Photos by Matt O Instagram.com/BoardinOgilvie

Last night (5-14-16) I went to one of my favorite venues for free live music, Pianos NYC (158 Ludlow St.), for the start of Paco The G Train Bandit's summer residency. You can catch his curated shows and performances for the next three Saturdays from 8pm - 10pm. Baxter Wordsworth, founder of End Of The Weak, started off the show with a lyrical performance that caught my attention. It was refreshing to see a rapper who didn't mumble into the mic. There was passion in his voice and every word was as clear as day. Mertz followed Baxter with a dope HIP-HOP set. He started by making a beat, live in front of the audience, then went on to kill a freestyle over the new instrumental. The crowd was inspired by the performance, which served as proof that there are still artists out there trying to preserve the culture that mainstream has moved so far from. Throughout Mertz's set, he commanded the crowd while playing on his MPC and piano. I had a lot of fun watching his set.

Paco The G Train Bandit was up next. Having seen him perform many times, I knew what to expect once he hit the stage. He was going to bring the bars... and that's exactly what he did. He performed his popular summer track "BQE" with the entire crowd chanting along. His remix to Eminem's "My Name Is" was packed with great, original lyrics.

Last but not least, Ratchet By Nature pulled up and turned the venue upside down with their high energy performance with hits like "Bitch I Need A Vacation" and "This Cab Ride Is A Bottle." Random strangers started jumping and singing the hooks--it was incredible to watch Ratchet By Nature perform. They don't look like your typical hip-hop group, but they rock the stage like true emcees. Make sure to come out next Saturday (May 21) to catch another great show. I will most likely be there taking photos again, so let's meet and build.