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+
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I want to revisit 2004 and highlight Romeo’s debut solo album, formerly of Immature. Titled “Food for Thought” and released on June 22nd, this project marked the singer’s change of name to Young Rome in an effort to distance himself from the youthful sound of his group, much like his bandmate Marques Houston had done a year earlier.
In the nineties, Hip-Hop reigned supreme, and every label CEO wanted a share of the lucrative R&B market. One strategy was to keep singers on their roster who could deliver catchy hooks, keeping everything in-house and saving money. Bad Boy had Carl Thomas, Death Row had Danny Boy, and Roc-A-Fella had Rell, our featured artist for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday
Growing up in the eighties, I was surrounded by incredibly talented male R&B singers who could deliver unforgettable love songs. Artists like Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osborne, and Peabo Bryson dominated the airwaves, but Freddie Jackson was another voice that truly deserved recognition.