Day 4 of SXSW began for us, early afternoon, at the Carver Museum. Bavu Blakes, Element 7D, and Rochelle Terell performed and put on an overall jamming show. I’m sure everyone in attendance would agree. Next, and immediately following, was the hip-hop panel also in the Carver Museum. The title of the discussion was, “Hip-Hop, Politics & The Politics”. The guest speakers included Davey D, Chingo Bling, Tech N9ne, Salih and Tomar Williams and a few other industry professionals. The discussion was moderated by Soren Baker, editor of The Source magazine.

Next on our agenda was the Ice Cube concert at the Auditorium Shores Stage. Unfortunately, due to the time, we were only able to stop by briefly. There were thousands of people in attendance. Everyone I spoke with said they had a great time.

The Austin Music Hall was our next and last destination of the day for the David Banner concert. David Banner put on a great show. He was only on stage about half of the time. The other half of the time he was in the crowd or running around the Austin Music Hall to the second floor balcony, all while performing. Every concert of his I have been to has been the same way. Rob G, Archie Lee & Coota Bang, Question, Pimpin Pen, and Tum-Tum were some of the other performers who also put on good shows. Slim Thug and Play (Play N Skillz) were in attendance. Michael Watts and Eddie Deville were the two DJ’s for the entire night.

This show was a great way to end an incredible and busy week of SXSW 2008. Photos of SXSW 08′ will be up this week.

Day 3 of SXSW was long but well worth it. We began our day downtown around noon and headed for the Austin Convention center to pick of a new issue of the SXSW magazine. The magazine contained one of my photographs of Bun B at the Pimp C Tribute show on Wednesday night. Talk about a fast turnaround time. Nice job SXSW. While there, we also took time to check out the various exhibits as well as some of the Direct TV concert series.

Next, we headed to Fuze for the Hot 93.3 / AllHipHop.com compound. The Hot 93.3 crew were out broadcasting live as they have been all week. David Banner stopped by to talk with Boogie for a bit and to debut his new single. Chingo Bling had his street team out and about all day promoting his show later that night.

Fast forward to the evening where Chingo Bling, Coast, Mr. Capone E, Stunna, Lil J, Lucky, Hata Proof Records and C.O.D. were the performers for the night. Local group C.O.D. put on a good performance and had a nice size crowd to match. Stunna, Lucky, Lil J, Mr. Capone E, Hata Proof, and Coast each represented very well.

The main event and performer for the evening was Chingo Bling. About 10 minutes before his set, Carnival Beats began to set up their keyboards and drums as they would be assisting with the performance. Chingo is always sure to let people know about the Carnival Beats family and what they mean to Texas hip-hop. Chingo put on a good show as always. Having Carnival Beats on the stage showing their support doesn’t hurt either.

Another successful day of SXSW in the books. Stay tuned for the Saturday/Day 4 report.

We started day 2 of the 2008 SXSW experience at the Hot 93.3 / AllHipHop.com compound at Fuze. We dropped by early in the afternoon where Deuce, Boogie, DJ Kurupt and the rest of the Hot 93.3 crew were broadcasting live with special guest DJ Felli Fel live in the mix.

Next, we headed west down 6th street to Logan’s for an Urban Media Meet and Greet. There was a great turnout. It was good to see everyone out there networking and enjoying their time with their fellow media representatives.

After a brief dinner break, we made our way back to Fuze for the evening show. M1, Drojo, Ryno, Slim Gutta, South Bound, PLA & Dok Holiday each had intense performances. A few European acts also performed. They had plenty of energy and had the crowd going. DJ Bounz and Eddie Deville of the Bumsquad DJ’s were in attendance. Eddie Deville will be the DJ for the Saturday night event at the Austin Music Hall with David Banner, Rob G, and more.

Day 2 is a wrap. More photos after SXSW is finished.

Day 1 of SXSW started off as we headed downtown to the Whisky Bar where Carnival Beats was putting on a showcase for their current roster of artists. The turnout was nice, as a mixture of fans, A&R’s, and other industry representatives, were all in attendance. Salih and Tomar had the chance to debuted their new alternative group, Meteor Street Massive. Other showcasing artists included Nac, Swift, and Mookie Jones. Chingo Bling was also in the building showing his support to the entire Carnival family.

Next, we headed a few blocks east to Club Fuze for the Bun B show. The entire night was a tribute to the late Pimp C of UGK. DJ Rapid Ric was the DJ for the night and immediately started the tribute vibe with a variety of UGK records. The show kicked off with performances by the Circle G’z, Sly Cat, Public Offenders, Gerald G, and Chalie Boy. They crowd responded quite well to the Public Offender, Gerald G, and Chalie Boy performances. Gerald G brought out Bavu Blakes to assist on one of their collaborative efforts.

Around 11:30PM, the UGK family began to take the stage. There were performances from Bankroll Jones, B Do & T.O.E., XVII, Hezeleo & Big Bubb, Viscious, and the MDDL FNGZ. Pimp C’s mother and youngest son were present as Bun B took to the stage. UGK had two different performances at last years SXSW, so seeing Bun without Pimp again was hard to digest for everyone. Bun performed a variety songs and even brought out Dizzee Rascal to share the stage with him for a track. The night ended with Bun performing the UGK Grammy nominated hit “International Players Anthem”.

The night belonged to Bun B and the UGK family.

In all, a great day.

(More photos coming after SXSW)

Yes, it goes down. It’s that time of the year again meaning SXSW 08′ is here. My camera is ready and the weather is nice. Daily updates will be available for those of you who won’t be able to make it out, so stay tuned.

Flyer design by Tosin of TheScrewShop.com (Click image for a larger view)

I visited the Hot 93.3 studios earlier this evening where Deuce had SXSW coordinator Matt Sonzala on air to discuss next weeks SXSW Music Festival. Matt and Deuce talked about the different artists, lineups, and venues as well as went over some important info regarding the hip-hop portion of the festival. Matt also announced a number of FREE shows and events that are going to take place during SXSW. You will still be able to hear about the free stuff as Matt will be posting the audio from his on-air discussion on AustinSurReal.com soon.

Be sure to catch Deuce during the festival, as he will be hosting a number of the SXSW / Hot 93.3 / AllHipHop.com concerts taking place throughout the entire week at Club Fuze.