The U Street Corridor was full of fashion forward crabz on Saturday night, here were some of our favs:

The U Street Corridor was full of fashion forward crabz on Saturday night, here were some of our favs:

So I was laying in my bed trying to go to sleep but decided to do a recap because I had all these questions running through my mind: Where the freak did Lil Mama come from??????????????? Is Jay-Z the President???Who is Lady WTF are you wearing’s stylist??? Did Beyonce really need to have 50 million people in bathing suits dancing behind her??? Is Kanye West on drugs??? Is it me or was every chic in that place wearing different variations of the same dress??? If some of those people didn’t feel comfortable enough to walk in the heels they were wearing why didn’t they just put their flats on?? That’s what we do when we are riding METRO. Half of the chicks that came out to accept their awards were walking like linebackers. Alright yall I can’t think of anymore questions and I’m going to go to sleep now.
ReneeWoods

Wassup Crabzinabarrel.com world!!!!!!!!!!! It’s your girl ReneeWoods and I had a great time at the 2009 Black Family Reunion on the National Mall on Saturday, September 12, 2009 . The two performers I saw after arriving around 6ish were Letoya Luckett and first name Charlie last name Wilson lol . Now let me just say before Letoya and Latavia left Destiny’s Child Letoya was my favorite member of the group so I was ecstatic like a mofo when I just realized I had walked onto a FREE Letoya Luckett performance. Sidenote: Peep the video below of her singing. Her show was decent and she sounded good but the real star of the night was of course first name Charlie last name Wilson aka Uncle Charlie. Now when I tell you there was a partaaaaaaaaaaay on the mall when Mr. Wilson performed I am being for real. Me and my friends started hitting a two step like we were the three heartbeats out there on that mall. We were jumping up and down like it was nobody’s business and singing the words to the songs Charlie Wilson was singing like we wrote them. Charlie Wilson’s performance was GREAT and if he is ever supposed to perform at a venue near you please go check him out. Sidenote: Peep the video of Charlie Wilson’s performance above. Alright crabzinabarrel.com world ReneeWoods is about to take a nap and get ready for this long week ahead but have a great week everyone :).


By Manda J, Style Guru
In these tough economic times who can afford to buy new outfits without going into debt? I know I can’t… that’s why accessories are my new BFF! Accessories such as (but not limited to) necklaces, scarf’s and rings can take an e
veryday outfit to newer higher fashionable heights. Monica dressed up jeans, a tee, blazer and boots with a multi-chain necklace. This look can easily be achieved with the help of a multi chain necklace from Forever 21 for $6.80.Purchase two sets for double the flair. Kelly is making an all black liquid leggings night’fit exquisite with a simple necklace. For $12.80 and the help of Forever 21 you too can dress up an all black outfit. Bib necklaces are on the way in so get on the train!!

Last but certainly not least in the accessories world are scarves. Functional and fashionable how can you go wrong?, you can’t. Scarves aren’t just for bundling up before you go outside. They are the go to item for re inventing a new look especially at the last minute. If you are wearing all black the brighter the scarf the better. Estelle decided to dress her all black outfit up with a green scarf. While Beyonce decided to keep her LBD (Little Black Dress for the fashion illiterate) simple in a gray scarf. Scarves know no hour. Day or night, dark or bright scarves can take your outfit THERE.

Just because the economy is suffering doesn’t mean your wardrobe should too. Build up your accessories collection and create new outfits.

You Belong in the Damn Barrel
By Urbansocialight
Have you ever seen a girl at the club that just looked excited to finally be out of the house? I think that was the case with this young lady. I saw her face, the girl was pretty, but this outfit is pretty much a mess. Let’s break this down:
• Pink Floral Corset- Why you would purchase a powder pink corset and actually wear it out of the house is beyond me. But I could live with it if it wasn’t for…
• Knee Length Sergio Valente Denim Skirt- I’m not that big of a fan denim skirts in 21 and older clubs, but I wouldn’t have paid it much attention except for it was a Sergio skirt! WTF? Did I fall asleep and wake up in 1999? No? Or maybe it’s 1979! They don’t even sell Sergio’s anymore, so we know you’ve been hanging on to that skirt for years. Just let it go girl, they’re not coming back!
• Leggings- You know I’m the #1 fan of leggings but WHY with this outfit? You have on a knee length skirt. Who are you, my grandma? It’s the club, get sexy on em!
• Awkward length square toe cloth boots- No comment…it wouldn’t be nice.
Since she bought a table, perhaps she could have budgeted for a new outfit (and a new weave but that’s a different post). Seriously, where were her girls? And why would the let their girl step out looking like she stepped out of the last millennium? Every girl in the club was going on her. Look hun, I know it may have been a while since you went out but save yourself the worry and do some research on what’s actually in style before you waste your money on a babysitter and end up as the fashion victim of the week on CNB!
PHZ-Sicks
The Way I See It, is a new guest blog feature for Crabzinabarrel.com. Every week for an entire month, we will feature a guest blogger who will tell us the way they see it. Our first guest blogger, PHZ-Sicks, is repping VA to the fullest and making sure the DMV is getting its due shine. He’s a versatile rhymer with a hype live show. With this blog, he shows that he’s also a good writer with a unique view, calling for DMV UNITY so the DMV can take over this music ish!
The Calm By PHZ-Sicks
There’s a storm a brewin’. There’s calmness in the air, stillness. Those that have witness the potential change this storm could have on the landscape are bracing themselves and wishing for the best. What is this storm? It’s the DMV, but more specifically, the music. This year has proving to be a great start from where we see ourselves in the future (an area that is on par with NY and ATL in the industry). Right now, the DMV is currently in the calm before the storm.
The Sound of Thunder
This region’s music has been slowly spreading itself around the nation and world. I would not be writing about this subject if I didn’t think recent events in the industry backed up the facts. Just look at the stats: Wale, signed to Allido/Interscope/RocNation, & Tabi Bonney has taken the sound, visuals, and feel of DC globally, R&B singer Kevin Ross just signed a publishing deal with Akon’s KonLive, Don Juan signed with Jive, RAtheMC rocked the stage for MTV’s VMA Best Breakout Artist, Pro’Verb “rocked the bells” from MD to LA, Tae Barz did his thing on 106 & Park, Studio 43 w/ XO & Marky are making moves, Lady A gets her video picked up by MTV, Phil Ade went on tour with the likes of J. Cole and the Clipse, Wayna & Koyaki was a Grammy nominee and the list goes on endlessly (lets also throw in The Beat Ya Feet Kings who were on America’s Best Dance Crew). In the time I’ve been in the area (15 years), I’ve never seen this much activity musically and for it to be so exciting. On the same night, you could be in a packed club watching Don Juan & Wale tear shit down and further down the street another artist is rocking a crowd with the room also packed. Each week, there seems to always be a performance that everybody is going too. At this rate, every place considered a lounge or clubs are going to have to build a stage just so they could profit off this.
There are two things I believe are the cost this musical expansion: the ability to perform/put on a show & the individuality in our music.

