Outside with Huey Briss

I took myself on a date. 

My day was jam packed with an endless list of tasks, as usual. I tried to avoid a day as such since I dreamed of a tranquil afternoon followed by a turnt up night. 

The Moroccan Lounge was opening its doors at 8pm, around the same time I finished handling my business.  

I scarfed down my first meal of the day: peanut butter toast.  And in the shower I went.  The scorching steam zenned me out, stabilizing my nervous system, which prompted my Virgo mind to let go of wanting everything to go perfect. At that point I was just ready to get out the house and go dance to some Huey.

HUEY BRISS! The first time I saw this name was in bold letters on a flyer. He was opening up for one of my favorite artists.  I told myself I might as well learn some of his music so I could vibe to his set and get a little warm-up in before the headliner hit the stage.  

I played his album Living Off The Land in the background as I got things done around the house.   I recollect hanging my clothes, then suddenly coming to a halt  because of a lyric that caught my attention.  I ran the song back, cranked his shit up louder, and intentionally tuned into every track, and from that day on his catalog stays in my rotation.  

The night arrived for him to open the show, and I was doing more than hitting a little two step, more than mumbling bits and pieces of a verse. You would have thought I’ve been rocking with him for years.  I caught up with most of his music in a short span of time because every album was speaking to me. During that period in my life, his art supported my spiritual reset after hitting a rock bottom.       

That was then.  

I think the peanut butter toast settled enough for me to start pre-gaming now.        

I chugged what I like & before Uber prices could climb any higher, I quickly put together a comfy tomboy ensemble.  I threw a Huey Briss Tee over my hoodie to top off the outfit.  Although it was a date night and I intended to pop out in something grown and sexy, it only made sense to wear his merch, because on this special night I was attending his first headlining show. 

THE SHOW!!!

I was ready to Lil Mama his shit.  Hop on the stage and bob my head like “yeah, wassup?” 

Shortly before his set, he had the DJ play Trick Daddy, "I’m a Thug", a favorite song and music video of mine from my middle school days. 

So off top, I’m activated.  Then his daughter gets on the mic to hype up the crowd and he just comes out and properly delivers all the way through with style, a well-curated set list, and special guests. He gave us his all and we deserved it. He brought together an amazing crowd. Everyone I rubbed shoulders with was a delight to meet.

Solo date night was a 10/10 and it was truly a success because Briss Don't Miss <3

Outside with G Funk Supreme

I have great respect for this man. His name is Borey, also known as G Funk Supreme. We crossed paths in high school, but we didn't form a relationship until more than ten years after we graduated.

Sometime in 2019… My sister sent me an Instagram post. It was Borey looking for someone to direct a music video for his song “Missed Calls” from his album titled Unapologetic.  I listened to the song, liked it, and came up with a concept. A meeting was arranged and we met up at a coffee shop. We listened to the song, he told me his idea for the video, and then it was my turn to pitch… 

After my presentation, Borey said, “Huh, that’s interesting.” HA! He wasn’t totally against it, but the juxtaposition may have been a little too strong for him. In my mind, it was a brilliant idea. I still envision the video when I listen to the song. 

We sat with each other's ideas, both of us clinging tightly to our own visions, and it was clear that we would not be working on this project together.  

After our meeting we went on to talk about everything else under the sun. As I sat across from him, I began to see his true essence. I wasn’t having a baseless conversation with a pretentious hip-hop artist; I was sitting amongst a highly intelligent person who also happened to have the biggest heart and spoke words worth listening to.  

Our time together came to an end. Before I took off, Borey gifted me with a hat and a copy of his Unapologetic album. I listened to that CD back-to-back. I became a fan who respected the totality of him. But I wanted to be more than a fan. I really wanted to collaborate with him. 

I attended a couple of his shows. The first one was at the House of Blues. It was phenomenal. I get the chills talking about that show. His stage presence did not disappoint. I was there, front row, rapping word for word, bar for bar.  

At the second show, my petite ass faced a pint of Hennessy.  After his set, I bombarded his space and drunkenly blurted, "We need to work together...I really want to direct a music video for you." BLAH BLAH BLAH.  He told me to share some of my work with him and that  we could go from there.  

The hangover blues hit hard the next morning. I thought I was acting a fool at that show and on top of that I didn’t have shit to share with Borey. I was working on artistic projects but not music videos. My confidence wasn’t there to sell my cool ideas because I had no physical representation. I stepped back.  

Fast forward to 2023.  I gave birth to my second son in February and spent a lot of time inside.  During my postpartum recovery, I couldn’t move around or rip and run like I did before giving birth. There was no escape from the madness, I had to sit alone with my thoughts. I thought a lot about the things that I did wrong, things that I did right, my fears, my hopes, and my dreams.  

I listened to a lot of underground hip-hop to get by. Underground hip-hop has always been there for me. It has gotten me through some wild storms. One of my dreams has been to be a part of that scene somehow, someway.  

Towards the end of that year, I finally came up with a concrete idea to start a platform that will spotlight underground hip-hop artists. The name "Outside Flow" came to me. There are so many ways you can interpret the name, and I'll explain my interpretation another time. 

So bam…Outside Flow is the platform where I’ll document the people behind the meaningful music that deserves more flowers.  

Now I am on fire and more serious and determined about my work than I have ever been.  

I looked Borey up on instagram to see what he was up to and learned that he was returning to the House of Blues. I got his number from my sister. I was nervous because I haven’t spoken to him since my drunken night at the last show I attended.  

Real quick: Now I remember where my shame is coming from. I took a few photos where I was flashing my boobs around strangers moments after failing to force a professional conversation while under the influence.  

Now we’re back: I proceeded with reaching out. I texted him my ideas for Outside Flow and that I wanted to kick off the first episode by documenting BTS for his upcoming show. It took him a week to get back to me, but he blessedly let me in, invited me to his rehearsals, and even went as far as granting me an all access backstage pass at the House of Blues. I captured so much more than I could have imagined or hoped for.

At one of the rehearsals, I felt the need to apologize for my wild behavior at his last show. His response was, “Don’t worry, I don’t remember, we were all gone.”

Thank you Borey aka G Funk Supreme.

Why we're here...

About 17 years ago I was a blog head.  My mornings consisted of me bouncing from website to website, skimming through various blogs was my breakfast. I highly enjoyed reading posts by Vashtie, Gala Darling, and Lesley Arfin. They were the It Girls that I admired and looked up to. I strongly gravitated towards them because their interests were right up my alley. 

Around that time, Vashtie was heavily into directing music videos, which has been a longtime dream of mine that will, very soon, see the light of day. Lesley’s writings were witty and honest. She inspired me to open my diary again and to experiment with my writing style.  

I do not know how I came across Gala Darling, but she came into my life at the right time. I appreciate her for being an amazing internet role model. Her website positively impacted my early adulthood as well as my present life. She opened my eyes to the power of self-reflection and helped me to believe that I have the extreme capability to create a delicious life that I love. 

Each of these women are still thriving today. If you don’t know who they are, go check them out. While you’re here, check me out too…

My name is Toni. I have been sitting on my creative ideas for far too long. I am taking advantage of my time now. In the near future, you will discover more blog posts & films created by me, here at tonitonivision.com 

Thank you for visiting & keep coming back for more.