A Night at Fresco: The Last Cypher, Pt. II, 7/3/2015

So the night of the cypher comes.  I’d spent all day thinking about what verse or verses I would perform; I’m a beast with the pencil, but I don't do a lot of MCing nowadays so I'm rusty.  

My homeboy James Makin agrees to meet me down there for a lil camera work in case I’m too busy grippin the mic.  Doors open at 8:00; I get there about 8:15 (CPT).  Even with the sun down it’s hot; air’s humid, but sky’s mostly clear.  Libra’s in the lobby with her people waiting for the DJ to show.  Slowly but surely MCs and spectators start showing up, mostly standing in front of the store.  Truez walks in and we catch up; it’s our first time connecting since the release of his Tru3nough album.  I think it was about 9:00 when Libra finally rallied everybody inside and we all circled up.

 When you hear somebody say, “There’s nothing to do in Augusta”--- that means they’ve never been to Fresco on First Friday. 
 First off, turns out that Truez is the HOST for the cypher that night, so it can only get better from that point.  He shouts out myself and a few other guests in the building.  Then Libra grabs the mic (was kinda hoping she was gonna spit, but it didn’t transpire that way, lol).  She makes an announcement--- that this would be the last cypher at Fresco… because, from now on, Fresco would be hosting RAP BATTLES!  2 hours free studio time to the winner!

From that point, the energy is pure goodness.  In the cypher we’ve got DanaDane NoFame (DRE Streetz), Jaycee, Truez, Joe Nice, Harvey Harv, Charles, Devin Maze, NoFame, a mystery MC, Shawn Hemp, and Your Truly, E.G.S. The DJ puts on some classic instrumentals from Camp Lo, Mobb Deep, Dipset, and the Fugees and we all go in til some time after 10:00.  It was DanaDane who played icebreaker and got things rolling.  Shawn Hemp followed up with a nice presentation that I felt added some warmth to the atmosphere where cats were really ready to participate. 

I would say the #MVP of the night was the mystery brotha rockin the bandana because he was spittin’ MARATHONS; the bars just wouldn’t stop coming!

I enjoyed getting to see Jaycee go in; once upon a time he was in my classroom doin the Stanky Leg, so I’m glad to see him becoming a man in the game and perfecting his craft.  I also enjoyed seeing Charles in action for the first time.  For a moment Truez took a break from hosting and got on the mic as well, which was special to me because, even though I’ve reviewed three of his albums, I had never seen him in his live MC element before.  VERY dope.  At the end of his first go, he shouted out another MC with a nice following--- Harvey Harv--- who was off to my right.  A number of MCs and personalities had trickled in during the cypher, including,Makin a Difference’s Kenton Makin and renowned area poet Brotha Trav.

Next thing I know, Truez and Libra were looking at me, so I figured it was my turn to get some.  I shouted out PNCLBRKR two times, then I locked in and went for it.  I kicked one of my pieces from an unreleased track I did about 6 years ago as the DJ spun the Fugee’s “Ready or Not” instrumental; the best compliment I received was, “It sounded like you were supposed to be on the original track!”  

Harvey Harv came to the mic next; I was definitely excited to hear him because he’s got a buzz going, even my younger sib Siiren was surprised to hear he was in the mix that night.

   I really enjoyed Devin Haze’s presentation because he was truly going off the top--- as in, people in the audience were throwing random words out, and he was picking them up and making up bars on the spur of the moment.  I also enjoyed Joe Nice’s delivery, being one of the better MCs with one of the better deliveries of the night overall.

I gotta say, I truly enjoyed myself that night.  To see the full gallery, just click on PNCLBRKR's #Gallery section and look for "Fresco - 'The Last Cypher'".

Fresco is one of the places that needs to stay open for the future of the city of Augusta.  It was so dope the way Libra managed to bring so many brilliant minds to the same table in a harmonious and collaborative atmosphere; that’s what Augusta is missing.  If you haven’t already, there’s a link at the bottom of this page to Fresco’s GoFundMe page.  Fresco needs our support to keep its doors open; the only way Augusta is gonna evolve is if we #SUPPORTOUROWN.  Do what makes sense and invest in Fresco!

Don't hesitate!  Click on the pic below, peep out the GoFundMe, and SUPPORT FRESCO!