The Thrill is Gone

Well, the awe and pizzazz of being away from the club and bounce music has faded, at least for the moment. This past weekend's trip to Kenny's Key West was anything but ordinary. I got there at 9:00 like I always do (to avoid being hacked up and felt up by the bouncers), and I saw there were ALREADY at least 20 people in line! I thought that they were hosting somebody's birthday party, because most of the people in line looked rather juvie-ish. I call DJ Kenny and he says he's running late. So, I make sure to take an inventory of what I needed: camera, tiny flashlight, batteries, and gum (something free to chew on). I wasn't making the same mistake twice!!! Well, he finally gets there and we make our entrance. One of the managers sees him getting me in through the exit. He asked "who is this?" He said "my friend, Brandon." The manager said "can I put him to work?" and looked at me, saying "you wanna work security for tonight? I'M SERIOUS!!!" So, I'm in suspended animation, because I didn't plan on doing security work. I asked the DJ about the benefits and he said they didn't get paid much, and I found out that I would've been a bouncer, feeling up guys all night in the cold February air, so I turned the job offer down.

I get in there and the DJ has to RUSH to set up, because for the first time in a long time, people are there EARLY and want to be entertained. I'm in the DJ booth, writing down tracklistings for albums. Then, the owner of the club calls him into the other club area (there are 2 dance rooms in the club) to set up a CD. So, he's gone and gives me the duty to monitor the sounds and to keep it live. So, I'm keeping the bounce vibe alive and I see that the crowd is getting kinda restless. Here is where I began to notice that the club was becoming a sausage fest. I made a mental note and continued on. Eventually, the DJ came back and it was business as usual. Then, Shine Baby, CEO of Black House Records and Mr. Chris Hebert AKA Gotty Boi Chris, show up. They dap off the DJ and I stop and talk to them, discussing what they've been up to, future business moves, video shoots, etc. It was cool to meet 2 people who are kinda putting the stranglehold on the bounce scene, and even better that GBC is an alum of my alma mater.

Amped up, I start plotting my descent into the dance floor below. Then, they switch into Baton Rouge mode, and "Bad Bitch" and "Ratchet" mode. For the next 4 or 5 songs, I was taken out of my zone, and had to endure the teasing hype of the impending footage that would be captured as soon as the dancing commenced again. Well, it came back, and as soon as the dancers who left came back, so did the sausage fest. It was too much. I began looking around and noticed how unattractively common the crowd was beginning to act. I don't know if it was because of pushy guys or just the oversaturation of it all, but the ackrite level imploded on itself. Pushup introduction-less dance requests were being denied left and right, and the few that were granted didn't last very long. That's when Pops made his cameo. I would get into position to film and I got the friend cockblocking reaction: they tapped their dancing friend and pointed or they looked at the light coming from the LCD screen and were tipped off. It was here that I learned that women in the club tend to NOT like being taped.

After learning that, I safed my iron and just focused on having a good time. As I said, the category 3's and 4's were present in the droves. I went back to the DJ booth and he had to go to pee, so I had the crowd in my hands again. Around this time, I met George from King's Entertainment, who put out Hot Boy Ronald. I put on the song "Rainbow", which is a bounce song praising the women's clothing store, Rainbow. From what I hear, it's somewhat of a bargain-basement clothing store, and has a delightful taste of ghetto to it. Anyway, that song seemed to be the theme song for the night, because once he regained control of the audio, it ended up being played like 4 more times. I went back into the crowd, and received more lukewarm acceptance. Then, it just hit a point where hearing T-Pain sing about being sprung just became too much and I had to leave. It was around this time that Gotty Boi Chris was on the mic, hyping the crowd up, but it was too late. The music had switched to "Money on My Mind" by Lil Wayne, and I just wasn't feeling it anymore. I dapped off all the movers and shakers I met that night and made my exit. I talked to the DJ yesterday, and he told me people didn't leave until 7am, when they kicked them out.

Yea, there is such a thing as too much exposure, and I witnessed it that night. I was able to develop the "5 Things Women Don't Like in a Club" Theory, but I may save that for the book. Yea, I'm batting around the idea of writing a clubbing manual for those seeking the dance or just want to familiarize themselves with the nomenclature of the club. Kenny's Key West, thank you for the hookup, but we need some time apart from each other. See ya next time I'm in a drought!!

-B