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Named to Washington Life magazine's Hot List September 2010

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

PHOTO STORY

VIP Reception with Anna Kournikova at Washington Kastles Stadium

Photo Credit: Alfredo Flores, Washington Life Magazine

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Friday, November 16, 2012

PHOTO STORY

Charlie Sheen vs. Washington D.C.

Was the actor's show at DAR a bi-winning night or a violent torpedo of FAIL?

Photo Credit:Alfredo Flores, Special to Metromix

Jeffrey Ross winning, Charlie Sheen losing...big time. The combination of these two men was not epic, but also not a flailing disaster as Sheen’s tour has been in other cities, mainly due to Ross salvaging the show by insulting the actor repeatedly as only the comic/roastmaster could do. Sheen was 67-minutes late to his own performance, understandable as he had to return to Los Angeles for a custody hearing over his children just hours earlier. “I hope you had a better f***ing day than I did. I think my tardiness gave you a chance to drink more,” said Sheen, the only one-liner that got a tremendous response by the belligerent and drunken crowd of young professionals. Despite the late start, Sheen was greeted to a raucous standing ovation as he entered from the back of the near-capacity 3,700 at DAR Constitution Hall, high-fiving fans along the way and sporting a Washington Nationals Ricky Vaughn jersey (from his role in the “Major League” movies). But it was all downhill from there. WBIG (100.3 FM) host Tommy Griffiths played the role of enabler, lauding Sheen for his recent outburst, basically kissing butt for all to see, and at one point asking him what makes a Warlock. “Magic. I sold this place out in 10 minutes and you didn’t even know what the show was about. How about that for f***ing magic!” (Note: Tickets for floor seats were still on sale as late as last week.) Regarding his mixed reviews about the tour, all Sheen had to say was, “In some cities this thing was a witch hunt. I never claimed this thing was anything. I was asked if I wanted to go on tour, sure I’ll go on f***ing tour, whatever that means. I’ve done 12 cities, and I’m 10 and two. That would lead the league in my opinion.” Then the rants started, from blistering attacks on his ex-wives and studio execs of “Two and a Half Men” to boasts about a pseudo “presidential” run with Nick Cage as his running mate. “At least I was f***ing born here. I didn’t Photoshop my birth certificate,” Sheen said, a dig at President Obama’s alleged fake birth certificate. Shortly after, he was showered with heckles, which were heard loud and clear. “Say something funny!” “Shut the f*** up and say something weird!” “Entertain us!” “F*** you Tommy!” (Even host Tommy Griffiths was heckled ruthlessly.) Then, mercifully, a six-minute intermission came. Sheen left the stage and so did a good percentage of the audience. After the break, Jeffrey Ross came to the rescue by starting off the roast of Sheen, which the "winning" actor took in stride: “Just when I thought DC couldn’t get any slimier, you come along. Consider this a comedy intervention,” Ross started out with. “How do you roast a f***ing meltdown? You say you’re a warlock from Mars. I’ll tell you what you’re not—a comedian from Earth.“ “I’m used to roasting classier people, like Flava Flav and Courtney Love.” “You’re the black sheep of the family that was responsible for three "Mighty Duck" movies.” “You should go visit the White House, which also happens to be the name of your nostrils. “ “Your nostrils are so full of coke, they call them the Hilton sisters.” Then a dozen selected audience members were given the chance to ask Sheen anything. All questions were bizarre, which ranged from how many black women he’s slept with, where to find good cocaine in the city, to the size of his penis. “Keeping with the theme, it’s the (size of the) f*cking Washington Monument.” In a strange night, where the only "celebrities" on hand were ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser and White House party crashers Tariq and Michaele Salahi, weird questions were apropos. The 90-minute show ended when he was asked if he wanted to return to “Two and a Half Men.” “Of course I want my job back. I told the show, you guys were lucky to have me here. Shame on you. F*** off. It’s the same thing I say about my ex-wives. But thank you Washington. I’m lucky to be here. Shame on me for not coming here sooner, now I’m going to f*** off.”

