#FluidFridays Kicks Off!

What do you get when you put hip hop, freestyling and comedy together? You get the genius that is Ellevan. This past Friday, Billiards Academy kicked off Fluid Fridays On the Danforth – a live music event showcasing local talent with Xpozae‘s help in booking the talent and online promo. I was utterly impressed. Usually before I go to a show, I do research and find out about the talent I’m going to cover. In Ellevan’s case, because it was music, I did everything except listen to his music. And I’m so happy I did it that way. Having no expectations but knowing the theme was hip hop, I was blown away.

We started the night with a surprise. Award winning Michael Shand swooped in to open the show with his smooth jazz fingers on the keyboard. What a treat!

Ellevan aka #ThatFreeStylingGuy, doesn’t just rap. He can freestyle. And he doesn’t just freestyle. He takes it to a new level. He;s able to pick out people in the room, get their attention and uses something from that small conversation to make a song about it on the spot. From Nike shoes to red pants, to a lady called Genie and a dude name Pedro, he easily flowed through the beats and rhythm his crew was dropping. On the guitar, he had Joob Vakili and Jack and on the percussion was Donny. They were playing familiar hip hop beats and adapting to every switch Ellevan made. His ability to “talk” to you while he’s raping demonstrates the years of practice and dedication to his craft. As a musician once myself, I know how difficult it is to get everyone on your groove. They made it effortlessly.

Joob Vakili, Ellevan, Donny

He’s a true artist who loves what he does and you can see it in his performance. He’s a professional delivering every second of every minute of his set. Ellevan brings something else to the table that not every musician can. He is an entertainer. My friends were in the back playing pool and they said that not only was he good but he was entertaining. And it’s true. I sat there truly enjoying myself, laughing like I was at a comedy show. Seriously, impressed.

If you missed last Friday, you have another chance to catch Ellevan this Fluid Friday, January 29th at Billiards Academy located at 485 Danforth Ave. the fun starts at 10pm and there’s no cover! So grab some friends, come play some pool and let Ellevan take you away to his world.

Find out more about Ellevan and his new album “Life Gone By” on iTunes

If you want a taste of Ellevan’s style and music, check out the video below of him and his band.