GERRICK KENNEDY, freelance journalist and author of “Parental Discretion is Advised: The Rise of N.W.A. and the Dawn of Gangsta Rap” and the forthcoming “Didn’t We Almost Have It All: In Defense of Whitney Houston.”
“Before lockdown I was averaging 1-2 shows a week. That had been my life in LA for over a decade, so I’m fairly eager for live music to return. During lockdown I went to one concert, it was a drive-in experience and I was so grateful to be outside seeing a show but that’s not how I want to experience concerts. I feel good about going to an arena show, but I still think it’ll be awhile before I’m willing to be stuffed at a festival with 175K people.”
DJ GREEN LANTERN, mixtape legend, music producer and Twitch streaming pioneer. (His one-year Twitch anniversary is tonight, you can check Green out on the streaming platform, here.)
I’ve been calling this the big pivot since day one. Because I wasn’t streaming before the pandemic. It really opened my eyes. It’s really brought something to the people. It’s now become part of people’s lives and people are gonna take Twitch with them, they’re not gonna leave it home. Because I’m streaming 4-5 days a week and I guarantee you none of the people talking to me are going to the club. These people are grown and haven’t been to a club in 10 years and they’re getting an experience with visuals and community. From the comfort of their home. Today is my one-year anniversary on Twitch and I’m gonna do a stream to celebrate that. We’ve built a community and other DJ’s have too, of like- minded, musical lover-based crowds.
“Streaming happened because outside was shut down, but now that it’s coming back, I think that streaming will find its place and has found its place in real, everyday life.”
It’s gonna be a balance for me, personally. I’ve been growing a community and I’m not gonna abandon them and they’re not gonna abandon me. And by the way, in a lot of cities, the club has been open. But the club isn’t open at 3pm. This really shouldn’t be an either or thing. You can have both. But where does your time go? That’s really the question. Are you gonna turn down gigs? That’s an interesting question. I’ve been turning down gigs. I wasn’t ready yet. What comes on top of that is the family. Statik [Selektah] called his last album, The Balancing Act. And that’s what it’s all about.
I can’t front, the phone is gonna start ringing with show dates and I have to make decisions on what I’m gonna do. I have streaming shows that are built around days—Soul Skate Saturday, Jazzy Sundays. Do I wanna go to Seattle or here and there? It’s all case by case, but right now I can’t front, I’m having the time of my life on Twitch and I’m happy there. It’s a blessing. If all I have to do is shift some streaming days around, how mad can I be?
Streaming happened because outside was shut down, but now that it’s coming back, I think that streaming will find its place and has found its place in real, everyday life.
YVES C. PIERRE, agent, ICM Partners and bookings for Rapsody, Quality Control, etc.
Personally, I’m not ready. I think about my mom, because she’s elderly and being considerate about her. And it’s not like you can tell if someone is vaccinated or not. It’s up to chance and leaning on the responsibilty of others. And as we’ve seen during this pandemic, it’s a crap shoot. I’m gonna try to ease into it and be more strategic with my travel and what events I go to. I used to go to everything and realized slowing down is not a bad thing. Professionally, I’m in the process of planning tours and, in my head, mapping out how everyone is protected and managing to do my job. So, still trying to do my job but easing into it. I’m hoping by September, we’ll all feel better about everything.
MICKEY FACTZ, rapper/recording artist with a new single arriving on Juneteenth ahead of a new project due in July.
“I’ve performed twice this year. I had a show in Indiana in March, it was pretty packed. And I had a show in Omaha, Nebraska, where there was about 250 people there. I was OK with it. At the merch table, I’m wearing a mask, they’re wearing a mask. I have my own microphone. I get on stage, I get off stage. Obviously, there’s a fear of a superspreader event, but as people are doing these festivals coming up in the fall and winter, people are gonna be more and more vaccinated. I’m touring with Lupe [Fiasco] later this year and I have no fear of going on the road again. It’s essential. A lot of artists depend on live performances to sustain a specific life they have. And in 2020 a lot of artists had to improvise and do things like IG live, podcasts, Clubhouse. People were at their wits end trying to make ends meet. And I think now artists are at the point where they can go back to the separation between artist and consumer, it’s necessary. I think people want to experience some normalcy of what life was like during those days before the pandemic.”
JAMIL “BIG JUICE” DAVIS, co-CEO, The Revels Group and manager, G-Eazy.
I’m fucking excited. This is a part of how I make my living. It’s how so many artist, fans….it gives them so much, they love it. They need it. Nothing connects people more than sports and music. And music even more so, because sports, it’s half and half. For music they’re all there to see the same person. I’m hella excited, it gives me something to do, on the tour manager side and the manager side. I’m super excited about it. The U.S. is doing a great job with vaccinations. And you know that saying, weed is the gateway drug to whatever. I saw Michael Rapino [CEO of Live Nation] say vaccination is the gateway drug to being back at shows, and it’s the fucking truth. I’m excited and I couldn’t be more excited.
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