Event Recap: Cody Chesnutt, Lee Fields & Kenny Dope

Talk about stuntin’ on hoes. Damn son. Can I get a witness? This show was absolutely amazing. I’m not one to “fan out” on fools for the following reasons: a.) I’m jaded and spoiled, b.) I’m jaded and spoiled, and c.) I’ve seen every performer and every show a few times each; nothing really impresses me any more. Not to be mistaken with the new term I’ve been hearing thrown around town lately, the “entitled friend” complex. That, I am not. If anyone wanted to call me that, they should have said it 20 years ago when it was called “support” and promoters wanted more females at their shows. I am practicing gratitude these days, so I am very grateful I was invited to this special occasion. Biggups to Artdontsleep for the love.

Unfortunately, I missed Naytronix’s set. I am very curious to peep and haven’t had a chance to see them live yet. Also missed Kon & Amir who I’ve seen a few times; always good quality deejaying you can count on.

I have to say–and not to take anything away from Lee Fields–because Lee Fields is definitely the truth, but I must say that Cody Chesnutt was unreasonably incredible in his performance. It had been so long since I’d seen him perform, at least 5-10 years. There were expectations that he was going to “blow up” when he got together with The Roots. It was not foreseen that he would become less visible as an artist. There had been rumors as to politics and dealings with success, fame and The Roots. Nevertheless, come showtime it was like no time had passed and he had drank from the fountain of carnal freedom. No joke. I don’t recall ever thinking of him as a sex symbol or someone with sex appeal before. He kinda had this Paddington Bear thing going on previously which was quite adorable and charming, but didn’t make me wonder what he was like in bed. Oh please–I’m not a groupie, I’m human. Just because a performer exudes sex appeal and you wonder about it, it does not mean a woman would actually sleep with that person. All’s I’m sayin’ is that he definitely grew, it showed in his performance, and somehow he became much freer and sexier in the process. It’s quite becoming when a man really comes into his own, loves life, himself and his family. He mentioned his seeds were 23 and 29 and you ask yourself just how long he’s been doing his thing because he looks astounding. I wish the word “swag” never became popular and overused otherwise I’d say something about it now, but never mind.

Cody was an excellent and appropriate opener for Mr. Lee Fields & The Expressions. Mr. Fields really put it down and held his own uncontrollable shine throughout his entire energy-packed set. He jammed out all the new favorites like “Ladies,” “You’re the Kind of Girl,” and “I still Got It.” The man is a beast to say the least. I’d have to say he’s pretty action-packed. He has enough charisma to blow up any spot at any given moment, on some TNT sh*t. For real, the guy is nuts. We may not have James Brown here today in the flesh, but we certainly have Lee Fields. The man is a soul oasis in the middle of a soulless desert. I’d rather be deserted than have to listen to some fake funk. Really, just leave me here, I’ll be quite alright without your fake funk, soulless records. I have Lee Fields & The Expressions to quench my thirst for authentic real, raw grooves.

The audience must’ve been on some dumb sh*t, because people started leaving right after Lee Fields and before Kenny Dope could get started. Admit-tingly, there did seem to be technical difficulties and somehow the host for the night had disappeared so there was no voice of reason to ease the lambs during the silence–but c’mon, it’s KENNY DOPE. You can stay a while and hum a tune in your head. It was so worth it. I didn’t know I could hum Guy’s “Let’s Chill.”

Kenny murdered the tables each time he pulled pure heat out from his magical bag of tricks, all 45’s. Yes, I was very jeally as I watched from the sideline as Jrocc MC’d on the mic and Kenny proceeded to GO IN. I thought to myself, “Hm, maybe I’ll have that on 45 one day, oh and that one too, and maybe this—oh hellno, I’ll never get this joint…I know he payed a pretty penny for this record…he’s too deep now.” SMH. A night to remember.