Cool Nutz Tour Journal of Norway Tour Feb. 2008

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Apr 25, 2002
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Monday Feb. 11th & Tuesday Feb. 12th

On Monday Feb. 11th we departed for Norway from the Portland airport for a week of fun and sun in beautiful Norway. The only bad thing about our flight over were the long layovers in each city. We had a 4 hour layover in Seattle, and another 3 hour layover in Copenhagen. My traveling companions on this trip are none other then Todd G from Eugene(www.myspace.com/bigtoddg) and Senior Editor of The Source Magazine Soren Baker, who will be covering our trip to Norway for an upcoming story in The Source.

For the most part the flight was great outside of the turbulence while flying over Greenland. There's nothing better then being wakened in the middle of your sleep by harsh air. With the temperature outside the plane at a sweltering -71 degrees, it was a very pleasant thought to imagine something happening to us while over Greenland.

Outside of the turbulence our flight was very nice. International flights have much better service and better amenities for travelers. Nothing like being able to watch cable and movies in your seat, while your flight attendant serves you a full course meal. I love Scandinavian Airlines.

We arrived in Stranfjord, Norway at about 7:00pm and we were all very tired from the flight and our lack of sleep during our travel, so all we wanted to do was eat and get some sleep. Our hosts for this trip are some of Norway's finest hip-hop personalities MC/Producer HI-Q, who produced 2 tracks on the King Cool Nutz album(So Drunk and Streets Callin), DJ GNK, and DJ Lucky LK. its about 20 degrees out, and this is a very dry cold.

Norwegians are some of the nicest people that I have met, and these guys have a great knowledge of hip-hop culture and music. It's crazy to see that hip-hop has influenced people around the world and has a huge presence in the international music scene, considering where hip-hop culture originated from.

Upon landing, we were taken to a great pizza spot in Drammen, which is where we are staying during our trip here. We are commuting to Oslo and Tonsberg while here for show dates. Pizza is very popular over here, and I must say that they have mastered the recipe. The place that we dined at was called Lizzy's, and was an old horse stable, so the setting was very rustic and farm like. We have dined. Now we sleep.






Wednesday Feb. 13th

We are staying at a great hotel called the Hotel Ambassadeur, which is situated on the bank of the river. From my suite I can see a ski slope that sits right on the near hills of the city. Its like living in the Pearl district and looking up into the SW hills and the ski run is right there and lit at night.

I was the lucky one out of the bunch, as I was upgraded to a one bedroom suite with Queen bed and full bathtub. For those of you that haven't been to Europe, please understand that everything is smaller over here, so this is a luxury compared to Todd's and Soren's rooms. The usual bed is a twin, and Todd's hotel room is the size of a US prison cell, but nicely decorated. This is great for me, bad for them.

We are treated to free breakfast during our stay in the hotel, and I must say that it is great. Breakfast is served buffet style, but features fresh fruit, fresh meats, fresh cheeses, fresh bread, and more. The quality of the food is great, and they take great pride in that. This is a great way to start our trip.

Today we are off to the local art school where Todd G will talk to the children ages 14-16 about his life and good life choices. He has 2 speaking engagements which go over very well, and the children love it. It is great to be able to come over and watch him touch people with his life experiences. This school is called the Union Scene, and is basically a performing arts school for acting, music, and more. We will be performing here on Saturday.

After finishing up at The Union Scene we are off to see downtown Drammen and check out the action. We visit the downtown mall, where we find out that things are very expensive over here in Norway. A pair of Nike Air Force 1's that retail for $80.00US in Portland are $200.00US here. Everything is way more expensive and overpriced here. After visiting the mall we make our way to one of Drammen's favorite dining spots Snappy's. They serve a thing called a Kebab, which I suppose is some sort of Middle Eastern fast food. It seems like Gyro meat with french fries and shredded lettuce with corn and salad dressing. I must say that this was not the business. It was quite disgusting to me, but everyone else loved it.

Later that night Todd and HI-Q headed out to be featured on a Norwegian Christian talk show, and Soren and I were off to Oslo for a studio session with one of Norway's other top hip-hop acts Poppa Lars of the group Tungtvann(meaning Heavy Water). Poppa Lars is one of Oslo's top producers and had an amazing track waiting for me when I arrived at the studio. After hearing it, I got right to work on a song, and recorded a very hot track. Lars had a classic hip-hop collection of vinyl, and had a great love for quality classic hip-hop from the US.

With jetlag setting in heavy it was a must that we got back to Drammen to get some rest.



Thursday Feb. 14th

This was the first day that we had a show, and I was very excited to head back to Oslo to rock the party.

This was the first day that I was able to actually see Oslo, and the city is amazing. The classic European look reminded me of a James Bond movie.

Our first stop in Oslo was Stress which is the cities biggest hip-hop shop, as well as website and magazine. They feature the cutting edge fashion in clothing and footwear, as well as mixtapes and the such. HI-Q parked a distance away from the shop so we were able to walk through the city and see the sights. They have a theater district as well as US eateries TGI Friday's and others. Our contact person at Stress was Young L, who is one of the regions top mixtape DJ's.

