It’s 4:33 AM, and I just got home finally. I’m not going to unload the massive amount of speakers and wires and banners and stands crammed into my spacious and roomy Scion xB (y’all owe me a check now, thanks*), I’ll do that tomorrow. Instead, I’m going to reflect on a stellar night. Tonight just reminded me of what is entirely possible in Houston, or as H.I.S.D. would say it, Hueston.

(Keep reading*)

If you didn’t make it to the show tonight, you missed out. Seriously. You missed out. I don’t know how exactly to put it into words the way I feel right now. I just want to smile and laugh and celebrate because I feel like anything is possible again. BUT I know I can’t get stuck on that too long. See, there’s a lot of work to do. For too long, people have let the bar slip lower and lower of what to expect out of Houston. As a result, our scene isn’t what it should be.

Fortunately, there is hope. I sincerely and honestly think that what Damien and I are trying to create will help people outside of this city realize that there is REAL talent here. This is the land that helped birth the likes of Screw, Suave House, RapALot, UGK, Geto Boys, and the true sound of the South, but also harbors a different sound, something that contrasts our Southern slang and fuses it with showmanship, lyrics, and quality product that has been ignored for too long. We are not just what the radio plays. We are not carbon copies of the boombap “mainstream,” either. We truly have our own sound here, and soon, it will come to the surface.

I mean, honestly, show me a city with artists like H.I.S.D., The Legendary K-O/ K-Otix, D. Rose, Lower Life Form, Hafaza, PKT, The Niyat, Michele Thibeaux, and established producers like King Coz, The ARE, and then coupled over with the numerous new cats on the scene making real noise in their own way with very little help and guidance. If you say you can show me a better, more organized, driven, and well planned league of artists who are making a conscience effort to improve themselves, their scene, and their city, I wouldn’t believe you.

And if you think that it’s easy to impress me, you couldn’t possibly be more wrong.

Tonight, The Standard was incredible. The crowd was at capacity for a while there, the bar stayed busy. The patio stayed packed. The dance floor stayed moving. And the people were entertained. It was a crazy night from the beginning; there was just something in the air tonight. Warehouse Live was packed as hell: some mellow indie rock show in the Ballroom, a sexy sorority lingerie something-or-other party in the Studio (yes, oh yes, lingerie + sorority + next door*), then The Standard inside the Green Room. The crowd started showing up ultra early, which is always a good sign, and the bar starts getting busy at 9:45PM. Suddenly, some soccer riot pops off (no joke*) next door at Lucky’s Pub. Cops start swarming in from ev-ry-where, to the point where there is an HPD helicopter (I promise, I can’t make this up*) in the sky, lighting up the entire area. Meanwhile, Cashless is inside, whipping the crowd into a frenzy, while a mildly intoxicated Brew from Lower Life Form is hosting and announcing, as a mildly hyper PhD from Lower Life Form is bouncing seemingly off the walls behind him. Out of sight, H.I.S.D. is secretly getting ready to make their entrance through the crowd to the stage as they start performing their opening track from outside the building doors. As soon as they get into it, the crowd is fixed on the stage, not blinking, singing along, clapping, taking photos. H.I.S.D. shows why they are arguably THE best performers and entertainers in Hueston right now. Seriously, the ONLY group I know that can outdo them when it comes to live show energy IS The Legendary K-O. (No offense boys, but those are some mighty big shoes to fill…*) As soon as H.I.S.D. runs through their set, Cashless starts banging the crowd over the head with hit after hit after hit of damn good music. The next 2 hours were a blur of laughter, dancing, grinding, anthems, singing, women showing shapely figures, and people steadily pouring in through the doors.

There are a million little stories and moments that I know I’m missing and leaving out, but basically it ended with one drunken room steadily stumbling out the door, satisfied with their evening’s entertainment. But I have to say, the WORST PART, I mean the ABSOLUTE BIGGEST SHAME of the evening was that I didn’t catch a single photo of the night. I was too busy talking to people, having to make my way through the crowd, posing for photos with people, catching up with people, and making sure everyone was having a good time. I’m seriously disappointed with myself right now. (Anyone want to come out and dedicate themselves to catching photographs of the evening next time? Please??*)

In the end, I hope everyone went home with a smile on their face. I mean, I heard from quite a few people that they had fun, but honestly, I seriously hope they actually did. I want you to see what Houston can have with a little effort and experience. I want people to know that they don’t need to look to the East Coast for “good” HipHop. There’s nothing on the West Coast that doesn’t already exist here. We have the resources, now we just need the support and encouragement from our neighbors all around us. I mean everyone who lives inside the Belt, and outside the Belt. From Katy, Conroe, Clear Lake, to Woodlands, Willowbrook, West Chase. Greenspoint to Galeena Park, to South Park, Sunnywood, Studewood, and everywhere in between.

The nest Standard will be on the first Friday of December, which is already in 3 weeks. Get ready, because I can only guarantee that December’s performers will raise the bar yet again for what you should expect at a live HipHop show in Houston, TX, and set the stage for what should be a very productive 2010. I’ll just let it slip now and say that Lower Life Form will be making their first appearance as a whole band with a new energy to them at the next Standard in December. If you didn’t make the first two, I promise you won’t want to miss this next one at all…

See you in the crowd

-Remix

Oh, by the way, if any of you have any photos from the night that you would care to hook us up with, shoot them my way! I don’t care if they’re drunken photos of just you and your friends all night long, I wanna see’em! We’ll post them up along with your MySpace, Facebook, or Twitter info and make sure you get your credit as well.