Edgewater 1 2 3

1. Edgewater Drive 

It begins with burning leaves on the street. Every fall someone always seemed to start a small fire on Edgewater Drive in Lakewood, Ohio. A simpler time, perhaps, but it didn’t seem so then. After all, those leaves would only have become significant a pile for burning after carefully raking much of the front yard. There is a leaf sweeper with two wheels and brushes that work on loose leaves that blow onto the open areas. Vigorous raking is still necessary to get those leaves that collect between bushes and up against the chain link fence.

Just before dusk it seems safe to start those leaves smoldering. By tending the flames the fire never rages. It crackles a little as the smoke rises. Yours are not the only leaves on the street burning. But the smoke signals at 15106 Edgewater Drive are fragrant and a celebration of a seasonal tradition. The lawn will be ready for mowing in a day or so. We’ve got two mowers, no waiting. One of the Morgan boys will be coaxed into that chore. The front lawn doubles as the touch football field and as such should be ready for action by Sunday.

Dad is always quarterback and chief referee. An arrangement that never gets challenged except for a few extra-familial players. Tom Murphy is notable among those guests who wants to play but never fully appreciates the law of the land. Argue with the referee and he will likely step off a penalty for which there is no review and no recourse. That referee also reserves the right to point his finger in the air and pronounce the game over with a “BANG!” The game is over because without a referee, however unjust, the contest has no structure.

Our parents were in charge. There appeared to be no indecisiveness. And most rules were not the kind worth debating -- Catholic dogma mixed with Marshall Law on Edgewater Drive. The outcome would be resoundingly clear and the challenge would be a wasted effort. “You aren’t going to be one of those kids hanging out on the street corner,” (Whatever that means). An older brother broke enough rules and was sufficiently old enough make accurate accountability impossible. As near as I could tell, his biggest crime was not living up to his potential. An older sister was anxious to achieve emancipation at the legal age of 18. A teen pregnancy accomplished that but eventually made her more dependent on the nest than I’m sure she ever dreamed.

In the birth order, the four remaining boys would “fall in” in a way that might suggest that the parents sort of figured out how to manage a household with a more temperate demeanor. They, with age, possessed mellower attitude toward family car fender benders and curfew forgetfulness.  The result perhaps – those governed least were governed best.

Mom suggested that I was the oldest of the four boys – denying me any claim to middle child syndrome but in later years causing me to want to understand the circumstances of my older siblings. I never really did. Their stories seemed too incredible--their times too turbulent. The accounts of tumult were never reconciled even as we gathered as a family to mark their passing --. Mom first, after years of advancing Altzheimers and few years later Dad who remained a  sharp mind but became a lonely heart without the woman he married when she was just 20 years of age and he was a young serviceman of 24 in the Army Corps of Engineers. Their remains eventually earned their way to Arlington National Cemetery.

2. Kiss me, I’m Irish

St. Luke School is named for the Evangelist – one of the guys who wrote the new testament. It was a church parish and home base for  probably 250 or so learners in grades one through eight. We were the Crusaders in CYO sports, the most notable of which was our lightweight football team.  I was co-captain of the team that lost in the championship game but more importantly beat the cross town rival St. Clement in the Rosary Bowl, along with the infinitely more gifted athlete Daniel Caine, our quarterback. The supporting cast at St Luke school was, of course, the standard fare of clergy. Nuns taught us to respect and fear authority. Priests were on hand to officiate at Masses of which we would serve as altar boys. 

It has been said that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day but at St. Luke it seemed the most righteous celebration of big catholic families. The names McDonnell, Lamb, Fayen, Walsh, McGuire, Donnelly, McGorrey, Flynn, Morgan, Caine, Graham, Welsch, Murphy, Sullivan, Reilley, Keating, Kennedy on an on -- All boasted of some heritage from the Emerald Isle. Erin Go Bragh. Mom was a Lawton and very proud of her country of origin (albeit by way of ancestry fleeing to Canada before coming to New England.)  Her parents were, she said, 100% Irish. Her dad, the breadwinner, was a stockbroker who moved to the Cleveland area from Boston to open an office of Hornblower & Weeks.