Thanks for the review Sasha Vann………….
Sigmund’s Dope- “Music Notes” 1:1 – When the Sky Turns Green
One small leap changed the color of good music. That’s what Greenspan decided to do on his latest mix tape “When the Sky Turns Green.” A multi-faceted collaboration between Greenspan, supremely recognized producer Judah, illroots.com, DJ Benzi and illvibes-dmv.com, the well-packaged LP serves as a parachute to any aspiring artist who needs some get-up about their business towards a shifting music industry.
Tracks like “Sky Dive” and “Mirrors” establish the viewpoint of Greenspan, making a testament of fearlessness and faith in pursuing the path of music and performing. The all-balls-out content of “Sky Dive” makes bold jabs at unmotivated individuals at large—warning them of the result of failing to represent themselves in a better light:
‘Baltimore n—– put they ‘hood in a handshake/ you represent something or content with the slave name/ End of the Dutchmaster comes nothing but ashes/ and high!’
Stamping the track with lines like that is only cream to the treading, yet transcendently liquid beat by Judah.
“Mirrors,” produced by Greenspan’s leading producer Live Beats, matches the passion of the rapper’s introspective rhymes and bands it with the unyielding voice of Nykki Smalls. Don’t get it twisted though- there’s more than the rock. Greenspan’s ability to deliver thought provoking scales is balanced by tracks that reveal his musical influences. Immortal hip-hop sounds like “Head Bop” featuring Feevaleo and DC’s leading lady on the mic, RatheMC, keep it unprocessed and delivered fresh on the track. “You Know My Name” plays on a rendition of Alicia Keys “You Don’t Know My Name” where Greenspan affirms his cockily-confident persona to certain types of females, who in his words ‘can’t get space in the Blackberry.’
A sample from old-soul squad The Moments puts “Wings” in a different element, like, summer nights on the streets of Detroit 1976-type element. Judah simply produced an environment for a black super hero with Greenspan giving third-person POV on a character needing divine intervention to make it. Black Boo of Mambo Sauce punctuates the song with a paced and firm flow.
One can tell Greenspan is a fan of true music with his choice of production, emcees and vocalists. Especially the vocalists. Staying away from the machine formerly known as Auto tune, Greenspan gives the music world the voices of Smalls, Karron Johnson and Theo, re-creating the primary concept of an R&B/Hip-Hop collaboration in 2009. Other guest producers include Chess the Creator and Kleph Dolla, who without a doubt left their prints on wax. If DJ Benzi was thinking any other way when mixing this tape, the vibe may have been different. However, the music flows emphatically from one track to the next, keeping your ear close to the beat while waiting on the next transition.
Bottom line, Greenspan’s got it. He undoubtedly went in lyrically and cleverly put out a project with the #1’s of the DMV area. If the sky is green now, we can only imagine what it will sound like when Greenspan lands on solid ground.
—Sigmund’s Dope

Here some new music from IMC they rep Columbus, Ohio to the fullest. Pay close attention to them because they about to be something to mess with.
Illness (Last Hope) – q18lzv
Yunng Soja (I’m About Mine) – f8xh29
Yungg Soja (All My Love) – jo1fzs
Illness, Lil Sam, Flex, and Young Soja (Jump On) – stjk0r
Mixtape from Lil Sam

Link to Mixtape – a9ie3i
There have been a lot of artists over on Def Jam that have stressed their issues with Jay-Z, the former president of Def Jam. DMX has been the latest artist who has voiced his opinion on his relationship with Jay-Z. DMX said Jay-Z was motivated by money. I seem to think Jay-Z was motivated by money, but let me explain myself. Jay-Z was in a position where he had to make revenue for one of the most respectable music labels of all-time. Do you really think he would waste his time on artists that had no buzz or couldn’t make revenue for Def Jam. I think not. I have some other reason that I don’t even want to get into. In the mean time check out the video and tell me what you think about DMX having issues with Jay-Z.