As the Electro Scribe, I appreciate all things electronic. Though I focus my energies in journalism and coverage mainly towards the electronic sphere, I do appreciate other genres where I can spotlight cool, hardworking, and unique artists and events outside my specific niche. With Everwild set to take place at Legend Valley in Thornville, OH this weekend for its fifth edition, I’m going to take this opportunity to highlight an uber talented rapper, sorta singer, songwriter, musician, producer, and comedian (w00t w00t) set to perform at one of the Midwest’s fastest growing multi-genre celebrations. He goes by Wax, aka Michael Jones, and he’s one helluva hardworking fella in his industry. As a matter of fact, he recently released his latest album on June 5, a collab with the venerable and gifted DJ Hoppa, titled Highway Hotel.
On Sunday, July 19, Wax and DJ Hoppa took their talents to The Magic Bag in Ferndale, MI, to spit hot fire and drop tasty beats. The following is an on-site report from Matt Cooley, a correspondent and writer for our friends over at HEAR Magazine. From his perspective, here’s the tale of the tape and what went down that night:
While Detroit was covered under a blanket of smoke from Canada, and not the good kind, it was California rapper Wax that brought the fire Sunday night to Ferndale, MI. Wax, along with DJ Hoppa, is touring to support their new LP Highway Hotel, an album that came together while they were touring together in 2024, literally made in hotel rooms and buses across America. With over two decades in the music game, dozens of albums, millions of streams, and #1 hits overseas, you know you will be entertained at this show.
Wax covered his entire catalog in the hour and 20-minute show, starting with favorites like “Doin Damage”, “LSD in Vain”, and “Better When You’re High” before hitting the crowd with new joints like “Fat Joe”. By the midpoint, Wax brings out a guitar for a small acoustic set including “Limousine” that ended with DJ Hoppa doing a dope mix with Notorious B.I.G.’s “Juicy” Limousine line before he left for a break.
Wax also has great stage banter. Little chats with crowd members, stories about the song, or just funny topics. At one point he made a song on the spot for a couple in the crowd before playing “The Big One” to close the acoustic set with Hoppa rejoining for an amazing end to the song with him scratching while Wax goes mad on the guitar.
Wax jumps into the crowd to film a video for his new single, “Blaow”, does a tribute to his late, great producer EOM, and continues to keep performing bangers to finish the show. A small encore and a meet and greet at the merch table afterward finished the night.
Wax is what hip-hop is. If you have the chance, check him out! You can discover more information about Wax, his music, and find a show near you at Waxdotcom.com. –Matt Cooley
Thanks for the details, Matt, and it sounds like Wax is an artist one definitely wants to witness whenever the chance presents itself. Thankfully he’s in the midst of a massive tour with dates scheduled across the country all the way until December 13, and he’ll be performing on Everwild’s second stage this Friday, July 31, from 2:30-3:35PM. Heck… Yes… Ladies and gents. Good vibes, good music, good times. That’s what we’ve come to expect from Everwild, and it is plain to see why a man of Wax’s making is included in this year’s festivities. When asked about performing Everwild, Wax had this to say.
“l am extremely excited to play Everwild. I have a lot of good friends also playing the show, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for Tropidelic for building the festival from the ground up!”
Real recognizes real, and I love Wax shouting out the fellas in Tropidelic for all the hard work they put into everything they do. Seriously, they’re top-notch and great people. As we say in the bassment and behind the scenes around here, “They’re some real fellas!” Anyway, if you’re looking for a good time with some dope music hosted at a sweet spot, and you want camping to be involved, you can grab your tickets to Everwild using this link right here. Yiggitty yaaaas, mang!!!! It’s gonna be a party, and Wax and his people are absolutely pumped to lend their talents to make it so. You might as well say, get wild whenever you can… Everwild! Can we put that on a t-shirt, please?
That’s it for me, guys and gals. Until next time, you kit-kats keep it flavorful. This is Bear Swiftly, the Electro Scribe, signing off. Sayonara, all you samurai.
Be well, be successful. Bear Swiftly.
–Electro Scribe–