Dad offered that he was more of a mutt but, he said, with a fair dose of Scotch, Irish, English, Welsh, German and French. His father was a Doctor who left the small Illinois town of Kinmundy to study at St. Louis University and earn a degree that entitled him to practice Medicine. He graduated in 1910, even before that school adopted the Billikin as a mascot. He was offered a position in Cleveland and that is how my grandparents (married in 1914) settled in the West Side Suburb of Lakewood.

So it was mostly the force of Mom’s personality and the receptivity of all things Irish at St. Luke that may have influenced us to wear green, seek our parades and eventually find ourselves on barstools drinking green beer at places like the Tam O’ Shanter, Flanagans, and the Brass Bell even before we were old enough to legally enter such establishments. The training for such rights of passage would be hours of consumption of 3.2 Stroh’s Beer near secluded places at Lakewood Park or adjacent to the Railroad Tracks.

“Lukes Pukes!” was once a pejorative phrase heard from the competitive benches of our CYO opponents. Later, though, with the help of Stroh’s Beer it was more a rite of passage. By the time we reached the upper grades in High School (St. Edward, St. Ignatius, St. Augustine, Magnificat, or Lakewood High School) we would master the art of 12 oz. curls.

3. Winterhurst and the Brass Bell

Blake has six beers stashed in the snow bank outside of the Winterhurst Ice Rink. Winchester Cathedral is playing as the announcement “all skate” comes over the speakers. “You are a wild man, Blake. What made you stash beers out here in the snow?” His response is part laughter and part matter-of –fact as we crack a couple open – Stroh’s of course. I let the pull tab ring slide onto my pinky finger out of habit -- tracking consumption by loading up my pinky finger.

6-7-8 tabs were on that pinky the night at Brunners when I tried to ride my bike home. Bad Judgment maybe – but in Lakewood the ride from the other side of the tracks to Edgewater is almost always a breezy downhill glide. Not that night. (I made it home eventually though.)

On this night, I am driving the family Oldmobile Cutlas Supreme. It is not a drinking night and I gotta get home. Tomorrow I have to be at Lakewood High School early to take my SAT college entrance exam. But Blake can be persuasive. We head to the Brass Bell. He’s just shy of legal age of 18. I have already passed that milestone. Blake boasts bogus ID ownership since age 16 – so to the Brass Bell we go. We are there in time to get our hands stamped and catch Ida Red’s last set before closing. The encore set concludes with Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode as a finale that assures another round before closing. Blake offers to buy Katy a drink but she’s good. Sipping through the stir straw her Sloe Gin Fizz before she leaves with one of her girlfriend in her gently used Mustang convertible.

So the next morning in the High School Cafeteria the proctor is reading the instructions before testing. Blah Blah Blah  - something about number 2 pencils and being sure to fill the circles on your answer sheets that corresponds with your answers. I don’t have a very good attention span anyway word problems are sure to put me to sleep.

“I fell asleep during the test! In retrospect I don’t know if it was for 30 seconds or half an hour. I was out like a light.” Blake laughs apologetically saying, “Well I guess you are fortunate that you weren’t drinking Sloe Gin Fizzes last night,” adding ”I wonder if the College Board offers those tests on Saturday mornings for a reason. That just ain’t right.”

Needless to say the combined score for my SAT test was in the mid 900s. Good enough for Syracuse University and the University of Miami. I was accepted into the BFA program at Syracuse after a portfolio review but since my brother was heading to the University of Miami and my uncle was head of the art department there it seemed like a good idea to pack up the Oldsmobile Cutlas Supreme and go to Coral Gables, Florida. Go Canes.

