On Stage: Soulja Boy Tell 'Em Big Draco coming to Canopy Club

URBANA - A stop on his The SODMG Tour promoting his latest album release Swag 6, Soulja Boy Tell 'Em Big Draco is set to perform at the Canopy Club on September 27 at 9 pm.

The Urbana show is in the middle of a five-day swing by Soulja Boy that starts in Mechanicsburg, PA, on Tuesday, September 24. The next night he will be in Louisville, followed by a quick stop in Nashville at the Main Stage before his Friday night performance at the Canopy Club. After that, he is on his way to Minneapolis before a two-day schedule break.

Born in Chicago in 1990, DeAndre Cortez Way, July 28, 1990, moved to Atlanta when he was six years old. At the age of 14, he moved to live with his father in Batesville, Mississippi, where he explored and developed his musical chops while building a network of music connections.

The now 34-year-old music veteran performer quickly became a leader, using grassroots social media and digital marketing strategies to grow his popularity. Thanks to several groundbreaking online promotional strategies he pioneered in 2004, Soulja Boy took the next step, moving back to Atlanta, booking live performances, and expanding his network and knowledge of the music business even further.

After hooking up with Atlanta producer Mr. Collipark, also known as DJ Smurf back in the day, he transitioned from a local wunderkind to a hip-hop household name. Under the roof of Interscope and Collipark Music imprint, Soulja Boy Tell Em rose to number one on the pop music charts for seven non-consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

“Crank That” is still remembered as a prominent dance song from the 2000s. The cut earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Song in 2007. In addition to the Grammy Award nomination, Soulja Boy has earned three BET Awards and four Teen Choice Award nominations.

He also has a platinum album to his credit titled Souljaboytellem.com. Released on March 23, 2007, it peaked at #5 on Billboard 200 and sold 125,000 in the first week. The album was certified Platinum on June 16, 2007, and has sold over 1.5 million copies in the US & over 3.1 million copies worldwide as of May 2008.

Early tickets are on sale now, in advance for $25-29.50. Concertgoers can also buy tickets at the door for $35.

Upcoming Canopy Club shows

K-Squared Presents: CU in the 2000s - Sat, Aug 3 - Canopy Club - More Info

Reign of Z w/ Beautiful Skeletons - Fri, Aug 16 - Canopy Club - More Info

Deeper Purpose - Sat, Sep 7 - Canopy Club - More Info

Slacker University (Fall Fest) - Thu, Sep 12 - Canopy Club - More Info

PYGMALION 2024:
ROYEL OTIS w/ Friko - Thu, Sep 19 - Canopy Club - More Info

PYGMALION 2024
: X AMBASSADORS w/ Rosie Tucker - Fri, Sep 20 - Canopy Club - More Info

PYGMALION 2024
: CupcakKe w/ Queen Key - Sat, Sep 21 - Canopy Club - More Info

Soulja Boy - Fri, Sep 27 - Canopy Club - More Info

Emo Nite - Sat, Sep 28 - Canopy Club - More Info

Andy Frasco & The U.N. - Sun, Oct 6 - Canopy Club - More Info

MARAUDA - Thu, Oct 10 - Canopy Club - More Info

K-Pop Night - Fri, Oct 18 - Canopy Club - More Info

TVBOO - Thu, Nov 14 - Canopy Club - More Info

Riot Ten - Fri, Dec 6 - Canopy Club - More Info

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The LowDown Brass Band drops new single at Canopy Club on Friday

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Photo: Provided/by Alan Maniacek

The Lowdown Brass Band will perform live at the Canopy on Friday. Their big brass sound over a soulful, funky beat is sure to entertain all ages.

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URBANA - On Friday, LowDown Brass Band will co-headlining the stage at the Canopy Club with another windy city act, Mungion. LowDown, a seven-piece Chicago-based brass ensemble, has a Tower of Power sound layered over distinct, familiar underlying rhythms of soul, blues, funk, and reggae.

The Canopy show will be the debut of their newest single Call Me, a song about the world we live in, "... where secret agendas, governments, and corporate greed seek to separate and divide." Call Me has that late 70s horn swagger gliding over the familiar Chicago house beat of the 80s.

Inside their 2008 self-titled debut, the band described themselves as"... the New Orleans hump with a Chi-town bump." There is no better way to describe their finger popp'n, booty-waggin' party sound in this release of Be The One Tonight.

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A seasoned touring band, LowDown has opened for Galactic and Bon Jovi, did a stint on NPR's Tiny Desk, and is a steady act on the Jazz festival circuit. The group has built impressive gig credentials performing at The Montreal Jazz Festival and Lagunitas Beer Circus.

A staple in and around Chicago, they have filled the airwaves at the Chicago Jazz Fest, Chicago's Do-Division Fest, and Wicker Park Fest.

This summer, the seven muscians have a packed calendar with performances at the Victoria Jazz Fest, the Edmonton Jazz Fest in July, and Saskatoon Jazz Fest.

While the band plays mostly original songs, LowDown does a darn good job of putting their spin on classics like Foxy Lady by Jimmy Hendrix in this Wayne's World parody.

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The show kicks off with Champaign's very own Afro D & Global Soundwaves is a socially-conscious hip hop/jazz/funk band that will open for the two acts. The doors open at 7am. Ticket prices are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Tickets are available online here.

Urbana's Canopy Club offering "Fee-Free" weekend starting Friday

URBANA -- The University of Illinois' popular campustown live music venue has released a list of more than 25 upcoming acts this fall.

Starting Friday, September 2nd at midnight through Monday, September 5th at 11:59 pm online purchase of tickets for any of the upcoming shows will not include any additional fees during the venue's Fee-Free Weekend. Concert-goers and live music fans can use the code "FEEFREE" in the promo code box during checkout to skip paying administrative fees.

The Canopy Club has been the home of live music, entertainment, and nightlife in east central Illinois since 1998. Each month there is a show to fit nearly any music fan's taste from rock and roll to hip-hop as well as EDM, jazz, and house music.

The club's upcoming concert schedule includes:

Sat, Sep 3 - DJ Zay Latin Night ft. Gianni Blu
Wed, Sep 7 - PUP
Thu, Sep 8 - Megalodon
Sat, Sep 10 - Lines of Loyalty
Tue, Sep 13 - Black Carl! & Saka Rush Hour Tour
Thu, Sep 15 - RAGS AND RICHES
Fri, Sep 16 - Latin Night:Freakitona w/ DJ Zay
Sat, Sep 17 - DOGMA and Friends
Sun, Sep 18 - The Frank White Experience (A Tribute To The "Notorious B.I.G.")
Tue, Sep 20 - Nightrain (Guns n Roses Tribute)
Fri, Sep 23 - Ignition House: Dubvision
Sat, Sep 24 - MisterWives
Thu, Sep 29 - Maddy O'Neal w/ zoska
Fri, Sep 30 - Show Up & Show Out - Pride Fest Party
Sun, Oct 2 - Falling Through April / Hazen
Fri, Oct 7 - 22 & good 4 u
Sat, Oct 8 - Boombox Cartel
Fri, Oct 14 - Borgore
Sat, Oct 15 - Dropsixx w/ Emperors & Angels
Sun, Oct 16 - Mac Saturn
Thu, Oct 20 - Blunts & Blondes
Fri, Oct 21 - UH2BT Presents: K-POP DJ Night
Sat, Oct 22 - Smoakland
Wed, Oct 26 - Kingdom Collapse
Thu, Oct 27 - Autograf
Fri, Nov 11 - Here Come The Mummies

For more informationk about upcoming concerts and events, visit the Canopy Club website here.