Recap: Gravity album release concert – Warehouse Live Houston (09/28/12)

 

Lecrae takes center stage at the Gravity album release concert – Photo by Sketch the Journalist

Last Friday, September 28 Reach Records brought the Gravity album release concert to Houston to celebrate the chart-topping new project from Lecrae. This recap is already tardy so I’ll just hit you with a few quick notebook dumps, photos, and videos.

 

J.R. sings “Gravity” with Lecrae – Photo by Sketch the Journalist

On stage:

• A large video wall flashing various animations throughout the show. Some were lyrics, others were simply logos
• Opening acts included Derek Minor (fka PRo) and Canon
• Sho Baraka acted as host with DJ Official manning the turntables and Houstonian Nate Robinson on the drums
• Song features and added hypemen included: Sho Baraka, Swoope*, Andy Mineo, Von Won, J.R., and former American Idol contestant Ashton Jones

* Swoope’s appearance on stage for “Fallin’ Down” seemed to particularly animate both Lecrae and the crowd who might have let their energy levels slip during the more ballad type songs

 

Swoope performs “Fallin’ Down” with Lecrae – Photo by Sketch the Journalist

Biggest crowd pleasers:

• “Go Hard”
• “Welcome to H-town”
• “Jesus Muzik”
• “Dum Dum”
• “Violence”
• “Gravity”
• “Mayday”*

* Vocalist Ashton Jones took the crowd to “church” with her soulful singing. Mainstream rapper/producer Big K.R.I.T. appears on the recorded version but was not in town for this concert. However, that didn’t stop Sho Baraka from volunteering to be announced as K.R.I.T. during the performance just to see if anybody would notice.

The setlist appeared to go from songs that celebrate with believers to ones that can speak to non Christians – something that mat have simply been a factor of Lecrae parading through his back catalog of hits before moving on to his newer, Gravity material.

 

Backstage: Tre9, Canon, Lecrae, Von Won, and Gifted da Flamethrowa – Photo by Sketch the Journalist

Houston represented

• From the stage, host Sho Baraka gave respectful recognition to the recently departed DJ Primo (who chopped and screwed the initial 116 Clique compilation album that helped launch Reach Records)
• As predicted, the Von Won-assisted performance of “Welcome to H-town” was very well received. Check my video of this performance below and be sure to stick around for the end credits.

 

Derek Minor, Canon, Andy Mineo, and Sho Baraka came out to perform “Power Trip” with Lecrae – Photo by Sketch the Journalist

Quote of the night:

“Regardless of the genre, I still have that same call we all do: to tell the world about Him” – Lecrae

 

Andy Mineo posted this photo on his Instagram account hanging out backstage with the High Society crew (top), Houston Rocket Jeremy Lin (left) and Houston Texan running back Justin Forsett (right)

Spotted backstage or in the crowd:

• Houston Rockets star Jeremy Lin
• Houston Texans’ running back Justin Forsett
• Active By Faith founder and former Houston Couger basketball star Lanny Smith
• “25 Lighters/25 Bibles” producer/rapper DJ DMD
• Gifted da Flamethrowa
• Corey Paul
• Tre9 & D. Davis (who brought 30-plus kids from their Hip Hop Hope Missions efforts with them)
• DJ Chill
• Lita Rodi
• World Rejects
• DJ Millhouse
• Hilary Jane
• Trevor Lee
• Lil Sizzle