The Truth is stranger than fiction. This is a work of fiction that borrows liberally from things that really happened. I hope the real people and places featured in this story don't minimize my fond affection for them. I recall with a flawed memory of course. As one puts distance between ordinary events, revisions need to happen to assure a better storytelling. This story, while it has autobiographical tendencies, will be careful not be overly obsessed with accuracy. Windy exposition and explanations are boring. The juxtaposition of Blake, Beer, Winterhurst and the Brass Bell are (for example) a composite of several separate typical evenings in Lakewood, Ohio in the 1970s.      

Future chapters are in development. This blog series (maybe a book) -- working title Edgewater may or may not include chapters with titles like Watergate and Joe Cocker, Beer Cans and Bottle Caps -- Found Art, South Beach Geriatrics, High School Guidance Counselors Marine Science and 108 other majors, How Kurt Vonnegutt changed everything for me, The Morgan Studio Legacy and the Ad Biz. 

Failure Coach - a novel by Wes Morgan

The idea for this book started with a conversation with my brother Greg. We talked about the business of career coaching and wondered how a story that turned business coaching on its head might play out. The result was a series of blogs that became chapters in 2014. I am grateful for Greg Morgan’s encouragement as this book started taking shape. The idea for this book would not have been possible without his sense of humor. In addition to my family and friends, co-workers, clients and others engaged in advertising and marketing communications in a variety of corporate environments to which I have been a part I say thank you. You know who you are and a list here would be hopelessly incomplete at best. I must also recognize David Cox of Sandbox Creative who was among the first to encourage me to write a book. This book is something quite different from the book about careers and marketing communications we first considered but this fictional account is more credible than the truth (since, as we know, the truth is stranger than fiction).

About the book: Alan Edgewater finds himself a best-selling author and motivational speaker. His base of operations in St. Louis, Missouri allows him to stay somewhat grounded but with growing influence and aspirations he becomes something of a local industry. His team of advisers and a hapless mega lottery winner influence his marketing strategies as he builds on his business. At the core of his enterprise is the idea of embracing failure instead of fearing it. Surprising outcomes come as Alan lends his name to an unconditional scholarship program and the scholars provide insight into unfettered life choices. Alan’s journey and that of his close-knit associates create a tapestry of extraordinary events in this thought-provoking novel.

Edgewater is scripted. He has access to a teleprompter but the material is well rehearsed. He moves around freely on the stage with a Lavalier mic securely in place on his un-tucked golf shirt. He pauses for laughs and allows for questions from audience members queued up in the center aisle. “Mr. Edgewater, you call yourself a failure and yet you have a best-selling book, sold out lecture tour, and millions of followers around the world…” begins the next question. Alan smiles and interrupts, “Precisely, my friend, but it is not a drive for success that got me to this point. It is rather the expectation of failure! I am not suggesting for one moment that you should not take risks. Success is not possible without failure. Failure should be celebrated. Allow me to show you some graphics that illustrate my point…”

In addition to Alan Edgewater you’ll meet a cast of characters in Failure Coach who will take you on a journey that will give insight into advertising and promotion of the author/speaker; marketing a non-profit; the world of contemporary art; the inner workings of managing a unconditional scholarship fund and the winners of this unique award.

The book (216 pages) is available in hard cover from Amazon.com.  

The Passive Aggressive Para

This blog was written upon observations over the past couple of years as a substitute teacher and para-educator. It is not intended as a critique of any person or persons in particular.   

We are a national school of character run by dedicated professionals. We are engaged in preparing a unique population of individuals for the challenges they will inevitably face in a society that will not always be so kind, patient and understanding. To accomplish our goals we need to work as an enthusiastic team – administration, teachers and paras. What we do is far more difficult that meets the eye. 

Each classroom is different. Management styles differ. It is no secret that the demands of ongoing data and paperwork pile up on teachers as the school year progresses. An extraordinary burden falls to the support staffers. In spite of professional development time, learning community meetings, required training modules and periodic pow-wows there are some tensions that seem to manifest themselves in passive aggressive behaviors from those critical staffers themselves.     