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

ARTS & EVENTS

Latin Rhythm, World Message: Juanes, 'P.A.R.C.E.'

Written by Washington Post Express contributor Alfredo Flores

Juanes just might be the friendliest 17-time Latin Grammy winner you'll ever meet. The affable Colombian rocker often greets people with hugs and still personally responds to messages from among his 2 million Twitter followers. Even the title of his new album, "P.A.R.C.E.," welcomes you in — "parce" is a Colombian street slang term for "buddy." "I wanted to demonstrate a pure, positive energy," explains Juanes, who's midway through a 16-city U.S. tour. "This album is all about the hope that there could be a peace among all people." Juanes has long used his music as a platform to give voice to the stories of the marginalized and forgotten. He first came on the scene a decade ago with "Fíjate Bien," a song about the land mines — left from years of civil unrest — that have maimed and killed thousands of Colombians. Two years later, Juanes became a global superstar with "A Dios Le Pido," a plea for world peace.

'P.A.R.C.E.' courtesy Universal Music Latino All told, Juanes has sold more than 15 million records and introduced mainstream Latin music to the indigenous Colombian rhythms of vallenato and cumbia — popular styles of folk music originating in the nation's northern Caribbean region. Vallenato and cumbia have recently seen a resurgence in popularity within Latin music, turning up in dance floor mixes and even drawing their own category at the Latin Grammy Awards. Juanes mixes the styles into his signature powerful guitar-heavy ballads, and says that the blending of sounds and traditions allows him to express ideas across language barriers and genres. "Music has always been a way of expressing all my emotions," he says. "Whether they be happy, sad, frustrating, being scared. I think of music as a way for people to connect with each other, and it's been a blessing to have been able to do this." "I hope I can help cure through my music," he says. » Patriot Center, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax; Sun., 7 p.m., $39-$125; 703-993-3000.

Saturday, November 03, 2012

PHOTO STORY

Pics: Jay-Z & Kanye at the Verizon Center

Photo Credit:AlfredoFlores.net Photography

It was a bill that already contained two towering giants in the hip-hop game, and if that weren’t enough, their swagtastic performance together at the Verizon Center proved why Jay-Z and Kanye are the hottest pair in the genre. Jay-Z entered one end of the floor in a rising tower in a black T-shirt and black pants, Kanye West in a matching shirt and a ridiculous black knee-length tunic -- as if only to draw even more attention to himself at tower No. 2. But despite their differences in appearances, style, and bravado, the mega-hit-making duo were dynamic in concert together at the sold-out show. Once joined together at center stage with a giant American flag as a backdrop, the Jay and Ye got into the set list of their first full-album together, “Watch the Throne,” with a powerful rendition of “Otis.” Later on in the evening, they went on to sing hit songs from each other’s storied careers in an unforgettable two-hour set.

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Monday, October 29, 2012

WASHINGTON POST EXPRESS
WEEKEND PASS COVER STORY


ARTS & EVENTS

Haunted Hill: When Hip-Hop Party Band Cypress Hill Performs Live, It Sure Does Light Up a Joint