After stopping by Stress we made our way to Dolly Dimple's for pizza again, and I must say that this recipe was a little better then the pizza our first night in Drammen. After lunch we were off to Villa which is the venue for the first show. Villa in the basement of a bar and is about 250 capacity. It was an old World War II bunker and had a unique feel to it and a great sound system.

The night started off with the DJ(Lucky LK) playing classic West Coast joints showing his love for West Coast hip-hop. Up first on the bill was HI-Q and DJ GNK who put on a great opening show and set the stage for Todd G, who gave the people of Oslo a heartfelt show about his life and change and his faith in God. The show was well received. Closing the night out was none other then myself, and I was met to a great reception from the crowd. It's great to be that far from home and get love for the music that we are creating. This was a great to start the shows, and I was looking forward to the following night in Tonsberg.









Friday Feb. 15th

This day started with an interview with Drammen newspaper, which gave us a lot of support and press coverage of our dates in Norway.

Upon completion of our interview it was time to get ready for our drive to Tonsberg(the oldest city in Norway), which is about an hour from Drammen. The drive was very exciting as our host HI-Q raced along the Norwegian freeway at 120KM with snow tires on the car.

There is plenty of great scenery in Norway, and it would be great to spend some time over here just doing some sight seeing. Tonsberg was a small city that was situated on the water, and had the modern features of Mc Donalds and Choice Hotels.

The venue looked like a Northwest Bed & Breakfast that was converted into a coffee house/bar/live performance venue. The spot was called Maskinistenes Hus, and was a great setting for hip-hop show. While waiting for the show to begin we did an interview with the local newspaper. The show featured a number of local opening acts that were influenced by Southern hip-hop, West Coast hip-hop, and classic NY hip-hop. This venue also serves as a spot for hip-hop culture workshops as well. They are very serious about the culture especially graffiti and DJ'ing over here.

It is hard to imagine going this distance from home and actually having fans that are very familiar with your work. There were a number of heads in the house that had copies of my past albums and were huge fans of the King Cool Nutz album. The show was dope in the sense that being out in the suburbs of Norway and having your music touch people. It was another great show and we were all met to a great reception as the people partied the night away. One thing that they do like to do is drink, and the Norwegians drink heavy. It was a fun night and NW hip-hop was in the building again.






Saturday Feb 16th

This was the final day of live performances, and the day started with a hip-hop workshop at the venue Union Scene. There was art display and we spoke to those in attendance about hip-hop and what it meant to us. It was great to be able to talk to the people about my experience in hip-hop and give some history about how hip-hop changed my life. Todd and Soren gave their own account as well.

The Union Scene was probably the best venue of the tour and had great sound, and a good setting. The turnout was great, as this was HI-Q's, GNK's, and Lucky LK's hometown. HI-Q and GNK started the night out with a great set that featured background singers, and were a great opening act. Todd G turned the heat up with his rapid fire flow, and his message of positivity and change. The night was started on the right foot. And finally it was time to blow the roof off of this joint. The crowd was ready, and I gave them my all, and I got plenty of love back. It was a great show, and they loved the classic material, as well as the new material from the King Cool Nutz album and Luni Coleone & Cool Nutz album.

The night was closed out by an afterparty at a club called Glass which sits right on the river. Its a great setting and I can imagine being here in the Summer partying. The afterparty was great and I received a lot of lover for the show as well. The DJ spun a couple of my joints which made the night even better.

It was sad that it finally came to an end, but it was great to be welcomed to another country and perform our music.





Sunday Feb. 17th

This was basically a day of rest as I spent my day in bed trying to catch up on my sleep and watching the BBC. It was an incredible trip, and I was sad to have to head home the next morning but there is more work to be done back in the US. The King Cool Nutz movement continues.

Monday Feb. 18th

We started our day with a great breakfast at the hotel, and then we were off to the train station to catch our flight at the Oslo airport. The train ride was very nice, and it gave us a chance to see some of the landscape. This was an incredible trip and opportunity, and I look forward to making it back to Norway in the coming months. Goodbye Norway.
 
Apr 25, 2002
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CN - we just got back from a couple shows in Finland...we've been there before and I must say, I am fuckin sick of Kebab and Pizza...and man them people can drink...was it dark out nonstop for you as well??

And we did British Airways and that 14 hour flight was NOTHING with those "choose your own" cable movies...I was poppin Vicodin and catchin up on flicks...good shit C
 
Jul 7, 2002
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CN - we just got back from a couple shows in Finland...we've been there before and I must say, I am fuckin sick of Kebab and Pizza...and man them people can drink...was it dark out nonstop for you as well??

And we did British Airways and that 14 hour flight was NOTHING with those "choose your own" cable movies...I was poppin Vicodin and catchin up on flicks...good shit C
How in the hell can you get tired of kebab???? I was just in Berlin and Amsterdam, and have been fiending ever since.