Passive-aggressive behavior is the indirect expression of hostility, such as through procrastination, sarcasm, stubbornness, sullenness, or deliberate or repeated failure to accomplish requested tasks for which one is (often explicitly) responsible.

The problem is not easy to identify and even harder to correct. Passive-aggressive behavior from workers and managers is damaging to team unity and productivity. The problem cuts both ways but let’s just focus on the para-educator here. Experts agree that there are three main types of manipulative personality:

§  The Narcissist – The Narcissist is the ultimate manipulator. They are egotistic, self-absorbed and feel entitled to nearly everything they desire. They lack empathy and consideration for others, so they will easily manipulate to their own gain.

§  The Needy — The Needy are experts at making you feel sorry for them, and making you feel like you are the only person that can help them. Some Needy personalities don’t realize that they are manipulative.

§  The Martyr — This type of personality will give you everything — but at a price. They “cash in” on the favors they’ve done to get you to comply with their wishes. (“After all I’ve done for you” and “I would do it for you.”)

So let’s examine some typical situations that are so very routine and common at our school in the context of this conversation. Note that every effort is made here to avoid criticizing any individuals in particular but rather to highlight common practices that can sometimes lead to something less than optimal performance.  

The morning bus pick-up – Our classroom populations are small for a reason. There are varying degrees of difficulty. Wheelchairs, behaviors, personalities, transportation (bus or carpool) can add to the challenge. Whatever the mix, each student must be accounted for and the classroom team (teacher and paras) must have a strategy for managing all the variables. A similar set of circumstances will happen at the end of each school day.

The movement between classes - Similar to the above, a strategy needs to be in place. The variables here include pace, keeping students on task, courtesy to lead teacher/specialists, keeping conversations (especially personal discussions) to an absolute minimum during class time. We want our students to benefit as fully as is possible from instruction.

The various (sometimes unpleasant) personal care issues. – A trip to the bathroom often requires escort, prompts, and alertness. Accidents, clean-ups, bodily fluids and appropriate use of gloves. Students requiring changing room attendance adds to the urgency of full teamwork.

Specials/instruction – Language, Gym, Boot Camp, Art, Music, Community Based Initiatives, work sites all have specific objectives. The staff needs to support those specific goals – even though they may seem time consuming and/or tedious as subtleties can matter greatly.   

In the interest of making all of this crystal clear we can make hard and fast rules. But let’s face it – we are not engaged in black & white situations. That said, there are some pretty good guidelines you can follow. In the interest of brevity we will not add explanations of each.

Have both hands free when pick up/drop off or transporting. (Think twice about purses, coffee cups, etc.)

Avoid talking to other paras/personnel during class or instruction times. (The teacher/instructor deserves the best possible environment in which to operate)

Avoid using cell phone during times when you are responsible for students.

Be alert and awake.

Understand the needs and routines of all students. (Think in terms of being able to cover for any classroom absences)

Add value.

Provide as much one-on-one attention as possible.

Be considerate of team with regard to breaks. (Breaks DO NOT include late starts and/or early departure from duties in the classroom.)

Stay current with training and best practices.

Always be mindful of the safety of students and staff. 

The Caxton Building

Downtown Cleveland is a place that looms large in my memories. My father started a business in 1951 and operated out of the Caxton Building on Huron Road. Morgan Studio focused on art, advertising and photography. It is because of him that I pursued a career in advertising. His clients over four decades included an impressive list of blue chip businesses like Ohio Bell Telephone, Youngstown Steel Door, Lake Erie Screw Corporation, Mooney Chemical, Bonne Bell Cosmetics. He was influenced heavily by a year he spent a Pratt Institute in NYC after he completed college at John Carroll University and before he was compelled to join the war effort (WWII).

My dad was bold enough to suggest Morgan Studio offered Architects of the Printed Page in a building named for William Caxton, the mid 15^th century printing pioneer. He was in business throughout the era celebrated in the Mad Men television series. It was in this context, I became passionate about design, typography and illustration.

