Ginuwine L.A. Concert + Traklife Pre-Show Recap
In early March 2022, Traklife was approached and asked to put together a lineup of R&B artists that could warm up the stage for Ginuwine. In three hours, a few calls were made and the lineup was set. We reached out to Traklife guest alumni that we knew were down for us and would tear up the stage.
Sunday, March 17. Show day. As I arrive at the venue, Academy LA, the line went around the building on Hollywood Blvd at 3:45pm, just before doors opened at 4pm. I knew Ginuwine had fans, but was surprised by the diversity in age, gender, and ethnicity. Ginuwine fans really showed out. Come 5:30pm, the venue was about 70% full. Mind you, Ginuwine didn’t go on until 8pm.
Pre-Show started with HeyDeon, a quality artist (and overall good dude) from Long Beach, CA with a modern & contemporary R&B sound. His smooth style put the whole crowd in their feelings with his ability to captivate the audience with his vocals.
On the other hand, Josh Moreland, from Florida, flipped the atmosphere and put on a high energy performance that woke up even the elderly crowd that came to see Ginuwine.
Up next, Chuck Jay hit the stage looking to become the new classic of R&B. We’ve always known Chuck sounds just as good live as he does on a recording, and this time was no different. His nostalgic R&B style was perfect for the audience and it definitely set the vibe right for Ginuwine.
Lastly, LongLiveCzar closed out the pre-show with a “wavy” set that was definitely for the ladies, performing a combination of his classic hits and unreleased tracks. If you’re not familiar with LongLiveCzar, he’s a Traklife fave who’s not only a talented musician, songwriter, and singer, but also smooth on the dance floor.
After an hour delay, Ginuwine finally hit the stage around 9pm and instantly made it worth the wait. He performed all his classics from “Pony,” “In Those Jeans,” “Anxious,” and even tracks that he featured in such as “You Owe Me” (with Nas) and “I Need A Girl” (with Diddy). Everyone that was there witnessed his greatness and got a reminder of why Ginuwine was and still is a music icon today.
Shoutout to RnBShows for allowing Traklife to co-produce the event and for Academy LA for having us. Also, special shoutout to Toquon Tha MC for hosting and keeping the crowd energy up for 5+ hours. Lastly, shoutout to all the artists that held it down and put on a great show, HeyDeon, Josh Moreland, Chuck Jay, LongLiveCzar, and Ginuwine.
