Phila Republic is bringing together a colorful array of LGBT talent for The Rubix Cube Eclectic LGBT Artist Show July 5.
Local promoter Stro Kyle created the event, hosted by Khabeer Rashad and featuring performances by DJ Reezey, James Lamar, Furious George and Kyle Couture.
Kyle said that Rubix Cube is a place for performers who don’t always fit into other LGBT-themed performance events around town.
“I realized that in Philadelphia there are so many different endeavors to take part in, as far as the culture and the community,” he said. “One of the things I’ve noticed that is lacking in Philadelphia gay culture is that there isn’t a core foundation for artists and DJs and people who are in the creative-arts scene. There’s no core place to go to and network and come together and do things on the more artistic level. There are a lot of places that provide karaoke and drag show but, for hip-hop and neo-soul artists and artists who are in bands that really want to showcase their talent, there aren’t many promoters who provide that. I want to be the sole person for that; to provide an outlet for many urban and eclectic alternative artists who want to promote their music in the Philadelphia arts scene.”
Still, LGBT performance events are somewhat frequent in a big metropolitan area like Philadelphia.
So we asked what is going to distinguish Rubix Cube from similar events.
“There’s a certain vibe that everybody feels,” Kyle said. “It’s almost if everything is in line, from the venue to the performers to the set. Every little aspect of it is set to coordinate. When people come to this event they feel that unique vibe. Most events are about who they can bring in that will attract a crowd or keep the party cool. With us, it is about inspiration. Every single artist and DJ that comes has a unique flair that resonated with each of our events.”
Kyle added that the artists he chose for Rubix Cube are on the bill because of their artistic ability instead of any kind of local star power.
“I have to be moved and inspired by their artistry and the story that they are trying to tell. I’ve worked with a lot of LGBT artists so far in the tri-state area that inspire me,” Kyle said. “I’m an artist myself so if I can be moved and inspired as an artist and as a young gay male, I want to bring that to everybody else in the community. If I’m truly inspired by your artistry, I’m willing to pull out all the stops and put an event together to try to get you out there in the community. It truly comes down to if you have a strong message that you want to convey to the community, I’m all for it.”
One artist making a statement at the showcase will be up-and-coming Pennsylvania-based R&B singer Lamar.
“I’ve always wanted to perform at an LGBT event and with my management and with my previous label that I was with, I wasn’t able to express myself as far as me being a gay artist.” Lamar said. “I had to keep it hidden. But now that I have separated from this label, I just felt that this would be a perfect opportunity for me to come out as an artist and be who I am. They wanted me to wait until I got credibility in the industry and had hits on the radio before I did that, like pull a Frank Ocean. But I just want to be truthful from the get-go. Doing this event is an opportunity for me to be myself and do me on the stage and express myself the way I want to be seen.”
Lamar said that for a while he bought into his former label’s rationale of not being open about his sexuality.
“They wanted me to be mainstream and they kind of put it in my head that that’s what I wanted to be too,” Lamar said. “But now that I’m apart from them, I realize that that is not exactly what I want. I have no intention of being top-40. If that happens with me, being out as a gay artist, awesome. With the genre I’m in, it kind of clashes because with R&B, it’s more African-American audiences and most of the time they are the ones that are against homosexuality. So that was a big argument that they had. But I was at the point where I wanted to be true to myself and express myself with 100-percent honesty.”
Lamar added that he focuses on being a role model for other out performers instead of trying to fit in to one particular scene or genre.
“I really want to just hone my craft and find out who I am musically,” he said. “I know that my voice fits with the R&B/soul genre. That’s what I’m sticking with. I’m trying to figure out how to blend that with singing as truthfully as I can. I’m definitely going to be singing about other guys because I like guys, and the experiences I have are with guys. But I don’t want to speak about my experiences on music. I want to inspire other people in the gay community. I really would like to be a voice for the gay community. A lot of what is out there in the gay music scene is really raunchy, and there is nothing wrong with that. But I kind of want to just be a normal person and make it seem like gay is normal. We’re working to get that status. I want to be seen as an artist and just a regular person who happens to be in love with men. I want to sing about music that is about love and heartbreak and not all the raunchy stuff and club music. I want to go at it with a different approach. I want to be able to bring some people out of the closet and know that it is OK to be who I am. The main thing is to be an inspiration with my music.”
Phila Republic presents Rubix Cube Eclectic LGBT Live Artist Showcase 9 p.m.-2 a.m. at Milkboy, 1100 Chestnut St. For more information or tickets, call 215-925-6455 or visit philarepublic215.tumblr.com.