Get the Inside Scoop on NICE Entertainment's Next Level Showcase

The Next Level Showcase is where National In Crowd Events scouts new talent to build their opening roster for National Hip-Hop tours that stop in the DMV. Judges for the Next Level Showcases are hand-picked industry professionals that together make up a panel of local DMV tastemakers. We sat down with Henny Yegezu, founder of NICE (National In-Crowd Events) and an official A3C Ambassador, to learn more about the showcases he runs and get the inside scoop on how to score big at showcase events. Needless to say, when it comes to hip hop, Henny knows what's up. Check out what he had to say:

What are some of the perks of a showcase?

Our Next Level Showcase has always been an arena for us to see what hungry new talent is out there and to get a real feel for an artist outside of just emailing us an mp3. As a concert promotion company we are always looking for new exciting talent to open for the national acts that come play at our venues. The main perk should always be the experience but just to keep it interesting we give the artist a bunch of free-bees and tools that we as a company provide. We give the winner studio time ( at our studio Indie Media Lab ) artwork, production, photo-shoot, consulting and more.

Who are some judges that you've had at NICE Entertainment events?

We hand select judges who we consider knowledgeable tastemakers in the DMV music scene who really want to help local artist. We have radio DJs/Personalities like DJ Heat, DJ Money, DJ Gemini to bloogers from DJBooth, IllVibes, and more; also bringing out producers who have placements with artist like Fat Trel, Wale, XV, Mac Miller… just to name a few.

What is the one piece of feedback that judges give the most to artists?

Its hard to say one category stands out as the weakest but anything from stage presence, music quality, to presentation will be commented on and trust me the judges keep it as REAL as it can get!

How can artists impress the judges most?

Also coming with material to give a judge so you can stick out in there mind is very important as well showcasing your different styles in your short jam packed 10min set. It always impresses me when an artist uses that short set time really well and creatively, it shows a lot about their mindset and ability to keep a crowd interested!