The primary time Kendrick Lamar carried out two reveals in a single night time. The birthplace of Tyler The Creator‘s Camp Flog Gnaw competition. Nipsey Hussle‘s first sold-out present. What do these three historic moments have in frequent?
The reply is The Novo.
Nestled within the coronary heart of downtown Los Angeles, the two,400-capacity venue falls beneath the umbrella of Goldenvoice, the powerhouse California reserving company behind Coachella and Stagecoach.
Previously often called Membership Nokia, the hotspot opened its doorways in November 2008 with a present headlined by Beck. Since then, The Novo has advanced right into a cultural staple in Hip Hop and R&B.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t at all times a cornerstone of those vibrant music scenes, as Rhea Roberts-Johnson, VP of Operations at Goldenvoice and the corporate’s first Black feminine worker, tells HipHopDX.
“Goldenvoice, within the early starting, was a punk rock firm. They booked primarily punk rock acts. You’d have, like, an N.W.A slide in there, however the early beginnings, it was punk rock,” she says.
Requested when the transition from punk to rap and R&B started to occur, she explains: “Once we opened as Membership Nokia, one among our first acts was Usher. The expertise purchaser on the time who opened this room, she was actually into Hip Hop and R&B.
“I really feel like each expertise purchaser that has come via this room has actually been tapped into Hip Hop and R&B, particularly on this metropolis. I imply, all people’s performed this room — from SZA to Drake. Everyone.
“I have a look at this venue, because it pertains to Hip Hop, as a must-play room in L.A.”
This love for the tradition runs in Roberts-Johnson’s household, too. Her husband Marcus “Don Dada” Johnson simply so occurs to be the very first Black expertise purchaser for The Novo/GoldenVoice and is particularly obsessed with discovering rising expertise.
“I’ve at all times been tremendous obsessed with discovering artists and serving to them with their steps,” he tells DX. “Beginning at our small venues and even on the nightclub degree, watching them and serving to them develop.
“I believe for The Novo, given there’s a lot expertise in L.A., simply having these artists you could assist develop and provides them that stage, give them that platform, that’s one thing I’m tremendous obsessed with.
“I can go down an inventory of artists who I labored with earlier than they even have been signed. YG, earlier than he even signed to Def Jam, was acting at my golf equipment. Ty Dolla $ign and extra.”
Just lately, whereas attending two reveals at The Novo, I posed a query to Marcus and Rhea: do they discover the vibe extra uplifting when an area L.A. native performs right here?
“Oh yeah, I simply really feel the joy round native artists in L.A.,” Rhea says. “We’ve at all times cherished our personal, you understand? We’ve at all times proven like to our personal. That’s simply the L.A. tradition basically.
“When you have got an area artist play, it nearly looks like a household reunion. Even the Hip Hop scene out right here, you see all of your folks at these reveals as a result of in L.A., all people’s linked one way or the other, all people is aware of one another.
“There are specific occasions that occur the place there may be this pleasure since you’re seeing one among your individual do their factor at this degree, like downtown L.A., L.A. LIVE. After which it’s additionally a household reunion as a result of all people you understand is coming to assist since Kendrick has now given us this time period ‘come out.’”
Marcus Johnson
They inform no lies. I shadowed Marcus at The Novo throughout Kodak Black‘s present on June 27, the place he introduced out Lil Durk, obtained a wedding proposal on stage from a fan and danced to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” The gang was hyped and the present was sold-out, but it surely didn’t evaluate to the 310Babii live performance two days later.
An L.A. native, 310Babii drew an insane crowd and introduced out particular friends like Blxst, Luh Tyler, Lola Brooke and Lakeyah. Though not all of those artists are from L.A., it actually felt like the gang was!
Marcus Johnson isn’t any stranger to creating reminiscences at The Novo, and one particularly that stands out is the present thought-about by some to be Verzuz earlier than Verzuz. That was RJMrLA vs. 03 Greedo.
“The Novo is sort of a ceremony of passage to a sure extent for L.A. artists,” Johnson explains. “Managers hit me up on a regular basis like, ‘I really feel like my artist is able to play The Novo as a result of I really feel like they’re able to get that second.’
