Friday, December 23, 2005

Royalty Rekords Reppin’ Dallas

Forget Houston-- Royalty Rekords wants to make Dallas the new Hip-Hop capital of Texas.

By Laura Seewoester

Photo by Laura Seewoester

Jusone onstage at the Galaxy Club.

DALLAS — Royalty Rekords debuted the “Urban Legends” Underground Concert Series at the Galaxy Club Thursday night showcasing local artists. The artists included Dozya, Kness, and E-Class with Jusone headlining.

I am new to the hip-hop scene, so I’m not going to pretend that I’m familiar with hip-hop or that I can tell the artists’ influences from listening to their music. However, I like all music, especially live music, and I know a good show when I see one. I would also like to note that this is the first time I have been to the Galaxy Club since it moved, and the PA system sounds better than in the past. You can actually hear the lyrics now.

Dozya opened the show as fans continued to arrive and get drinks. He was the perfect opening act keeping things chill while he performed solo with a mellow mix echoing in the background. Kness performed next, with an obvious fan base as the crowd livened. While E-Class himself was unable to attend, his group came on strong and really got the audience pumped for the headliner.

Lastly, Jusone emerged from a cloud of smoke. During his tenure of over six years in the Dallas hip-hop scene, Jusone has acquired a commendable group of fans and supporters. The crowd responded with arms in the air as Jusone reached down giving props to his fans. I can see that his winning performance keeps fans coming back for more.

Derrell King, a.k.a “Jusone”, is the person behind Royalty Rekords. He established the label about three years ago to try to make a statement in the music business. Royalty is mostly a hip-hop label, however Jusone listens to all types of music and is open to everything. “My two biggest influences are Jay-Z and Nas– I listen to all types of music, even country.” With the “Urban Legends” concert, Jusone wanted to bring the streets to the club to help local artists get their name out there and be heard.

The message is clear. From his overwhelming loyalty to the Dallas music scene to the lyrics in “Texas Is My Backyard” (from his new album The Mix Tape Files Volume Two) Jusone is in Dallas to stay. He will not only make his statement, but provide an avenue for other artists to say their piece as well. As Jusone says in his local hit, “I’m reppin’ Texas ‘till the day I die.”

After talking to Jusone, I realized we have the common goal of supporting local music no matter what. One of the things Jusone would like to see from Dallas is more radio play of local artists. “I want the radio to put more effort to get locals artists established,” he said. Fans can help by calling radio stations and requesting songs from their favorite Dallas artists. Jusone used fliers encouraging his audience to request his song “Texas Is My Backyard” from a list of Dallas stations. On the flyer he included phone numbers for 104.5, 97.9, 106.1, 106.7, and 89.3.

As I said before, I am a newbie to the local hip-hop scene. Of course I like the same mainstream artists as the rest of the nation, but before Thursday’s show I had not been exposed to the raw talent of hip-hop that has yet to be influenced by big record labels and a lot of money. I often do not get into music until I have seen the artist perform live. After going to the show, I have gained a deeper appreciation for rap and hip-hop, and Jusone can be sure to add me to his list of groupies.

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Comments

ch0 Anonymous

Knes is a monster. Haven't heard of the other cats, except for E-Class, of course. If yall see this, come hollat me! http://DFWHipHop.com

What up Donte! Thanks, TG.c & Pegasus!

3 years, 10 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Mike Orren Staff

You can email us photos at texasgigs@pegasusnews.com or post them on http://flickr.com with the tag "texasgigs." Thanks!

3 years, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )