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Nugz & Friends Rock The Waiting Room!



Story and Photos: Spencer Fleming


The Waiting Room was filled with positive vibes Friday night (1.24.24) as Nugz put on a killer show stacked with some of Omaha's best hip hop and R&B artists. I've seen Nugz several times now, and he always puts on a great show, but I have to say this was the best one yet. It just so happened to be Nugz' birthday so he pulled out all the stops! From a professional light setup to adding a live drummer and even making "backstage laminates", this was a party for the ages.


Presented by Freedom Minds Entertainment in partnership with Nice Enough Entertainment, the show featured support from rappers B Positive and Rysie (pronounced Rizzy), Pop/R&B/Hip-Hop from Forest, and vibes provided by DJ Madix on the 1s and 2s. The room had a really good turnout, especially considering the chilly January weather. The Hip-Hop scene in Omaha showed up in force to wish Nugz a happy birthday and turn the party out.


Every time I go to a Nice Enough or Freedom Minds show I see so many familiar faces. These artists truly support each other and treat each other like family. The Midwest music scene is more alive than ever and it's up to us to keep going to shows and keep the dream alive. I'm super grateful to have the opportunity to record this history and capture all the fun memories.


The show kicked off with DJ Strawstone welcoming everyone in and making a plug for Glizzyfest on February 28. I'm super excited for this one. It's the Midwest's premier hotdog-core mixed genre festival featuring Otis Julius, Scabby Ghouls, and a host of local artists paired with some of the best hot dogs money can buy. Make sure to get the Otis Dog. With onions, cheese and mini pepperonis, it's heaven on a bun. I have to make sure I hydrate the day before to prepare for all the glizzies I'll be putting down.



The first artist on the bill B Positive was a lot of fun. Twisting up hip-hop and pop he had the crowd moving. B Positive kicked off the theme for the night which was love and positivity always outweighs hate. While there are a lot of positive messages in Hip-Hop, like many genres, you can also find the darker side, filled with tales of guns, drugs, and mysogyny. All of the artists on the bill were there to spread a message of love and unity. B Positive was dropping some awesome bars, one of them that really caught my ear was "I'm not here to save rap, I'd rather make an impact". Towards the end of his set he brought up some homies for a couple songs. They rocked the crowd with their fun and catchy lines. "We are the best, we make the ladies scream, Keith Sweat". B Positive set the bar pretty high but there was much more to come.



After B Positive Strawstone brought out Nugz to give him his flowers for 10 years of music and supporting the Omaha scene. Nugz has said he'll be taking a break from music for a bit, but I have a good feeling he'll hit the stage again before too long.



Next up was the rapper Rysie. I've seen Rysie a few times now and I've come to enjoy his creative rhymes and fast flows. Again, spreading the message of love and unity, not drugs and violence. "I've got no money for the Lamborghini, I'm over here stacking fettuccini". This line always puts a smile on my face. Rysie debuted a new song and even brought up another local rapper Pac Dillon for the banger "Ima Be". The crowd was pumped on Rysie and he had some fun interactions. With a big grin he got everyone to move together saying "More hands please". From side to side everyone waved and bobbed their heads. Rysie did a great job turning the vibes up and keeping the party going.



Before Nugz was one more act, the phenomenal Forest. I was able to catch Forest a couple years ago and I've followed him ever since. There's a lot of talented artists in Omaha and I would put Forest towards the top of my list. Some artists are good at rapping, some are good at singing, some are good at playing an instrument, but it's rare that you get someone who is good at all three! I saw tons of Forest shirts in the crowd and he even had a loud sing-along going for his song "Everything In Between". You could tell his star is rising within the scene. Forest brought up his favorite rapper Dion Cobbs for the song "Chicken Little" and they put it down!


Not only did Forest kill his set of classic hits, he debuted three new songs! Every time I've seen Forest he has new music out. With a family and a full time job, I don't know how he keeps grinding so hard, but I love to see his passion on stage. I can't wait to see where his career takes him. I hope to see him on some bigger stages down the road, but for now, check him out wherever you stream music at "SongsbyForest".




As the lights went down it was time for the birthday boy and the main event, Nugz! Each time I've seen Nugz he's made a notch higher in his production. He added guitarist Jimmy to add some awesome live layers of flavor. This time around Nugz had a live drummer to make his beats pop even more. The lighting Friday was crazy too! with bar lights behind and huge bulbs on the floor the Waiting Room was greatly illuminated. I've shot a lot of shows at the Waiting Room but this was one of the better lighting setups, which always helps for getting crispy pictures. Nugz was on fire from the jump, getting the crowd pumped up with his pop/hip-hop bangers. With the band playing together so tightly the party was in full swing. A lot of fans stuck around to hang with Nugz and close the night out right.


Of course it wouldn't be a proper Nugz set without an appearance from Rysie. These guys have two solid tunes together and they played them back to back starting with the summer anthem "Turn It Up". If you don't have this on your pool party playlist get on it! They also played the classic "Good To Me" which had the crowd swaying side to side. After rocking the room through about 10 songs Nugz went off stage for a few moments only to have the people start chanting for an encore! Never one to leave the crowd hanging Nugz and his band fired up one more song and tore the place down! From front to back people were on their feet getting out that last bit of energy. They didn't want the party to end, but alas, the night had to come to a close. This was a really fun show and I'm glad I could play a part in it.


Shout out to Madix for spinning all night!




A huge thanks to Nugz for being a consistent supporter by booking photos. Huge thanks to Strawstone for working tirelessly to bring killer shows to the Midwest and keep our scene thriving. I hope to see all of you at the first ever Glizzy Fest!

Thanks so much for reading and we'll see you at the next one!


Nugz



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