2009 Queen City Awards

by Kia O. Moore (kia@mingleberry.com)

The 3^rd Annual Queen City Awards, held at club Skandolos (E. Independence Blvd.) on Dec. 12, was a semi-organized event that showered accolades on Charlotte’s entertainment community. This year’s award organizers, TalkofNC.com and CarolinaArtist.net, expanded award categories beyond the urban market. The genres of rock and country had a strong presence this year. Few were in attendance to actually accept awards in all 26 categories, which made the event more local talent showcase than award ceremony.

Those artists who performed at the QCA’s showcased the potential hotbed of local talent that Charlotte has to offer. The QCA crowd was cold, which meant artists had to be true entertainers to solicit any type of reaction from this crowd. Award show hosts Big Pat and Melinda Medina had to continually resuscitate the crowd with witty commentary and eye catching outfits. Their efforts just barely kept the audience in an interactive mood; however, once artist were on stage only the most entertaining survived. Those who held their own were Young Nut, K Riss, S-Dub, King Carter, Revenue, Prodigy GT and Brice.

Young Nut, of East Charlotte, held the crowd’s attention with his Lil’ Boosie channeled vocals and ADHD induced stage performance. He paced and jumped across the stage, while forcing every lyric out of his gut with great intensity. His face winced with aggression every time he stated the line, “I be on the eastside, straight beast mode.” As soon as Young Nut exited the stage Big Pat acknowledged the change in energy level of the crowd.

K Riss and her back up dancers drew noticeable responses from the crowd. As soon as she and her 3 posses dance crew stepped on the stage in all-black, skin-tight outfits, testosterone levels urged many audience members to stand at attention. There song “Drive By” was a catchy tune that had a Beyoncé vibe. Think “Diva” mixed with “Video Phone” interlaced with dance moves from the “Single Ladies” video. All that combined, equals the swagger of K-Riss’s performance.

S-Dub, King Carter and Revenue were already favorites of this crowd. They performed their radio buzz song “Forever.” It is a Queen City take on Drake’s mixtape hit. They intertwined Charlotte references about landmarks like Tradewinds and Eastland Mall. That sat well with this crowd. Many folks were rocking to the beat and lip syncing while the crew of rappers performed.

The band Prodigy GT was a refreshing sound enigma. Big Pat introduced Prodigy GT as a rock band, but they were not. The lead vocalist clarified their musical identity while tuning his guitar. “We are not a rock band; this is just hip-hop with guitars.” The songs had rock overtones with hip-hop drums blended in the background. In the song ,the lead vocalist made it a point to say that he was not like Kayne West. His rap style had a Lupe Fiasco/Pharrell Williams appeal.

The local act that had the crowd awaiting his every lyric was rapper Brice. He and the QCA crew had a bout of miscommunication. Brice did not know he was responsible for supplying the DJ with a CD of his performance songs. To accommodate for the mishap, he kicked an extended freestyle laced with punchlines. He often made comments about his Caucasian ethnicity NOT hampering his lyrical prowess. His high pitched voice and wordsmith abilities caught the ears of many. Brice was so confident in his lyrical skills that he told the crowd his iTunes download would change their lives like that of a Run DMC album.

The only performance that changed the semi-responsive Charlotte crowd into a concert fanfare was former Roc-A-Fella artist Freeway. He was an unexpected but warmly welcomed guest. Big Pat invited Freeway to come to the stage. Freeway performed a verse from his 2003 hit single “Flipside.” The crowd was on its feet, trying to catch a glimpse of the national recording artist.

Overall, the QCA’s were worth attending. The show may have had some organizational flaws, but the idea of honoring local talent and supporting the cancer research non-profit Amped 4-A Cure made-up for the shortcomings. So, for the 2010 Queen City Awards nominees, local artist and entertainment lovers should come out.

To see the list of winners click here