Written by Washington Post Express contributor Alfredo Flores

CYPRESS HILL WOULD regularly perform on Halloween at the 9:30 Club. And why not? If the haunted holiday ever had its own theme song, Cypress' Sen Dog thinks it should be the band's 1993' mega-hit, "Insane in the Brain." "That should be played all day on Halloween," said Sen. "C'mon. It's the one day you can dress up and act like a freak if you want." The band is best known for its slow-rolling drum-and-bass loops and funky-stark grooves that have an eerily stoned feel. Cypress uses spooky effects, such as the sound of pouring raindrops, which go well with the band's gloomy album titles — "Black Sunday," "Temples of Boom," "Skull & Bones" — and their talk of paranoia, insanity, fearing the reaper, etc. And while dark themes rule on Halloween, Cypress Hill can also rock hard on tracks featuring high-energy, rapid-fire rock riffs. Cypress Hill is notorious for its live shows — stunts such as having a gigantic inflated Buddha doll as a stage prop and the band's percussionist Eric Bobo smoking out of an 8-foot-tall bong (dubbed King Arthur). Its lyrics deal with parodied versions of the violent street life of Cypress Avenue in South Gate, East Los Angeles, and, of course, the trio's obsessive advocacy for legalizing marijuana. Their vocals are just as eccentric with lead lyricist B-Real's (Louis Freese) exaggeratedly nasal high-pitched whine, and Sen's (Senen Reyes) mostly shouting his equally exaggerated deep booming "psycho beta tone" raps. The genesis of the polar opposite vocals came when the two were working on a demo. While the band's style and beats were well received, some weren't thrilled with B-Real's normal voice. "My voice didn't cut through the music like it should; it sounded average, nothing distinct about it," said B-Real. "I was asked to change it up, so I locked into that nasal vocal tone and Sen created the 'whoo-whoo' deep tones to complement mine. It was kinda like Public Enemy, but inside out." Indeed. Public Enemy's lead vocals come from the deep-voiced and physically imposing Chuck D, while Flava Flav sports giant sunglasses and a clock, and serves as comic foil. With Cypress, despite his high-pitched vocals, B-Real serves as the aggressor backing up the violent themes. "That's the dark humor about it," said B-Real, laughing. "I sound like a squirt trying to talk big. I think people trip out of it, because you have this crazy-ass voice talking some crazy-ass stuff. I think it was [an expletive] for people, but in a good way." Cypress' self-titled debut 1991 album had the bass-heavy, violent-filled "Hand on the Pump" and "How I Could Just Kill a Man," but it was the track "Hole in the Head" that featured the verse that would later become the chorus for "Insane." DJ Muggs (Lawrence Muggerud), whose production work was instrumental to the band's success, found inspiration in the title phrase and came up with the track's hypnotic beat. "When I heard Muggs' beat, I was like, 'Wow, this stuff is crazy,'" said B-Real. "It's like a magnet, a bounce — you go to the show and we could just picture everybody jumping, mosh-pitting, stage-diving." And that's just what the fans did, transcending Cypress Hill from buzz-worthy rappers to breakout superstars with the track and critically claimed 1993 album "Black Sunday." The album was loaded with odes to ganja and sprinkled with rock elements, initiating a strong following among rock audiences. "The imagery of our work has always been dark and mysterious like metal albums, and our attitude was real non-give-[an expletive]-ish like punk rock," said B-Real. "Our music was hip-hop at the base, though. After Run-DMC, we were the band in the forefront of making the hip-hop and metal connection." The trio's work in the hip-hop world alone has earned them the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors in 2008, the first for a Latin rap group. They've also become the first Latin rap group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums. "At the end of the day, we want to leave a strong legacy, and people can say Cypress was a kick-ass band," said Sen. Like its 2000 hit "(Rock) Superstar," the band continues to tour and party like rock stars, and its new album, "Rise Up" — the first in five years — is set to be released shortly. But after having sold more than 20 million records and approaching 20 years in the game, a rarity in hip-hop, how much longer can Cypress go? "People used to call us the Grateful Dead of hip-hop," said B-Real. "In about 10 years, they're going to call us the Rolling Stones of hip-hop." » 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW; with Tabi Bonney, Phil Ade, Sat., Oct. 31, 8 p.m., $35; 800-955-5566. (U St.-Cardozo)

Thursday, October 25, 2012

WASHINGTON POST EXPRESS
WEEKEND PASS COVER STORY


ARTS & EVENTS

Old School Is In Session: Wu-Tang's RZA, Inspectah Deck and Masta Killa, Rock the Bells, at Merriweather Post Pavilion

