Feel the goddamn love

Here’s the deal, you tricky bastards: This was supposed to be a knock-down, drag-out tale about the Man and his oppressive ways. It was fixing to be a gnarly story with a twisted narrative about how local musicians could climb above all the bullshit—its glistening skin would attract local promoters; its thorny vines would poke them in their fat asses.

Worlds would have collided, heads would’ve exploded, and the greedmongers of Sacramento’s music scene would be strewn about the alleyways, screaming like abandoned crack babies.

Ah, but mixed metaphors and all, the story just didn’t work out that way.

Somewhere in the last couple weeks, before I could tap out the first “F” word of this damning piece of prose, pleasantries were exchanged (not by me, of course, by the more civilized folk), and a chapter of the artist vs. promoter crisis was closed.

So now, behold this story of level-headedness and the greater good that drifts, like pixie dust, throughout our hip-hop community.

Excuse me while I barf.

Even Sacramento’s own Cawzlos (yes, the “raged up” and “caged up” Cawzlos) was able to find his chi long enough to channel his anti-promoter anger into a pre-Easter basket full of love and good tidings.

“I want to thank [the promoters] for seeing eye to eye with me,” he said. Cawzlos, who was ready to boycott the Little Brother show after being paid nothing for his performance a few weeks ago, is now on the Little Brother bill. “And I want to thank Mahtie Bush … ”

Oh please.

Well, maybe 26hrz, the Sacramento producer of teeth-gritting street anthems needs to get something off his chest.

“Nah, there’s no bad feelings,” he said, chalking the last show’s ordeal up to a contractual miscommunication.

Ill-will? Seething rage? Anyone?

Well, it’s certainly not boiling over in Mic Jordan—who once penned a scathing letter to SN&R regarding our, well, total incompetence. In this instance, though, the verbose wordsmith simply tells us “we need to cooperate with each other” and that “dialogue between artists and promoters is essential.”

Maybe all this love is a California thing—too much fluoride in the water. Perhaps it’d be wise to see what Big Pooh from North Carolina’s Little Brother, has to say. After all, he and Phonte (who will be at the Colonial Theatre Friday, March 21) experienced some well-publicized drama throughout their careers.

“Yeah, promoters are always going to be a pain in the ass,” said Pooh. (Finally, someone with a bit of edge.) “But it adds to my character. I can’t let it eat up my time. I’m just not that type of person.”

Well, Little Brother is enjoying a phenomenal amount of success as of late. Pooh and Phonte have been touring Europe in support of Getback, Little Brother’s wildly successful fourth album.

Their ability to combine the jazzy, boom-bap beats and thoughtful lyrics from influences like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul with a new-school vigor has landed them a high-profile spot on the Paid Dues festival (March 22 in San Bernardino, Calif.), as well as a place on the Coachella festival (April 25-27 in Indio, Calif.).

So, really, what do they have to worry about?

“It’s cold and it’s been raining,” says Pooh from his hotel room in Amsterdam, where he’s currently on tour. I like where his dark train of thought is headed. “But there are a lot of people coming out seeing Little Brother for the first time, and it feels pretty good.”

Yes, love is certainly in the air.

Despite many tense artist/promoter dealings, even Ben Rozenberg, promoter for Pure Promo (who’s responsible for many of Sacramento’s bigger hip-hop shows, like Little Brother) is unnaturally zenlike. “You can’t always make everyone happy, but as a promoter, I’ve got to find a balance. I have to listen to what everybody else tells me and come to my own conclusion,” he said.

Well, don’t get too lovey-dovey, fellows, cuz I’ll be licking my chops, waiting for the next foul transaction.