Last Friday, Back Bar in downtown San Jose’s SoFa District was super lit. As host to the third rendition of The Wave, Open University and KSJS Hip-Hop packed the venue with over 250 people in attendance! With San Jose natives, Rey Res and City Shawn headlining this event, fans couldn’t have asked for a better performance.
To start the show, we had M-Ten and Thatfool Al.
Local artist, M-Ten killed it with his East San Jo vibe. If you are from the 408, you will definitely feel his flow, making references to street names and local bus routes. The song, “Around My Way” is my favorite and a perfect example of M-Ten’s San Jose style.
M-Ten: https://soundcloud.com/m-ten
Westacy Ent. was in the building, as they always are, supporting one another’s work. Fans got a surprise performance by Ziggy, who performed his hit song, “DreDay,” off his newest album, Hurry Up And Buy. Thatfool Al put on an energetic performance as well, performing several dope tracks. In a post-performance interview, Thatfool Al mentioned that he is working on a few projects. There isn’t an official release date yet, but he hinted that this summer will be wavy! Fans can check out westacy.com for updates, new music, and release information. When asked why he does what he does, Thatfool Al said, “I do it for the love, I do it for the art, I do it for he love of the art.” This stuck with me because it shows a certain level of appreciation for the underground music industry and the overall passion these artists have for their creations.
Thatfool Al: https://soundcloud.com/westacy
Ziggy: https://soundcloud.com/simplyziggy
Hitting the stage after was Dem One following Cola.
Cola rocked the stage in polka dot socks and godfather slippers like the swagalistic gangsta he is. His style is unique and his flow is fire. Some of my favorite songs are “Californication” and “From The Soil”. He also has a few projects in the works so stay tuned.
Cola: https://soundcloud.com/sodapapi
Dem One rocked his set, performing favorites like “Put Your Lighters Up”. Dem One has a fluid, positive vibe, and a developmental outlook on hip-hop. In an interview, Dem One said his set at The Wave was all about “keeping it turnt up, but keeping it revolutionary.” As an advocate for having meaning behind his lyrics, Dem One continues by emphasizing his efforts in “trying to keep it live and bumpin’, but also having a message in the music.”
Dem One: https://soundcloud.com/dem-one
Rexx Life Raj, out of Berkeley, has a number of songs on the KSJS rotation. Being the only out-of-towner on this set list, it was truly a pleasure to have him come all the way out to San Jose for this performance. Although Rexx has a growing fan base, and he resides a few cities away, he had everyone on their feet gigin’. The songs that fans anticipated the most were “Moxie Java” and “Gucci Mane (Sauce)”. It was such a delightful show. Rexx Life Raj’s upbeat melodies and funky beats are what make his songs so incredibly catchy. His latest album, Dreamland: Telegraph Ave. perfectly showcases Rex’s talent and creativity.
Rexx Life Raj: https://soundcloud.com/rexxliferaj
In case you’ve been sleeping on City Shawn, Forever II dropped last October and has been constantly in rotation on KSJS since. The energy in the crowd when City got on stage was stellar. Performing my personal favorites off Forever II, like “Drug Money” and “Keep Goin,” City Shawn had the whole crowd going nuts. He even played some of his older work like “Big Tymer” from Forever I. Long-time fans surely appreciated this and showed it in their vibes across the dance floor. This was, by far, my favorite performance of the night!
City Shawn: https://soundcloud.com/cityshawn
Rey Res put on a timeless performance. He hasn’t performed in his hometown of San Jose in over a year, making his highly anticipated appearance one to remember. He played classic bangers like “In The Cut,” and a many other well-known hits. Rey Res told fans to look forward to his new album called Sweet Tooth Tony, which is expected to drop this spring. You can check out reyres.com for all the latest updates and official release information. In our post-performance interview, Rey Res always showing love, said “KSJS is my folks” he said, “they been showing love for so many years!”
Rey Res: https://soundcloud.com/reyresmusic
On behalf of everyone at KSJS, a big huge thanks goes out to all the artists who support what we do and helped make The Wave such a memorable experience.
The man behind the scenes, Arman Mahmoudi, also known as StrongArm on the 90.5 FM dial, said in an interview, “since I’ve been at KSJS, I’ve put on at least 40 shows, and this one was by far the most successful one we’ve done yet.” With that being said, thank you to all who helped make this event possible! Big ups to the artists, promoters, supporters, fans, and everyone who came out. A special shout to the DJs, DJ Combsy and DJ Malcolm Lee. Cheers to the homies, KSJS’ very own, Shiva Diva and DEE-Traayn for hosting the event. And lastly, an immeasurable amount of gratitude to the man who organized it all, StrongArm.
Yeee!
A Vibe Called West 