no easy task...Zilla broke into classics from his E.X.H.A.L.E. & Lockdown Session albums & also blessed the crowd with some ill freestyles, as well as some new material that the Alamocity hadn't heard yet. Heads were in tune, fists were pumpin in unison, heads was chanting & singing along & most importantly, the remaining crowd closed in around the front of the stage to reciprocate the energy that this monster spewed upon them. V.Zilla had been to SA a number of times in the past 2 years & his fresh music & hard work have really built him a following in SA...which was in full strength on this night. Upon finishing his last song, Mr. Cree grabbed the mic to get one last response from the crowd, at which point, folks began screaming for an encore...Zilla obliged & finished the night with a monstrous roar.

Nuff respect to all the acts that travelled a long way to SA to make this event a success…the DJs, the hosts, the White Rabbit, the writers, the bboys & bgirls & the Prhymemates for another fresh event in the Alamocity.
-Melvin Lester, freelancer to the stars

EDITORS NOTE: Special shoutouts to the Prhymemates crew, always holdin' down that real hip hop in San Antonio. Also, big ups to Shek and Wendi, by far our favorite artists in the Alamo City-also gotta give love to Chachos, mmmm chachos.