“I keep in mind RJMrLA and 03 Greedo earlier than Verzuz. It was form of billed as 03 Greedo versus RJ. It was overrated. Everyone thought so as a result of they’re from completely different neighborhoods in L.A. Everyone thought it was going to be a multitude! You already know, fights and every thing.
“But it surely ended up being probably the most historic moments at The Novo. Since you had these two creating artists from L.A. They each have been form of thought-about the subsequent factor out of L.A. And right here they’re on the identical stage from completely different neighborhoods, completely different elements of the town. It ended up being probably the most memorable moments on this venue.”
Goldenvoice
You need to be a local of L.A. to know that bridging two communities collectively on one stage with zero issues is nothing in need of superb.
Kendrick Lamar did simply this on Juneteenth together with his legendary “Pop Out” present at The Discussion board in Inglewood, the place he united completely different L.A. gangs — a few of them rivals — whereas basically cementing his broadly perceived victory over Drake of their high-profile feud.
Rhea Roberts-Johnson was not solely closely concerned in that occasion, however performed a task in reserving Kendrick’s very first present a few years again.
“I used to work at 102.3 KJLH and I used to be getting my hair performed someday, and my stylist had a buddy in there who was additionally getting her hair performed. On the time, folks knew I used to be on the radio so they might hand me mixtapes on a regular basis,” she explains.
“This woman got here to me like, ‘Are you able to take heed to my buddy’s mixtape?’ And it was Jay Rock’s tape. Then she was like, ‘And right here’s one other one, too. His identify is Kendrick.’”
“On the time, Jay Rock was the one which they have been actually pushing. So I listened to it and I used to be like, ‘Okay, that is dope.’ After which I popped in Kendrick and I used to be like, ‘Properly, he received it!’”
“I keep in mind sending his mixtape to a bunch of individuals I knew in radio. I used to be like, ‘Hearken to this. Have you learnt him?’ And all people was like, ‘Nah,’” she continues.
“So I’m like, I have to get an interview with him as a result of he’s the one.’ He was simply so completely different. The arrogance, the lyrics — every thing was there. So I requested an interview with KJLH and [the station] denied it. They didn’t consider.
Kendrick Lamar’s Pop Out Live performance Featured Hidden J. Cole Easter Egg
“I used to be on a present referred to as The Saturday Night time Mixdown, which was Hip Hop centered, however all people is aware of KJLH for being an R&B station and taking part in gospel on Sundays. However I instructed Marcus, who was reserving golf equipment on the time. I used to be like, ‘I have to get an interview with him.’”
“We had an evening on the Conga Room. We discovered JAY-Z was on the town that Friday doing his Blueprint 3 tour on the Staples Heart, and we have been like, ‘We’ll simply name it the Blueprint 3 afterparty.’ It was proper throughout the road from the Staples Heart, however we didn’t have the cash to ebook JAY-Z or whoever else was on the lineup.
“So we began in search of native artists to ebook. Rhea had simply found this man, Kendrick Lamar. We began making some calls, received in contact with Dave Free [Kendrick’s longtime manager] and we ended up reserving Kendrick Lamar for our performer for the night time.”
He continues: “This was his first ever present. His first efficiency ever. And I didn’t even know that till years after it occurred. I used to be talking on a music panel in Boston and I bumped into Punch, one of many executives at High Dawg [Entertainment].
“I used to be like, ‘Dude, you do not forget that factor we did on the Conga Room with Kendrick?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, man. That was his first present ever.’”
Recalling the gang’s response to a nearly unknown Kendrick, Marcus says: “There have been loads of his pals there, like even his pals nonetheless to today. There weren’t a ton of individuals as a result of it was early. It wasn’t tremendous packed but. ScHoolboy Q was the hype man. He had a bald head. MixedByAli was his DJ after which Rhea interviews him.”
It was via this modest efficiency that the couple developed a relationship with Kendrick and his camp, paving the way in which for them to reunite three years later at one other L.A. venue, Membership Nokia.
“That was the primary time that I did two reveals in a single night time as a result of the demand was there for Kendrick,” Rhea says of the October 17, 2012 present, simply days earlier than the discharge of good child, m.A.A.d metropolis.
“When tickets went on sale, they bought out like this [snaps her fingers]. So we did a second present that very same night time. That was the primary time that we did that, and it labored. That was once I mentioned, ‘Oh, this could work.’