Recently I checked out a book from my local library entitled Graphic Design, A New History © 2007 by Stephen J. Eskilson and published by Yale University Press. The retrospective may be somewhat revisionist. However, in recognizing the origins of typography and graphic design it honors the proud history of the printed word from the Gutenberg Bible and design from Art Nouveau, Dada, De Stijl, Bauhaus, Deco, International Style and Post Modernism.

Upon reflection of my own career journey and influences, it is impossible to separate this somewhat orderly view of Eskilson’s History of graphic design while scratching my head as I wonder how we will reconcile the impact of what some are calling the digital disruption. I love the tone and outrage of Bob Hoffman in his blog and book The Ad Contrarian © 2012. I cannot help thinking that some time needs to pass before we can really make sense of what it means for the businesses we know and love. 

AIGA 2015

So, what do you want to do?

The AIGA student conference moved its program to the Sam Fox School of Visual Arts at Washington University this year.  Featured  presenters included Andy Mangold (Friends of the Web), Rick Valicenti (Thirst) and Wesley Hoffman (Treehouse Workshop). The  speakers were inspiring and worth seeing but the focus of this annual event is the portfolio review in which professionals agree to visit with students as they present their work. Ostensibly this is a rehearsal for the real world scenarios they might encounter as they enter the workforce.

The students are remarkable. The 20 minute sessions are too short to have a quality interview but plenty of time to create an impression. I had the pleasure of visiting with Maria Wei (UMSL), Ariel Biggerstaff (UMSL), Jamie Spencer (Maryville), Jordan Kilz (Missouri State) and Jorge Villagas (Lindenwood).  “So what do you want to do?” is the question I encourage each to consider as they begin their career journey. Clearly they are talented, motivated, tech savvy and smart enough to take this important step in preparing for the big bad world out there.

Maria spent two months in China with special needs children via Children’s Hope International. Ariel showed poise and laughed when I told her that people would remember her jet black hair and forearm rose tattoo – if not her tasteful nose ring.  Jamie was zeroing in on a magazine design and photography orientation. Her dream job would be with National Geographic but she and her twin sister are kicking around start up business ideas. Jordan is well on her way with nearly a yearlong internship at Noble Communications (Springfield, MO) under her belt. Jorge is a soccer player from Venezuela who blew out a knee. He knows that his career challenge includes the added hurdle of considering a path to U.S. Citizenship.

Ben Kiel, the AIGA education chair was not shy about standing on tabletops at the Walker Basement where the portfolio reviews were staged. The unfinished ceilings had a way of amplifying ambient sound. Nevertheless, he was heard. It was Ben who orchestrated the reviewers for whom he launched a round of applause. Kelcey Towell, the primary event manager, was instrumental making this year's AIGA conference a success. On behalf of all of us, AIGA Saint Louis – you too deserve a hearty round of applause. Bravo! 

Walker Basement at Washington University - AIGA portfolio review 

Andy Mangold at the Steinberg Auditorium 

Rick Valicenti  

Wesley Hoffman for Treehouse 

On fairness in the world

If the world is a fair place then…

In this world, if life is fair;

It would be clear everywhere.

The standard bearer would be understood;

All would be governed for the greater good.

Black and white; vanilla and bland;

Prosperity reigns throughout the land.

A chicken in every pot

An automobile on every lot

We’d always have enough

Because we would all have the same stuff

Faith, hope and love. In God we trust

The supreme being does what He must

But…

Inequity is inherent in the design

Around the globe. Once and for all mankind

Texture, color and contrast is part of the masterpiece

Good versus Evil. For richer, for poorer. In war and at peace.

Prevailing winds and a warm breeze

Blue skies, turbulent seas.

Champions win at others’ expense

Sacrifice toil and a price so immense

A composition of love and hate

A tapestry of an earth that is great

Can we level the playing field?

Can we make a better day unfold?

