Last Friday, D-Nice brought together a few comedian’s friends to bring some laughs to the DMV as part of his Club Quarantine Live series. However, Saturday, October 7th, was about the music as Club Quarantine Live with D-Nice and special guests turned the Kennedy Center into a full-on party.
The special guests on tonight’s bill included Camp Lo, Frédéric Yonnet, Jadakiss, Kem, Machel Montano, MC Lyte, Muni Long, Shanice, Tracie Spencer, and Vin Rock of Naughty by Nature. While I am a Hip Hop head and was aware of D-Nice’s two solo albums, like many, I witnessed his career resurgence in 2020 during the COVID-Pandemic when he began hosting Homeschool at Club Quarantine on Instagram Live from his home as a coping mechanism.
Due to scheduling obligations, I missed experiencing Club Quarantine Live, so I was anxious about this event. Upon entering the venue, attendees were dressed elegantly and ready to enjoy themselves. After some warm-up jokes by our host, Chris Spencer, D-Nice kicked off a DJ Set to get the party rocking, While D-Nice was playing the nineties classic “Hip Hop Hooray,” Vin Rock, who performed on the track, made his way to the stage as the evening’s first performer and would later remain on stage to serve as a hype man between the acts.
As for the performers, each performed two songs, and D-Nice essentially would play music. Given the impressive catalog of some of the performers, what songs would make their way into the setlists?
I won’t go into much detail about the performances, but everyone brought their A-Game. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how crisp Shanice’s vocals were on her signature song, “I Love Your Smile,” and Jadakiss’s energy on “We Gon Make It,” with the Orchestra backing him up.
Last November, D-Nice, formerly of Boogie Down Productions, made history as the first DJ and hip-hop artist to headline the Kennedy Center Opera House. As a council member of the Kennedy Center Hip Hop Culture, D-Nice has a dynamic love for the genre, incorporating turntablism, photography, and community into the genre.
Here’s hoping Club Quarantine becomes an annual event at The Kennedy Center.
Final Grade: B+
From his early days in the family group Wings of Faith, Mr. Gill was born to make music. However, as R&B fans know, Johnny Gill’s initial release with Atlantic Records failed to make a significant impact when it first came out. The 1983 self-titled debut showed a strong voice struggling to adapt to a studio that couldn’t properly utilize its power.
My introduction to Myron was with the song “Sistas” on the “Eddie” soundtrack in the summer of 1996. Before setting up his solo album, Myron would write classics for Mya and Dru Hill. “Destiny” was written by Myron and Tyrice Jones, and the latter was also producing. Set to a sample of Herbie Hancock’s “Come Running to Me”, the song explores how fate governs the formation of connections between people meant to exist from the beginning.
Music producers transitioning to a solo album is common in the music industry. For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I want to revisit Sean Garrett’s solo debut, “Turbo 919,” released in 2008.