2018 420 On The BlockWith recreational use of marijuana being legal in Colorado, it wasn't going to take long for the 4/20 day to evolve into something bigger than just a smoke out on the CU campus or a party in downtown Denver at the Capitol or Civic Center Park. While the whole day has now gone corporate with businesses from all over the industry having a hand in the pot, there are now plenty of options not just for the day, but also the weekend!
This year I wanted to cover something different than just the events and vendors at Civic Center Park. Who wants to sit around all day just waiting for a few opening acts and a headliner, when you can take in several, see some great artwork being done live, as well as vendors and food trucks over three days! I didn't venture out to the Fox Street Compound (a non profit entertainment and media center) on Friday due to the weather, but definitely made it out Saturday (headlined by Action Bronson) and Sunday (headlined by Matisyahu). Check out the photos from the event below. Click on galley photos to view and scroll larger images. Thanks to 420 On The Block, High Rise Media, and The Green Solution for allowing me to cover this event. |
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Action Bronson
Ariyan Arslani (born December 2, 1983), better known by the stage name Action Bronson, is an American reality television star, rapper, author, and talk show host.[7] In August 2012, he signed to Warner Bros. Records, but was later moved to Atlantic Records' imprint, Vice Records.
Arslani is best known for hosting his talk/variety show The Untitled Action Bronson Show, as well as his travel programme Fuck, That's Delicious, on Viceland. His frequent collaborators Meyhem Lauren, The Alchemist, and formerly Big Body Bes are regulars on both of his television series. And Mario Batali, Andrew Zimmern, Daniel Boulud, Rick Bayless, Grant Achatz, and others have been guests on his television series. In September 2017, Ariyan Arslani (Action Bronson) published his first book, based on his travel show, a cookbook, also entitled “Fuck, That’s Delicious”. Source - Wikipedia
Arslani is best known for hosting his talk/variety show The Untitled Action Bronson Show, as well as his travel programme Fuck, That's Delicious, on Viceland. His frequent collaborators Meyhem Lauren, The Alchemist, and formerly Big Body Bes are regulars on both of his television series. And Mario Batali, Andrew Zimmern, Daniel Boulud, Rick Bayless, Grant Achatz, and others have been guests on his television series. In September 2017, Ariyan Arslani (Action Bronson) published his first book, based on his travel show, a cookbook, also entitled “Fuck, That’s Delicious”. Source - Wikipedia
Evidence
Michael Taylor Perretta, better known as Evidence (born December 10, 1976), is an American MC, producer, and member of the rap group Dilated Peoples. Before becoming a rapper and producer, Evidence was a graffiti artist. Source - Wikipedia
Nattali Rize
Nattali Rize (aka Natalie Magdalena Chilcote or Natalie Pa'apa'a) is an Australian musician, record producer and political activist. She began her music career as a street percussionist in Byron Bay, as well as with a local band, Skin, before forming Blue King Brown in 2003.
Rize relocated to Melbourne in 2004 to concentrate on the urban roots collective, Blue King Brown, with Carlo Santone. Their debut single, "Water", was quickly added to high rotation on Triple J, as well as earning them an AIR Chart award in 2006. Known for their strong political songs and high octane live performances, Blue King Brown have opened for local and international acts as diverse as Carlos Santana, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Damian Marley, The John Butler Trio, The Cat Empire, Silverchair, and Powderfinger. In addition to their strong national profile they have established an international presence, touring Canada, the United States, France, England and Japan. Their latest LP was partially recorded in Kingston, Jamaica, with legendary reggae producers Sly and Robbie, who have previously worked with Bob Dylan, Grace Jones and The Rolling Stones.
In mid-2014 Blue King Brown relocated to Jamaica where Natalie decided to change her performance name to Nattali Rize due in part to Bob Marley's lyrics for "Rise Up". She explained the name change was also "Partly because everyone finds my name so hard to say, partly because I feel that I'm evolving as an artist. Rize is such a strong word, and Nattali spelled the way I'm using it now comes from the word 'natta' which is a native American Indian word meaning speaker." Source - Wikipedia
Rize relocated to Melbourne in 2004 to concentrate on the urban roots collective, Blue King Brown, with Carlo Santone. Their debut single, "Water", was quickly added to high rotation on Triple J, as well as earning them an AIR Chart award in 2006. Known for their strong political songs and high octane live performances, Blue King Brown have opened for local and international acts as diverse as Carlos Santana, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Damian Marley, The John Butler Trio, The Cat Empire, Silverchair, and Powderfinger. In addition to their strong national profile they have established an international presence, touring Canada, the United States, France, England and Japan. Their latest LP was partially recorded in Kingston, Jamaica, with legendary reggae producers Sly and Robbie, who have previously worked with Bob Dylan, Grace Jones and The Rolling Stones.
In mid-2014 Blue King Brown relocated to Jamaica where Natalie decided to change her performance name to Nattali Rize due in part to Bob Marley's lyrics for "Rise Up". She explained the name change was also "Partly because everyone finds my name so hard to say, partly because I feel that I'm evolving as an artist. Rize is such a strong word, and Nattali spelled the way I'm using it now comes from the word 'natta' which is a native American Indian word meaning speaker." Source - Wikipedia
Matisyahu
Matthew Paul Miller (born June 30, 1979), known by his Hebrew and stage name Matisyahu (/ˌmɑːtɪsˈjɑːhuː/; מתּתיהו, "Gift of God"), is a Jewish American reggae vocalist, beatboxer, and alternative rock musician.
