The 808 Experiment: Vol 2 Release Party

On Jan 22, 2010, Atlanta celebrated the release of SMKA’s The 808 Experiment: Vol 2. From 6-9pm artists, fans and media packed in WISH for interviews, a photo shoot and free copy of The 808 Experiment: Vol 2. Then everyone migrated next door to the Star Bar for a night of cheap drinks and great performances. The venue was at capacity all night long with a 30 minute line topping 50 people waiting to get in. DJ Sol Messiah and Terry Urban played musical DJs throughout the night and keep the party going till 3am. However, the highlights of the night were the unbelievable performances put on by the artists. There were 13 performances including: Nappy Roots, Yelawolf, FKi, Tom P, Hollyweerd, Aleon Craft, Grip Plyaz… and a special surprise performance from Pill. All the artists performed their song off the 808 Experiment: Vol 2, with a few surprises thrown in the mix. The night was capped off by an improvised set by Terry Urban, Alien the Drummer and Parker Smith on Guitar. We had an amazingly talented band behind the artists, which resulted in one of the best hip-hop shows the city of Atlanta has ever seen.

808 Experiment: Vol. 2 release party puts the A on blast

Hate to sound like a hype man, especially since CL was “co-hosting” SMKA’s mixtape compilation release, but even I was surprised when I got to The 808 Experiment: Vol. 2 release party last Friday night after the start time to see a line snaking outside the Star Bar onto Moreland Ave. Inside, the place was vibrating with the kind of energy I haven’t felt at a local scene hip-hop show since…dare I say, ever. If you missed the show, you missed an insane amount of underground Atlanta all-stars under one roof. A cat like Tom P could have easily packed out the place by himself with the rabid Decatur fanbase he’s built. The same could be said for Yelawolf, Hollyweerd, Rahbi, Gripplyaz and a host of others who were on the bill that night. But the success of that show proved there’s strength in numbers. – Creative Loafing

(FULL ARTICLE HERE: “808 Experiment: Vol. 2 release party puts the A on blast”)