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Pop: hot ticket
By Times staff
© St. Petersburg Times
published May 23, 2002
Hip-hopping into Ybor City
All artists strive for name recognition. Voice recognition is even more valuable. Superstar verbalist Busta Rhymes is one of the few who can claim "syllable recognition." You don't need to hear a verse, a chorus or a hook from hits like the current smash Pass the Courvoisier to make a positive ID. Just a snippet of his trademark hyperthyroid, ragga-influenced vocals is enough.
He ambushed the mainstream pop scene in 1996 with the manic hit Woo-Hah. Since then, Rhymes, who first made his mark with old-school rap icons Leaders of the New School, has enjoyed a stratospheric career arc. From 1996 to 2000, three of his four albums went platinum -- The Coming, When Disaster Strikes and Extinction Level Event. His latest, Genesis, has sold nearly 2-million copies. Videos like Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See annexed space on the MTV rotation.
And, up until Ja Rule's ascension to the "hypeman-to-the-stars" throne, Rhymes was the most in-demand guest star in hip-hop, gracing countless tracks by big-name artists like the Ruff Ryders. He has kept himself busy, too, with commercials (Mountain Dew) and movies (Shaft and the upcoming Halloween: The Resurrection). When he's not flashing his mile-wide smile for the cameras, he's shepherding the artists in his Flipmode Squad crew, and -- par for the course in hip-hop -- dealing with controversy. Pass the Courvoisier has garnered flak from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which hasn't stopped it from becoming the No. 1 radio rap single.
Rhymes will appear with DJs Royce and 38 at 10 p.m. Wednesday at the Empire Night Club, 1902 E Seventh Ave., Tampa. $20-$25. (813) 247-2582. -- TONY GREEN, Times correspondent
Acoustic jazz
Founding member Nick Webb, who played steel guitar, died in 1998 of pancreatic cancer. Webb's partner Greg Carmichael continues a new Acoustic Alchemy with guitarist Miles Gilderdale, bassist Frank Felix and keyboardist Tony White. The group last year released AArt, which spent several weeks near the top of the contemporary jazz chart
The group plays the Mahaffey Theater, 400 First St. S, St. Petersburg, at 7:30 p.m. Monday, a show originally scheduled for Sept. 15, 2001. Tickets are $29-$40. (727) 892-5767.
Son of an O'Jay at SunDome
R&B singer-songwriter-producer Gerald LeVert, the son of O'Jays founding member Eddie LeVert, headlines a show at the USF SunDome on Sunday to benefit Second Chance Life Skills, a St. Petersburg nonprofit that provides training for disadvantaged youths and young adults.
LeVert, 35, got his start spending summers touring with the O'Jays, where he met such legends as James Brown and the late Marvin Gaye. With his brother, Sean, and friend Marc Gordon he formed LeVert, which was signed by Atlantic Records in 1986. The trio earned numerous No. 1 singles, including Casanova; six gold albums; two Soul Train Music awards; and a Grammy nomination.
In 1991, Gerald LeVert produced his first solo album. His second solo effort, 1994's Groove On, went platinum, yielding the hit single I'd Give Anything. The following year, he teamed with his dad for their Father & Son album. In 1997, LeVert joined R&B vocalists Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill to form the trio LSG, producing the hit single My Body. Since then, he has released several more solo CDs, most recently Gerald's World last fall.
In addition to his own music, Gerald LeVert has lent his talents to recordings by artists such as Stephanie Mills, James Ingram, Mikki Howard, Troop, Anita Baker and Barry White.
Also on the bill for Sunday's show: contemporary R&B artist Jesse Powell and local groups Fantasy, No Kin and Eric "Big Daddy" Against the Grain.
Tickets are $25-$60. A portion of ticket sales goes to Second Chance Life Skills. The show is at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Call (813) 287-8844.
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