Hugo Urban Rules @ Village Underground, London
Tuesday 3 October, 2006
Reviewed by Nooreen Kara
Hugo Boss is the latest brand in search of the next musical sensation. Hugo Urban Rules is an MTV-sponsored contest whereby potential stars can upload their music to the website and if chosen, get to audition live for a panel of judges at one of the designated locations across the country. The first leg of the competition attracted over 400 applicants, with the prize being specialised coaching and advice in the business that others strive for. On top of that is the chance to perform live alongside some of the industry’s elite – in this case, Joe, Sway and Terri Walker, at a secret venue in London open, only to industry insiders and a handful of lucky competition winners.
The winner of the London stem of the contest warmed up the crowd for the big dogs – Daizy, a pop/R&B singer showed off her vocals and an impressive stage presence for someone just starting out. Terri Walker sang tracks from her latest album ‘I Am’, released earlier this year, but it was Scratch who really got the crowd focused. The Roots’ ex-vocal turntablist beatboxed a number of tunes, the highlight being Kanye’s ‘Gold Digger’ – bouncing to the beat, he threw on some sunglasses half way through and performed Kanye’s infamous Gold Digger dance.
Sway did well but performed almost exactly the same routine he’s been doing at shows all year – including lacklustre audience sing-alongs to Dre and Snoop’s ‘Nuthin’ but a G Thang’ and MC Hammer’s ‘Can’t Touch This’ – thus a set that most industry people have seen at one point or another. He did, however, do well when he performed his new track, ‘Get ‘Em High’ and while shouting out fans from all the areas of London and England, he repped for his Muslim fans, as he revealed that he too was studying the religion.
After Sway finished his set and the night wore on, Joe made his appearance, stealing the show with a selection of his smash hits. With a backdrop of male and female dancers, Joe captivated the crowd with his entrance to an up-tempo medley of G-Unit’s ‘Wanna Get To Know You’, ‘Stutter’ and ‘Don't Wanna Be A Player’.
Dressed in smart jeans and an alluring pink jumper, Joe looked every bit the ladies' man as he launched into his other G-Unit-collabo track, ‘Ride With You’, and then performed his forthcoming single ‘Where You At’ which features current ‘it’ rapper, Papoose.
Then it was back to the basics with the suggestive ‘All The Things (Your Man Won’t Do)’ and ‘Good Girls’, taken from his 1996 ‘All That I Am’ album, as well as ‘What If A Woman’. More recent hits were not to be forgotten as Joe charmed his way through ‘Priceless’ and ‘More & More’, while also performing this year’s ‘Get To Know Me’ – a hip-hop/R&B duet with Nas. The crowd sang along word-perfect to the ballad ‘I Wanna Know’, before Joe took a final bow and exited the stage.
Hugo Urban Rules had succeeded in setting the stage for winner Daizy, but the real test comes in the form of how they break her into the industry and her potential longevity in the game.
The first dedicated Hugo Urban Rules MTV film will be aired at 7pm on Saturday 29th October on MTV Networks. It will be repeated on MTV Networks, MTV Base and TMF over the following two months.
The Hugo Urban Rules nationwide campaign heads to Birmingham in February 2007 and Manchester in May 2007. Artists can upload their demos now to apply for the Birmingham masterclasses and auditions. Urban music enthusiasts can register to win exclusive tickets to the next concert by logging on to www.hugofragrances.com.
Look out for Joe’s new album ‘Joe Who? Joe Thomas’, out in November.
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