Known for blending Orthodox Jewish themes with reggae, rock and hip hop beatboxing sounds, Matisyahu's 2005 single "King Without a Crown" was a Top 40 hit in the United States.[3] Since 2004, he has released five studio albums as well as two live albums, two remixCDs and two DVDs featuring live concerts. In addition, Matisyahu played the role of Tzadok in The Possession, a supernatural horror film directed by Ole Bornedal and co-produced by Sam Raimi. Through his career, Matisyahu has worked with Bill Laswell, reggae producers Sly & Robbie, and Kool Kojak. Source - Wikipedia
Known for blending Orthodox Jewish themes with reggae, rock and hip hop beatboxing sounds, Matisyahu's 2005 single "King Without a Crown" was a Top 40 hit in the United States.[3] Since 2004, he has released five studio albums as well as two live albums, two remixCDs and two DVDs featuring live concerts. In addition, Matisyahu played the role of Tzadok in The Possession, a supernatural horror film directed by Ole Bornedal and co-produced by Sam Raimi. Through his career, Matisyahu has worked with Bill Laswell, reggae producers Sly & Robbie, and Kool Kojak. Source - Wikipedia
Protoje
Oje Ken Ollivierre, popularly known as Protoje, is a contemporary reggae singer and songwriter from Jamaica. His mother is Jamaican singer, Lorna Bennett, best known for her 1972 rendition of "Breakfast in Bed". His father is a former calypso king from the island nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Protoje first gained notice for his 2005 mixtape Lyrical Overdose Volume 1, featuring mostly hip hop-influenced songs. With a guest appearance by Busy Signal, however, his future career was leveled as a reggae and dancehall artist. In 2010, Protoje began working with Don Corleon Records, run by his cousin and popular Jamaican producer Don Corleon. After releasing "Dread", "JA" and "Roll" in 2010, Protoje's debut album, entitled The Seven Year Itch, was released on 25 January 2011. The first single off the album, dubbed "Arguments" (2009), was responsible for his early popularity in Jamaica. In 2011, he released another single off the album entitled "Rasta Love" featuring Ky-Mani Marley. Source - Wikipedia
Protoje first gained notice for his 2005 mixtape Lyrical Overdose Volume 1, featuring mostly hip hop-influenced songs. With a guest appearance by Busy Signal, however, his future career was leveled as a reggae and dancehall artist. In 2010, Protoje began working with Don Corleon Records, run by his cousin and popular Jamaican producer Don Corleon. After releasing "Dread", "JA" and "Roll" in 2010, Protoje's debut album, entitled The Seven Year Itch, was released on 25 January 2011. The first single off the album, dubbed "Arguments" (2009), was responsible for his early popularity in Jamaica. In 2011, he released another single off the album entitled "Rasta Love" featuring Ky-Mani Marley. Source - Wikipedia
The Reminders
The Reminders are a rare and remarkable musical duo seamlessly blending soulful sounds and roots music with insightful messages and thoughtful lyrics. The group consists of Brussels-born emcee Big Samir and Queens-born emcee/ vocalist Aja Black, a collective creative force that’s hard to beat. Big Samir weaves intricate rhythmic patterns with a bilingual French/English flow, displaying his street-smart credibility in both his lyrics and cool demeanor. This is beautifully complimented by Aja Black's confident delivery, diverse cadences, and unique vocal stylings. The two have an undeniable magical chemistry as they share more than lyrical abilities and stages; the couple shares a partnership in both music and life as Samir and Aja have been married for almost a decade. Source - The Reminders
RDGLDGRN
RDGLDGRN (pronounced Red Gold Green) is an American band based out of Reston, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C..]Formed in 2011, the band recorded their debut album at Sound City Studios in 2012 with producer Kevin Augunas and engineer Clif Norrell. They have worked with a wide range of notable musicians, including Dave Grohl and Pharrell Williams. RDGLDGRN released their debut self-titled full-length album in September 2013.
Band members Marcus Parham (Red), Andrei Busuioceanu (Gold) and Pierre Desrosiers (Green) met through mutual friends in Reston, Virginia.[5] In the fall of 2011, RDGLDGRN recorded their breakout song "I Love Lamp", and uploaded their self-produced and directed music video to YouTube, where it reached over 100,000 hits within days. In the spring of 2012, RDGLDGRN recorded their debut album at Sound City Studios with Kevin Augunas (The Lumineers, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes), producer and founder of Fairfax Recordings. The group asked fellow Northern Virginia native Dave Grohl, who was filming his Sound Citydocumentary, to drum on "I Love Lamp." Grohl agreed and played drums for the entire record, with the exception of "Million Fans," which features a sampled breakbeat.[6] An additional Virginia native became involved when Pharrell Williams co-wrote and co-produced "Doing the Most."
Band members Marcus Parham (Red), Andrei Busuioceanu (Gold) and Pierre Desrosiers (Green) met through mutual friends in Reston, Virginia.[5] In the fall of 2011, RDGLDGRN recorded their breakout song "I Love Lamp", and uploaded their self-produced and directed music video to YouTube, where it reached over 100,000 hits within days. In the spring of 2012, RDGLDGRN recorded their debut album at Sound City Studios with Kevin Augunas (The Lumineers, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes), producer and founder of Fairfax Recordings. The group asked fellow Northern Virginia native Dave Grohl, who was filming his Sound Citydocumentary, to drum on "I Love Lamp." Grohl agreed and played drums for the entire record, with the exception of "Million Fans," which features a sampled breakbeat.[6] An additional Virginia native became involved when Pharrell Williams co-wrote and co-produced "Doing the Most."