Insignificant and small.

True it isn’t fair. It is not fair at all.  

Relative to each other, we can only do our best;

With choices to be made as we invest; 

Together on this tiny planet with so little time.

And so much on the line.

We can make it better while it seems unfair

Find a way to show each other that we truly care.

© Wesley A. Morgan 2014

WE ALL WE GOT

Derrty ENT
WE ALL WE GOT.

Originally written in 2004. 

A week ago, my son Ben mentioned to me that J-Kwon was appearing at the Pageant. This University City Loup venue is the scene of the Ludacris performance a several months ago. I knew he wanted to go. The Pageant is a venue designed to handle up-and-coming acts with open seating and a bar atmosphere. Except for those under age, you can run a tab if you want, while the performance is in progress. Those not of drinking age, are confined to the area in front of the stage and off to the right as you enter the place.

Rap (or should I say Hip-Hop) is a cultural phenomenon and I have to say that I enjoy a lot of things about it. For my generation “Sex, Drugs. and Rock-N-Roll” was the rally cry. For my son, it’s not too different…only louder, and blacker and with no interference from musical instruments (just pre-recorded sound and one or two DJ-MC types behind a big electronic console in the middle of the stage).

J-Kwon was to be the headline act of Hoodfest II. I didn’t understand, until attending the event, that Hoodfest was gonna be a string of local acts (including “wanna-be’s) leading up to the featured performers. And as St. Louis (The Lou) has become somewhat of a hub for Hip Hop, Murphy Lee and Ali were listed as hosts/presenters. And local hip-hop hero, Nelly even made an appearance on stage.

The local hip-hop and R&B radio station Q95.5 had a high profile throughout the evening with their MC Crystal on the mic between acts doing the introductions – usually something on the order of  “Hey St. Louis, give it up for our next performers….”

I bought three tickets. This event was held on May 9, 2004, a Sunday Night. Ben and his friend Stephanie Paul were probably willing to tolerate me as chaperone because I made it easier for Ben’s mom (my wife Lynn) and Stephanie’s parents to allow this on a school night. (They are juniors at Parkway West High School.)

Stephanie, Ben and I arrived at the Pageant and hour before the scheduled start time. (What was I thinking? Of course Hoodfest wouldn’t start on time. There was no real benefit to arriving early except we got a pretty decent parking space. It was a beautiful night (Mother’s Day, in fact) and the sun was setting in the West as everything started to take on a golden color as sundown approached.  To kill some time, we crossed Delmar and sat at a table on the sidewalk in front of Mirasol – a new restaurant (only open a few months). As the sun was going down, we felt a warm breeze that reminded me of being in Miami – South Beach or Coconut Grove. We watched the drama begin to unfold in front of the Pageant: Tricked out muscle cars with big spinning hubcaps, throwback jerseys, and a gathering crowd at the box office.

Hoodfest started at 8pm and lasted for a deafening 4 ½ hours. Almost every set was derivative of something you’d seen before. Some better than others.  A rapper called Mysphit, kinda looked like a poor man’s Snoop Dawg, a trio that resembled an updated Run DMC only without the suits, even a white rapper in an oversized white tee shirt that almost resembled Eminem. But it became clear to me that the thing to do was to file in late for the real show, which didn’t start until after 10:30 with the Ally and Murphy Lee kicking off the frenzy.

Murphy Lee appeared in a fedora over a bandana and a collared shirt with the tails out and Ally was dressed in a kaki shirt and pants. Both had understated “bling” by Hip hop star standards. Murphy Lee and Ali are part of Nelly’s crew and clearly lent backup vocals to a number of these struggling acts. I noticed Murphy Lee was often providing the accompaniment from stage left and was never without a drink in his hand – hard to do when you are trying to keep your hat suitably cocked and control a hand held mic at all times.

