ANTE UP RECAP

(This pic isn't from last Saturday at Ante Up, it's from their previous party. If I knew it was a Jordan/Nike showcase I would have busted out a fresh pair!)

Easily one of my most fun gigs ever. EASILY. Unfortunately at the moment, most R&B/hiphop clubs are run with one musical policy - "keep it commercial". Ante Up is the complete antithesis of that - playing commercial tracks would get you bottled there. Well maybe not bottled, but you'd definately cop a nasty glare from across the dancefloor. Actually, you'd probably get bottled.

Before the gig, I'm not even going to bullshit you, I was nervous - new club, new crowd, I was coming in as an outsider. But after the reaction I got to the first couple of tracks I played, everything couldn't have been sweeter. I wanted to stay away from the cliched hiphop bangers, plus whenever I do a gig I always go in with the mindset that the promoters booked me to do me, not an imitation of other DJs on the bill. In this case I stuck to some classic hiphop, some newer stuff - which I felt especially safe playing after seeing the crazy response the DJ before me (Kase) got when he played this, a quick Outkast and Jay-Z megamix and even some local stuff.

Being the numbnuts that I am, I left the cables for my mp3 recorder at the Bing the night before so I didn't get to record my set (remember to jump on my Facebook page for weekly mixes live from the Bing). Here's the tracklisting though, just aurally imagine each track with super-smooth transitions, yeah buddy!

CDC (feat. Casey Veggies & cARTer) - Dom Kennedy
Why? Where? What? - King Fantastic
It's Hard Out Here For a Pimp - DJay
Whoop That Trick - DJay
Front, Back & Side To Side - UGK
Choppin' Blades - UGK
Jelly Sickle - Tech N9ne & E40
One Two - The Cool Kids
You Ain't No DJ (feat. Yelawolf) - Big Boi
The One - Slaughterhouse
Heart of the City - Jay-Z
22 Two's - Jay-Z
So Ghetto - Jay-Z
Brooklyn Feat. Beastie Boys (No Sleep DJ Rob Dinero Remix) - Jay-Z
Swagger Jacking Me - CTMC
Dopeman Remix (Prod. by Cookin Soul) - Lil Wayne, Pusha T & Kool G Rap
Fuck Wit Dre Day - Dr. Dre
Deeez Nuuuts (feat. Daz, Snoop Dogg & Nate Dogg) - Dr. Dre
Aww Shit (Feat. Xzibit) - Tha Alkaholiks
Daaam - Tha Alkaholiks
Pick It Up (Remix) - Redman
Focus - Joe Budden
Monster - Kanye West ft. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver & Nicki Minaj
I Need A Dollar (Bounce Remix) - Aloe Blacc x Emynd x Lyrikill x Tony Skratchere
Shutterbug - Big Boi
Player's Ball - Outkast
ATLiens (Bad Boy Remix) - Outkast
Benz (Feat. DJ Mars) - Pastor Troy
So What (produced by Don Cannon) - Mac Miller Feat. Wale
Ain't Coming Down ft. Buckshot - David Dallas
Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See - Busta Rhymes
Lastitude Players Anthem (Dave Luxe Mashup) - UGK feat Outkast vs DJ Fresh vs Dillon Francis