“That was one other a kind of reveals that at all times stands out to me. I knew about him early on, however seeing how rapidly he developed and seeing his stage presence, there was an entire transformation from when he carried out on the Conga Room.”
The Novo has performed host to so many superb abilities, from L.A. artists like The Sport, Roddy Ricch, DJ Quik, Vince Staples, Doja Cat and Earl Sweatshirt to non-local legends resembling D’Angelo, Gucci Mane, Erykah Badu, Lil Uzi Vert, Pusha T and the late DMX.
Like Kendrick, fellow hometown hero Nipsey Hussle additionally placed on a memorable present at Membership Nokia in 2012 throughout his ascent to stardom.
“When Nip received booked right here, I used to be dealing with the ticketing for this venue. I keep in mind we put the present up on-line to promote, however [his brother] Blacc Sam, the businessman that he’s, was like, ‘We need to promote tickets from the [Marathon Clothing] retailer,’” Rhea remembers.
“He got here as much as my workplace and picked up 100 tickets. Usually, that will be it for an artist in consignment gross sales. About 4 hours later he referred to as me and was like, ‘I would like extra.’ And I’m like, ‘Huh?’ He got here and picked up one other hundred. And he actually bought the present out.”
Rhea was significantly impressed by Nipsey and his crew’s enterprise acumen and operational effectivity.
“By this time in my profession, I had handled loads of artists and loads of groups, and I keep in mind simply considering how on level they have been,” she says. “I’m like, ‘This crew is so tight and so organized and so about their cash.’ I used to be impressed. I used to be in awe.
“You see so many artists who don’t perceive the enterprise facet of what they do, and to see a crew that was so tapped in and so concerned, not simply with what’s occurring on stage however behind the scenes.”
When artists play The Novo, it’s like a ceremony of passage, a solution to announce to the world that they’ve formally arrived. Its significance within the metropolis is so pivotal that one artist even launched their very own competition right here — an annual occasion that’s nonetheless going sturdy greater than 10 years later.
“One of many moments that I at all times take into consideration as a result of we nonetheless work with this artist is the primary 12 months that we did Tyler, The Creator’s Odd Future Carnival, what’s now often called Camp Flog Gnaw,” Rhea says. “It was in 2012. The carnival was throughout the road within the car parking zone, whereas the live performance itself was inside The Novo.
“Everyone from Odd Future, it’s humorous seeing them now. We simply noticed Taco [Travis Bennett] at [Kendrick’s] Pop Out present. I keep in mind all of these guys being so younger, operating round and being so excited. After which seeing them nonetheless to today having that very same degree of enthusiasm, however seeing how a lot that occasion has grown and it’s nonetheless so related and continues to develop.”
“Tyler nearly created the blueprint for festivals which might be curated by artists as a result of no person was actually doing that,” he provides. “So to have that concept and that degree of enthusiasm and simply being so concerned within the course of, that’s admirable.”
Among the many numerous artists who’ve graced the stage inside The Novo is the musical genius who has impressed most of the above names: Prince.
“One of many reveals that actually stands out to me right here was Prince,” Rhea says fondly. “It was 2009. Prince had an concept to do Membership Nokia, the Nokia Theater (what’s now the Peacock Theater) after which the Conga Room. He wished to do all three venues in a single night time.
“So we began on the Nokia Theater, he performed over there, moved to the Conga Room, performed there, and ended right here at Membership Nokia.”
Membership Nokia’s rebranding to The Novo occurred in 2016, emphasizing a shift in the direction of a extra city music and rap scene, which had already began to take form beneath its earlier identify. This transformation was guided by expertise consumers who have been deeply linked to Hip Hop and R&B. Since then, The Novo has develop into a pivotal venue for Hip Hop in Los Angeles.
Moreover, the venue has performed a major function in supporting the area people and its rising artists. The Novo has given many up-and-coming abilities a platform to showcase their music, positioning it as a key participant within the West Coast music scene.
The Novo is personally one among my favourite venues to attend. The welcoming spirit from normal supervisor Kyle Robinson, reserving assistant Taji Hardwick and Marcus Johnson trickles right down to the entire employees. If you step into this venue, it at all times looks like dwelling.
