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Wale

Sunday January 8th 2012 7p

House of  Blues

Wale is a 24-year old rapper who rides for the “DMV” – DC, Maryland and Virginia – and who in turn enjoys support from the likes of Jay-Z, Mark Ronson, Pharrell, The Roots, Bun B, and The Clipse. The son of Nigerian immigrants, Wale cut his teeth in the unforgiving Northwest district of DC. Desperate to find quieter environs, Wale’s parents moved to the Maryland suburbs when he was a teen. But the changes didn’t stop there; in all, Wale spent time in seven different high schools scattered about the DC/Maryland area. “I kind of understand the plight of all people, from understanding all those different environments,” he says. “My first high school was a predominantly black school, then I went to a predominantly white school, and then back again. I think that helped me cultivate an open mind about most things in life.”

Having met every challenge, and exceeded every expectation, Wale is poised as hip-hop’s next innovator. He’s already amassed much early press (Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, The Fader, MTV, allhiphop.com, VIBE and covers of XXL, URB and DNR). His recent mixtapes, produced by Nick Catchdubs, have earned heaps of praise. And his peers echo the plaudits: “Jay-Z told me, ‘If it feels right, do it. Don’t go by demographics,’ reports Wale. “I reassured him, saying ‘I never do anything by demographics.’ I guess it’s just my upbringing.” The world can thank that very upbringing for the wunderkind that is Wale.

 

Brian McKnight

Saturday January 28th 2012 8pm

Akron Civic Theatre

Brian McKnight has earned himself a spot in contemporary music history with the release of 13 albums (to date), several of which have gone platinum to triple platinum, and has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. For his outstanding work in music,

Brian has received numerous awards and nominations including Grammys, Soul Train Awards, NAACP Image Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, BET Awards and American Music Awards.

With seemingly endless talent and a worldwide fan base in the tens of millions; Brian continues to grow his industry exposure as a red carpet host for Extra! and has seen phenomenal success in touring musical theatre.

Brian has also hosted “Soul Session Countdown with Brian McKnight” on BETJ and co-hosted “The Brian McKnight Morning Show” on KTWV the Wave Smooth Jazz radio station in LA for 2 years. A second radio show titled “The Brian McKnight Show” took the air in 2008 and is syndicated on ABC radio coast to coast. On top of his many multi-media endeavors, Brian continues a very busy touring schedule throughout 2012.

Estelle

Thursday February 2nd 2012 8p

House of Blues

Estelle was born  in Hammersmith, London, England. Born of a Senegalese mother and father from Grenada, Estelle grew up in West London in a large family of eight brothers and sisters and an extended family of cousins. During childbirth, Estelle’s mother had a near death experience, which influenced Estelle’s choice for her first album title, The 18th Day

Her mum was a huge reggae fan and her dad built home made speaker cabinets. She spent her childhood listening to her parent’s reggae records and her aunt’s soul collection. Then she discovered Hip Hop. “I got into Hip Hop from my uncle, he was always playing us Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane; he was a bad boy and my mum wasn’t really happy that I was hanging out with him”