Interview & Show Review: Jon Hope @ CMJ – The Warm Up

Last night kicked off the CMJ festivities here in NYC, and the week is going to be crazy!

HipHopAtLunch.com will be covering shows and interviewing all the talented artists whose path we cross.

Last night’s bill consisted of Termanology, Skyzoo, Statik Selektah Bekay, Emilio Rojas, Jon Hope, Shawn Chrystopher, Donny Goines, and JtheS, but we soon found out that anything can happen at CMJ.

Termanology and Shawn Chrystopher didn’t make it to Santos, however special guests Joe Scudda, Sha Stimuli, and Cormega put on a good show in their absence.

John Hope really got the crowd involved with his energetic stage presence.  He also came through with his Essence Music Group family to represent Providence for the night.

Check out Jon Hope performing “The Most Important Song Of My Life.”

That song is wonderfully produced and carries a great message of respect and love within the hip hop community.

After his set, Jon Hope took a minute to touch base with HipHopAtLunch.com, explaining his previous comments about Pill’s “Trap Going Ham” video, and talking about why he follows porn stars on Twitter!

Jon meant no disrespect when he recorded “Smartest,” inspired by Pill’s “Trap Goin Ham.”  Instead he decided to portray the change he would like to see in hip hop.  Jon took this interview as an opportunity to clear that up.  Also, if you’re a pornstar hit Jon up on Twitter:@JonHope and let him know what you thought of the interview!

Jon Hope’s upcoming project, A Work In Progress, should be interesting, as he stated that it will differ greatly from Some Kind of Wonderful.  If we can’t have Some Kind of Wonderful Part 2, I hope we see more tracks like Breathin’ which saw time on MTV.

Other standout performances from the night were Joe Scudda’s “Trunk Rattle.”

Joe Scudda has a great stage presence, delivery, his confidence really comes out in live performances.  I can’t wait to hear the album he’s working on with Statik Selektah!

Emilio Rojas performed “Bold & Arrogant.”

His upcoming mixtape, The Natural, with DJ Green Lantern is something to keep an eye out for.

Donny Goines performed “Bring It Forward.”

If you haven’t downloaded The Breakfast Club yet, I suggest you jump on that.

Bekay performed “I Am,” produced by The Alchemist.

That’s a dope track about hip hop.

Cormega performed “Journey,” produced by the Large Professor.

That opening line is sick, “Life is a journey/Before I went the rap route/I served niggas off the bench like Stackhouse/Going in with no intention to back down/My cocaine flow solidified/I spit crack now.”

My favorite performance of the night was Skyzoo’s “The Beautiful Decay.”

I like how Skyzoo started off performing Nas’ “The World Is Yours,” which he said inspired “The Beautiful Decay.”

Statik Selektah also blessed us with a first listen of his upcoming album’s radio record, “So Close, So Far,” featuring Bun B, Wale, and Colin Munroe.

Bun B, Colin Munroe, and Wale is one sick line up!

Sha Stimuli closed out the night.

If all of CMJ has as much talent as last night, my camera is in for a workout!

Before leaving Santos, we asked Jon Hope to speak on the origin of his name.  To much surprise, Young Jeezy had some major influence!

I didn’t realize Jon Hope had so much meaning behind his name, but it’s definitely a good thing he doesn’t call himself Jeezy anymore!

Big shout out to Statik Selektah, Brandon of Show Off Marketing, Matt of Coalmine Records, and everybody who came through or showed love!