I was going to review this show, featuring Yo! Majesty and Floetry's Natalie Stewart, over at my Raleigh blog but, when all is said and done, these acts deserve a bigger stage.

You can check my post at Podunk Raleigh for the lineup. Everybody showed but The Beast.

The opening acts were all solid enough but, I've got to say this, if you're going to rap about people checking out your "fresh" or about your general "fly" presence, I'd suggest dressing nicely or even dressing in a fresh or fly manner.

Sorry, though hitting the stage with a rock band tee or khaki pants might wow them in Silicon Valley, it does not pave the way for rap stardom if your outfit and your lyrics don't match.

[Note: I'm assuming DJ Automatic, who needs some work on his web presence, was the dj for the opening acts.  He looked like a superstar without looking like it took any effort at all.]

That said, the opening acts felt competent but local while former Floetry member Natalie Stewart and Yo! Majesty's Shunda K took things to a whole different level. They may never get the attention they deserve, and this show did not seem to be promoted very well, but they both rocked my world.

Though Stewart exited Floetry a while back, that history is integral to her emerging indie brand, especially given that she's still The Floacist while Marsha Ambrosius seems caught up in Aftermath mixtape limbo with some brand confusion along the way.

Having been in a now legendary group is a burden sometimes. Natalie Stewart is a truly wonderful solo performer and it's unfortunate that she has to continue to identify herself by those past accomplishments cause there was nothing missing in her act.

Yo! Majesty's Shonda K was still adjusting to JWL.B's absence, especially since the act was billed as Yo! Majesty which brings certain expectations, though she's also booked or rebooked upcoming solo shows. Nevertheless, she gave her best to a small room, her dancers were a cute addition and I'd recommend catching this tour if you can.

Shunda K was upfront about the fact that JWL.B is in jail, though apparently they have a history of distance and it was pitched as "personal reasons making it impossible for her to travel" to the local press in Florida. I didn't push for details, partly because Shunda K's wifey told me it was on their MySpace page, however I can't find anything on either the group's page or on Shunda K's.

JWL.B's page is on some other ish and now I really want to see what she's like up close.  But not too close!

Note: Both Natalie Stewart and Shunda K are examples of why you need to build your individual brand even if you're in a group.  It's just good business even if most people start the process because of a falling out or an ego that needs feeding.  The downside is that solo brand building in a group context can heighten both those concerns.

On the review tip, I'm not going to start reviewing live shows, though I briefly considered getting back into that. I end up saying harsh things about acts that are unlikely to listen to such talk, e.g. they're going to keep dressing like bums, and I end up regretting I didn't dig for details about Natalie Stewart's branding or JWL.B's legal status when I really just wanted to enjoy myself and dance like a weirdo.

The thing is, I need some space to be a fan and not have to justify my response to somebody's work, especially to people that feel you can't speak about art if you don't know a specific list of details or respond the way they feel is proper, which is one of the reasons I mostly stopped talking about art at ProHipHop.