Jonwayne live at The Bodega - Photo by Christian Povey
As of late Sounddhism have been pulling out the stops when it comes to hip hop shows across Nottingham and this night was no different as Stones Throw records very own Jonwayne headlined The Bodega on a line-up which also showcased the best of Nottingham hip hop.
K-Deuce and Early Bird were first to the stage as the venue filled up. They didn't disappoint, Early Bird played the MPC like a real drum kit and quickly won over the crowd with a barrage of handcrafted beats which K-Deuce complimented with his high energy rhymes and compelling subject matter. For the last track K-Deuce brought out fellow Nottingham MC Can B to close the set, setting the bar high for the rest of the artists to come.
Juga-Naut was next up, accompanied by only an iPod to play instrumentals. It soon became clear to see why he is currently one of the UK's finest hip hop acts. The beats acted as the backdrop for Juga-Naut to lay down his intricate yet creative lyrics while feeding off the crowds energy; keeping them entertained throughout. Vandal Savage joined him on stage to perform the track Roy Ayers – a homage to the legendary jazz & funk musician that saw both rappers exchanging verses before Juga-Naut ended the set by entering the crowd, letting the beat finish to lay down an a capella before leaving the stage. His performance demonstrated why hip hop in Nottingham is stronger than it’s ever been.
Cappo is already highly renowned across both Nottingham and the UK so it was no surprise that another top drawer performance was on the cards as the veteran stepped to the mic. He delivered a performance that cemented his position within the upper echelon of UK hip hop as his distinctive flow and performance set the perfect stage for Jonwayne to come on to.
At this point the club was swelling in anticipation of Jonwayne’s set. He stepped on stage to a bombardment of cheers before getting behind the decks to mix tracks which after twenty minutes led him to take the microphone. “Audience participation is a big part of hip hop”, Jonwayne stated after teasing fans with The Come Up - the lead track from his debut album Rap Album One - before pulling the track back, playing a wide selection of tracks from his steadily growing discography on one of the most impressive labels in hip hop.
The night came to an end as Jonwayne finally gave the fans exactly what they wanted by playing the aforementioned single. Leaving the stage with an impressive set on a night that more importantly was an impressive night for hip hop.
Jonwayne played at The Bodega as part of Sounddhism on Wednesday 23 April 2014.
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
