“When I say ‘word,’” Frank E. Brady told the crowd, “say the first word that comes the top of your head.”
“Fire,” someone said. Brady started freestyling: “There’s fire in the sky … we’re burning outside …”
“Love,” someone else said. Then someone said, “Artist.”
Brady wrapped it all together: “This is what ‘Tempo’ is about … Artists catch fire.”
Brady, a spoken-word artist, was among the performers Friday night at Tempo, a new monthly open mic for rappers, dancers, spoken-word poets, and musicians. Organized by Grammy-nominated producers Aaron Rogers and Rashad Johnson, it took place from 7 to 11 in the Music Back Then performance space on Bull Hill Lane in West Haven. FashionPrince hosted the event, which featured DJ R‑Nice, DJ FatBoySlim, and Kreative Spectrum, among others.
“We wanted to create an underground even where people could chill and vibe with underground music,” said Johnson, of Breed Entertainment and Black Wall Street, among other projects.
Leigh Busby was on hand taking photos and videos. Check them out.