This weekend started with the BET's Rising Icons taping with Ryan Leslie at the CBS Studios in the city. I was never a huge fan of his but I liked the few singles they've played on the radio (i.e. Diamond Girl, Addiction) so when I had the opportunity to hit up the taping I thought "why not?"
Of course it being a BET production they weren't prepared or professional but I guess to be honest with myself I new it wouldn't be. They told us to get there just before nine pm and that Ryan would be on at ten. Of course he didn't come on til 11:30pm but at least they tried to keep us preoccupied in the casting room with free sandwiches and non -alcholic drinks (yea, I know). They also asked random questions about BET's rising icons and offered up shitty gift bags if you answered correctly. I actually won one and found a "The Wire" t-shirt, a scully, a hat, a couple cd's of artists I've never heard of and and old ass Kelly Rowland dvd. If it weren't for the fact that I'd met a couple of people who weren't only cool and good looking but also intelligent enough to hold a decent conversation I probably would have left after the first hour passed.
Once they let us into the room where the show would actually take place things pepped up considerably. They proceeded to strategically place us where they wanted us to go but me and a new found friend (who had been there since 5pm) made a b-line for the white sofas. An audience coordinator asked to place me in front of the stage but then realized I was dressed too casual. I was glad to stay on the sofa. The veiw couldn't have been better.
For the most part it's not a show it's a television production so the artist only performs four songs, though he sings them all twice and they have us clap randomly as to get shots for editing purposes I presume. I can say Ryan Leslie has an abundance of energy that clearly radiates out into the audience. He's thinner than I expected but his swagger is multi-demensional and he's pretty funny. I can tell he loves what he's doing and watching him in process is quite entertaining. I'll definitely check for him in the future and watch his career with a curt eye.
We were leaving by 1am and so I texted my homey Village to see if he could get me into club Mansion (M2) since he throws a party there every Friday night. He told me to come through and I partied there until four in the morning. The crowd was just a tad bit ghetto, but the dj was aight and after a few drinks I didn't notice. Of course it was pouring by the time we left and I'd parked a block away so rather than run to my car and risk breaking my neck running in four inch heels I decided it would be smarter to simply walk. Of course I was drenched when I reached it but at least I had my good old Wire t-shirt from my BET gift bag to dry off with.
All in all the night was cool enough. Nothing too crazy happening either way and just tipsy enough to fall instantly into a deep sleep afterwards. Who could ask for more.
No comments:
Post a Comment