Story and Photos: Spencer Fleming
Saturday night (1/27) The Waiting Room was the place to be for the best in local hip hop and pop music. Dubbed the Polar Escape, the show featured Nugz & Jimmy, Forest, Rysie (pronounced Rizzie), Pacc Dillon, Supa Chronic and DJ tunes from MADIX.
This was a joint effort from Nice Enough Entertainment and Freedom Minds Entertainment and both companies should be really proud with their results. The Waiting Room was packed with fans looking to escape the harsh Midwest winter blues.
The night kicked off with a set from Supa Chronic. Supa had all the early birds bopping with his mix of hip hop and reggae flavors. He got the crowd interaction going saying "When I say Supa, you say Chronic!" to which everyone cheered. It was a fun time. Check out Supa Chronic on Spotify at Supa_Chronic.
Next up was Pacc Dillon. I've seen Pacc a couple times now and he always brings the heat. He debuted a new song "Clark Kent" that went over really well with the crowd. He brought out Rysie for the classic "Imma Be" which is one of my personal favorites. When he asked the crowd if they came out for Pacc Dillon the room went off! Pacc for sure has a lot of support from the Omaha music scene. Keep rocking Pacc! You can find Pacc on Spotify at Pacc Dillion.
After Pacc was the young gun Rysie. With his wicked fast rhymes and bouncy pop sensibility Rysie got the room turned up! He did a lot of songs from his latest release Broken Transmission but towards the end of the set he did a brand new song and the place went off. Rysie shouted out his Dad for all the support which was a really nice moment. Rather than rapping about guns, drugs, and women Rysie always brings the positivity and that's something that should be celebrated. You can find Rysie on all music platforms, so check him out!
There was one act left before Nugz and Jimmy, the incredibly talented Forest! I always look forward to seeing Forest and I have to say this was probably his best set yet. Even if he didn't play my favorite song "Spiritual War" haha. Forest has a huge bag of tricks to get the people moving. From soulful harmonies to bouncy hip hop to deep, thought-provoking lyrics he always brings his best. Forest debuted three new songs during his set, one of which will see all its profits go to women's charities. It was a very touching moment. To balance out the serious vibe Forest partnered with the local restaurant Hokkaido Ramen House to raffle two gift cards and throw out a bunch of t-shirts. It was awesome seeing so much local support. So go eat some ramen and bump Forest while you're slurping!
After Forest it was time for the headliner Nugz and Jimmy! Like Forest, I've seen Nugz a few times now but this was definitely one of his best sets yet. With a big screen showing footage of the city Nugz called out to the crowd from back stage "Are you ready to party??!!" Nugz and Jimmy jumped on the stage to a crowd of cheering fans. With red flashing lights flanking the stage the production was on point.
Nugz provided the bouncy soulful harmonies while Jimmy did some shredding on his cool red guitar. With bop after bop the duo had the Waiting Room on their feet. One special moment was when young Alyssa joined Nugz on stage. It was her first concert and she wanted to sing along. Decked out in her All Love Is War shirt she rocked the mic with Nugz by her side. I was honored to capture it!
Of course Nugz had to bring Rysie out for a couple songs including the smash hit "Turn It Up!" Being on the side of the stage I was having a blast snapping pics and rocking out to my favorite Nugz song. I got an awesome smile from Rysie too which was super cool.
Nugz and Jimmy turned the party up and gave us all an escape from the cold. I was stoked to be invited out for this show. Shout out to Justin Strawstone for continuing to treat people decent. Make sure to peep Nice Enough's calendar for all the cool shows coming up. Also be sure to check out Nugz on all streaming platforms!
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