From The West 2 Waldorf (Event Review)

From The West 2 Waldorf Was An Amazing Event With An Awesome Atmosphere And Great Performers

Presented by Coop The Creator and hosted by DJ PKnock with performances by Zero, LaDotee, and AquilVCR, “From The West 2 Waldorf” was an awesome experience. The venue was perfect the audio was dope, and the atmosphere was nice. It was an excellent show that exceeded expectation. Held at The Velvet Lounge on U Street in Washington D.C, it was an exhilarating show.

The Velvet Lounge has two floors with a bar at the bottom and a stage and standing room floor up top. The room where the performances are held is on the small side being about as big as a large basement with a moderately high ceiling. A small stage at at the front of the room with a few chairs in the back and the room itself had an industrial-urban vibe with aged floors and graffiti-covered walls a nice touch of artwork that felt distinctly D.C. Better than most previous shows I’ve attended the sound was on point there wasn’t much feedback and the beats and vocals were crisp and clear during the DJ set and performances.

Opening the  event with a previously dislocated shoulder, Zero did his thing putting forth an impassioned set. Known for his melodic production and smooth, autotuned raps, he flamed it taking “Soulja Freestyle” to another level with a spirited rendition that had the crowd erupting in approval clapping and cheering with joy and respect. He had the crowd bopping along to live versions of “Manhattan” and some unreleased material.  Zero put in work laying down some dope tracks.

If Zero started the fire LaDotee threw gas on the flame, the California bred artist came through with a sequence of high energy tracks and it felt like the floor was on springs as he performed, spitting that “swag shit” he had everyone, going crazy. After each track he instructed the crowd to take two steps forward and it wasn’t long before the first row was literally touching the stage and what a show of unity as he closed his set with ALL his homies on stage wildin out as he performed an unreleased banger titled “So Bad”. It wasn’t just a concert it was a party particularly towards the latter part of the show where it turned into a dance competition as concert-goers took to the stage to jam out to a looped version of “Gleesh Walk”

Having opened for major artists in the past and performed at smaller and larger venues, Aquil’s experience showed as he took full control of the audience and the show. With a magnetic voice and powerful presence he demolished a performance of his hit “Eddie Guerrero” a swagged out fight song paying homage to the pro wrestling great. With audience members calling out their favorite tracks, he made full use of his strong and still growing song discography with an extended set that took him to the floor the stage and back again.

“From The West 2 Waldorf” was a phenomenal showcase of three rising Maryland artists with sharply different sounds and approaches to making music but it worked and what came about was a music event that was full of youthful energy, encouragement and self expression.

All photos by Mique On The Mix

From top to bottom) Zero, LaDotee, and AquilVCR