Written by Washington Post Express contributor Alfredo Flores

This year's Rock the Bells festival is bringing it back to 1993, with an impressive slate of hip-hop greats set to perform classic records in their entirety. More than 20 acts throw down on two stages at Merriweather Post Pavilion Sunday: Lauryn Hill appears on her first tour in more than a decade, Snoop Dogg reprises the G-Funk era sound with Tha Dogg Pound, Q-Tip performs jazzy-infused hip-hop jams with A Tribe Called Quest, and hip-hop pioneers Slick Rick, KRS-One and Rakim re-enact their respective landmark '90s recordings. Hip-hop had a watershed year in 1993. A single two-week span in November of that year saw the release of three of the genre's most critically acclaimed and influential albums, all by Rock the Bells headliners: Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, and A Tribe Called Quest. "These albums are my some of my favorite albums," said Wu-Tang Clan's RZA. "It feels like a road map to hip-hop history, show people some of the hip-hop revolution." This year's lineup — the seventh time around for Rock the Bells — is arguably the festival's most ambitious. The tour marks the first time Wu's "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)," Snoop's "Doggystyle" and Tribe's "Midnight Marauders" are being performed straight through live. But it's not the first Rock the Bells for Wu Tang. Back in 2004 — when members of a divided Clan were notorious no-shows at their own concerts — a reunited nine-member Wu was the big draw for the inaugural RTB. Guerilla Union concert promoter Chang Weisberg had just pulled together the fledgling fest, encouraged by the fanatical reaction to hip-hop heroes Mos Def, Talib Kweli and others when they popped up for a few tiny, underground club shows in Los Angeles. Rock the Bells was a smash that first time out — in what also turned out to be the late Wu-Tang member Ol' Dirty Bastard's final performance. The fest now tours internationally, bringing together alternative and indie hip-hop artists with mainstream performers. It also birthed the offshoot SmokeOut music festival, where Cypress Hill's beginning-to-end performance of its seminal 1993 album "Black Sunday" was met with a tremendous response. So, it was only natural to take that concept and expand it for RTB. "I like what this tour is doing, bringing together the O.G.s of rap, the foundation of the '90s," said Wu-Tang's Inspectah Deck. "These songs are what influenced and inspired a generation of hip-hop." Nurturing hip-hop's next generation has been RTB's mission from the start, said Vinnie Paz of festival veterans Jedi Mind Tricks. "[Rock the Bells] provides a venue for independent hip-hop artists like us to open people's eyes," Paz said. "Because we don't have million-dollar videos doesn't mean we can't play. People often say, 'Yo, I never heard of these guys before, but their stuff is raw.'" Like Jedi Mind Tricks, Wu-Tang were once independent artists who combined mythological imagery with hardcore raps. The Wu found an escape from the violence of early-'90s New York City in their vision of feudal Asia. Their samurai daydreams — where honor was valued above all and wrongs could be avenged — converted Staten Island's Park Hill Projects into "Shaolin." Their grimy lyrics of anger and urban struggle were a judo chop to the decadent club-bangers that dominated late-'80s hip-hop. Gone were the flashy gold chains of the previous decade; in were the Wu, brandishing baseball bats along with piano loops, soul-music samples and kung fu-flick dialogue. "It was the sword style of rhyming, where your tongue is a sword — karate to the empire world. It came at a time when people were starving for a Wu-Tang song, people hungry for true hip-hop," explained Deck. "Put the Beatles and the Rolling Stones together and you might have close to what the Wu is capable of manifesting to the world," added Wu's Masta Killa. "There has never been a concert of this size and magnitude with so much talent from one source, one movement," said Wu's RZA in closing. "It's a historic concert I'm proud to be a part of, and I'm also proud to witness. That's how the RZA feels. Bong bong." » Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md.; Sun., doors open at 11 a.m., $66-$150. 410-715-5550 begin_of_the_skype_highlighti