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Hip-hop comes to Southern Maryland
T-Pain, Flo Rida perform at Regency Furniture Stadium
Friday, June 12, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Submitted photos
T-Pain performs his hip-hop hits at a concert at Regency Furniture Stadium. Below, Flo Rida also played at the show.
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In a region that has been dominated by classic rock and country music performances in recent years, last Saturday's visit from hip-hop superstars T-Pain and Flo Rida might have signaled a shift in the focus of local production companies and venues as they attempt to capture the attention and wallets of area youth.
T-Pain and Flo Rida brought their rhymes and beats to Regency Furniture Stadium, home of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, in Waldorf. The genre was a departure from those exhibited at the same venue last year, including country acts Gary Allen, Shooter Jennings and Craig Morgan and rock 'n' rollers REO Speedwagon, but it was still a big hit. Blue Crabs General Manager Chris Allen estimated attendance at just shy of 2,000.
"I think it went great," Allen said. "We didn't have any problems. Hopefully [fans] had a good time and enjoyed their evening."
Safety was a major focus for Kool Productions, the Waldorf company that produced the concert. A boost in security personnel was designed to build confidence in both the current and future fans and performers that concerts at Regency Furniture Stadium would be safe.
After a brief performance from TCB, a hip-hop group from Suitland, Flo Rida took the stage to a tremendous ovation.
While the 29-year-old artist from Miami Gardens, Fla., performed classics such as "In the Ayer," "Elevator," and "Low," the single that shot him to worldwide acclaim, the focus was clearly on his latest album, "R.O.O.T.S.," which was released on March 31.
Flo Rida, whose stage name is that of his home state split in half, performed six singles from "R.O.O.T.S.," including "Right Round," which has become a hit on the radio.
The only bumps in the performance were his continual references to the crowd as "Baltimore," or "B-More." Some in attendance weren't shy in yelling back, "This is Waldorf!"
Following Flo Rida was T-Pain, whose contribution on "Low" in 2007 helped contribute to the former's current success. T-Pain, who is from Tallahassee, Fla., has gained notoriety for his extensive use of Auto-Tune, a device that warps an artist's voice by rapidly correcting his pitch. The end result is a robotic sound that has become a staple of modern hip-hop music.
But unlike some artists, such as Faith Hill and Rascal Flatts, who use it only to correct imperfections in their voices, Auto-Tune is T-Pain's gimmick, much like layering tracks was for The Beatles. The unique sound has vaulted the 23-year-old to the top of the industry, and he has become one of the more popular collaborators in the business.
T-Pain, short for Tallahassee Pain, a reference to the hardships the artist endured as a youth, performed hit singles such as "Buy You a Drank (Shawty Snappin')," "Bartender," "Can't Believe It" and a special, slower version of "Chopped and Skrewed," which he told the crowd had just been mixed on his tour bus and was being performed for the first time on stage.
He also performed remixes of various artists' songs, including Jamie Foxx's "Blame It (On the Alcohol)" and Keri Wilson's "Turnin' Me On."
Because of the region's past musical acts, executives at Kool Productions knew they were taking a risk.
"It was our intent to be a little more diverse and not bring just country," said Ray Mertz, managing partner of Kool Productions. "We want to give the young adults of Southern Maryland high quality entertainment options jut like the older and middle age folks."
The relationship between Kool Productions and the Blue Crabs began last year, when the company leased the stadium from the team for a series of concerts. Earlier his year, Kool Productions signed a three-year agreement with the Blue Crabs to produce to three or four concerts each summer in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
The company has already signed Trace Adkins to a special July 4th event, which will also honor 150 family members of servicemen and women who died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and 3 Doors Down to an Aug. 14 show. The team has reserved dates on Sept. 18 and 19, but neither has been filled yet.
"It is our intent to continue bringing diverse entertainment," Mertz said. "It is pioneering. It is not necessarily the safe way, but we think it will be far more meaningful as we move toward the future."