Ali introduced the crowd to his little daughter (who couldn’t have been more than 5 or six). She stayed closed to dad most of the time – but at times just mingled with assortment of rappers and presumably body guards an the stage. (I couldn’t help wonder where her Mom was on Mother’s day, but at the same time admire Ali for clearly – in his way – taking responsibility for this kid. Hoodfest would not be the choice of a lot of parents for their little girl, but it seemed – in an odd way comfortable for her to be there – even though the event went until 12:30 at night.)

You can’t help but get caught up the frenzy as Nelly, Murphy Lee, Ali and maximum volume lead to this finale of Hoodfest. “Errrrrbody in the Club getting Tipsy” was performed and performed again as a “REMIX!”

I enjoyed the event but was happy to give my ears a rest as we were among the crowd exiting  “da club.”          

Here’s what the St. Louis Post Dispatch had to say about Hoodfest in the newspaper on Tuesday May 11, 2004

Music Review

J-Kwon’s strong show

Deserves more fan support

By Kevin C. Johnson

Post-Dispatch Pop Music Critic

“Teen President” J-Kwon might need to campaign a little harder the next time he performs in St. Louis.

St. Louis’ newest rap sensation, dubbed the teen president by some, inexplicably and surprisingly failed to draw a crowd worthy of his newfound stature – a No. 1 rap single in “Tipsy,” a gold CD in “Hood Hop” – at Q95.5’s Hoodfest II concert at the Pageant Sunday night. The first Hoodfest in January with Murphy Lee was a sellout, the balcony was closed for this one.

Maybe hip-hop fans were too caught up in Mother’s Day. Maybe the Trak Starz-presented event at the Rum Jungle at the same time divided the crowd. Maybe the relatively late announcement of the concert hampered ticket sales. Or maybe the gunfire that broke out at J-Kwon’s recent video shoot scared people away.

And Maybe Nelly’s surprise guest appearance should’ve been promoted. Whatever the reasons, folks should’ve been packed into the Pageant to see a rapper big enough to serve as the musical guest on “Saturday Night Live” next weekend, when his audience will be in the millions.

J-Kwon came with attitude and was flanked by a supportive Nelly, Murphy Lee and Ali, who opened the set with “IC IC,” a track from “Hood Hop.” “Welcome to Tha Hood” and especially the personal “They Ask Me” were a pair of strong selections from J-Kwon. “Sow Your Ass” featured female rapper Eboni Eyes, who gave what was perhaps the nights breakthrough performance.  She’s a new act backed by production duo the Trackboys, who are also behind J-Kwon. The Sho-Offs, J-Kwon’s group, also made an appearance.

The boisterous “Tipsy” was followed by the guest laden “Tipsy” remix. Here, it featured Murphy Lee, Nelly and Ali, the recording features J-Kwon with Chingy and Murphy Lee. It ended a too brief set.

During his time onstage, J-Kwon came off as confident, unapologetically raw and almost humorously potty-mouthed, making it interesting to see how he’ll fair on “SNL” compared to recent polished “SNL” guests such as Usher and Avril Lavigne.

Before J-Kwon’s appearance, a number of rising local talents performed more than two hours of brief sets that, to their credit, moved along with barely a break in between. Several of the acts were from Nelly’s Derrty Entertainment label.

Ruka Puff was a standout. Just imagine three Bone Crushers  - complete with removal of shirts, exposing lots of excess flesh – and you get Ruka Puff, which performed its song “Angry.” Another standout was Jng Tru and Taylor Made of “Whirlwind” fame, whose set featured Nelly and other St. Lunatics.

Also good were Beano with “Skip to Da Lou” and “Act Bad,” the All Stars with “So Serious,” Xta-C with “So Heavy,” and Kin Jacob and Prentiss Church. Others who performed included Chocolate Thai featuring Z, Hard Knox, Potzie, 2 Cent, Mysphit, Arch Rivals, Ahmad, Lil Loui’s and the Young Boyz.

Critic Kevin C. Johnson

E-mail: kjohnson@post-dispatch.com

Phone: 314-340-8191