Jae B
(self-released)
Cleveland rapper Jae B, a.k.a. Booker T. Franklin III, has a smooth
flow that matches many mainstream rappers. A former member of local rap
group the Faculty, Jae B has since sharpened his lyrical skills,
though his references to money and women that come with success and
fame are a bit tiring after a while. His beats are much more polished
than those of many independent hip-hoppers. On “Weatherman,” he
describes himself as a “rap-game bully on the prowl for wealth.”
“Chopper Walk” is a club banger that offers up observations like
“Girlie on the dance floor, and you can tell I’m a flirt.” With his
industrial-strength beats and microphone skills, Jae B is more than
ready for the nightclub scene. — Amy Booker
Jae B. performs at 9 p.m. Friday at Anatomy Nightclub and Ultra
Lounge (1299 W. 9th St., 216.363.1113, anatomycleveland.com). Admission:
$10.
Skychief
(Love Muffin)
About nine years ago, four Akronites got fed up with the lack of
original music coming out of the city and decided to do something about
it. Thus, Skychief was born. With their second album,
Autoexciter, they show no signs of stopping. A straight-ahead
punk-rock album, it kicks off with the Blink-182-like “10 Hours,” then
goes for broke with the guitar-solo-heavy “Upside Down.” The band plays
with such energy, you’re willing to forgive the minimal production on
songs like “Way In,” ” Naughty Is Nice” and “Windows.” — Julia
Kazar
Skychief performs at 9 p.m. Friday with the Darker Shore and
Bluto’s Revenge at Maple Grove (14832 Pease Rd., Maple Heights,
216.475.4224, myspace.com/maplegrovebar).
Tickets: $5.
This article appears in Aug 12-18, 2009.
jae b is one of the most under rated perfomers in the area if not the state. i’ve followed his career for quite some time now, and he is more than ready for the mainstream. he worked with the best in the area(dj chicago, matlock…etc) as well as colabs with with wayne weezy himself. we need to back him as a city like uh, kid cud, because he is long overdue. and if u ask me, i believe he’s better, but that’s my opinion, which may not mean anything to anyone, but it’s mine! thank you.