Artist cranks up crowd

Normally, most people do not mix business with pleasure. However, when the people involved are Dirty South music lovers, disc jockeys, local rap artists and promoters from all over the Southeast, including David Banner, business is pleasure.

What ended as a standing room only concert at club Moon, Wednesday night, began as a conference for rap artists eager to get in the game.

The event was TJ’s DJs CD & Record Pool and the people involved were there to discuss the development of hip-hop music in the South.

TJ’s DJ’s was created by Thomas “TJ” Chapman in 1994 along with 10 other DJ’s who wanted to break in new music. Ten years later, TJ’s and DJ’s are fulfilling their mission.

The conference began at 5 p.m. and people were already pushing their CD’s, collecting business cards and exchanging numbers.

The Moon was full of southern dialect, long locks, gold teeth, and shiny chains. Some familiar faces included Miami-bred rap mistress Jackie O and New Orleans rapper, Chopper.

Jonathan “J Space” Evans of People’s Choice, a duo rap group, took time away from studying to come out to the event.

“This is my sixth time coming,” said the 22-year-old psychology student at FAMU.

Evans said the record pools are a great setting for aspiring rappers.

“A lot of these people here are more likely to work with you,” Evans said. “It’s an easy way to meet people more quickly.”

By 9 p.m., the transition from business to pleasure was in effect. The club transformed to its regular college night party.

Banner was scheduled to be on stage at midnight. At 12:30 a.m., the stage was still clear.

Several local groups came out trying to entertain the restless crowd. But the groups were unable to get the audience’s full attention, since many were wondering if Banner was coming.

Chopper came on stage and the crowd was back to bobbing their heads and cutting their hands, Chopper style.

Banner didn’t take the stage until 1:45 a.m. But he excited the audience with his wild performance that included everything from jumping in the crowd and climbing the ceiling.

Attendees said the show was good, but too short.

“The concert was straight, but we only saw Banner for 13 minutes,” said Peaches Maxwell, 22, a senior sports medicine student at Florida State University.

It was a long day of business and pleasure for JB, Editor in Chief of, Ozone, a hip-hop magazine in the Southeast. She was busy the entire time taking photos and distributing her magazine.

“The South is taking over,” she said. “It is all about networking. If you’re not here, you’re not going to make it.”

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Contact Tiffany Pitts at PittsTiffany@hotmail.com.