Red Bull Music Academy Presents: Just Blaze

Saturday takes the Red Bull crew to Dublin, and once again, fans are given the opportunity to hear both Kerri Chandler and Just Blaze – the latter of whom will perform tonight – talk shop, with Q&A sessions afterwards. The legendary New Jersey hip hop producer chats about his impressive career – he’s worked with Jay-Z and Eminem – and takes questions from the floor.
And then it’s off to The Academy we go. Tonight’s Green Room bill is in fact three-fold; Just Blaze will be joined by two top Irish DJs. First up, OB – aka Olan O’Brien, of All City Records, who whets the crowd’s collective appetite with a tight hip hop set. Next up, it’s Dubliner Dec Lennon, aka Krystal Klear, who adds spice to the night with his tasty mix of hip hop, funk and dance.
And so, to the main event. The crowd goes wild when Just Blaze (34 year-old Justin Smith) takes to the stage. Though he’s known for his production wizardry behind the scenes, he’s every bit the showman on stage tonight and has the packed dancefloor bumping and grinding for the duration of his high energy set. And what a set it is – deftly mixing old and new, Blaze drops the likes of Kanye, Snoop, Drake, Tweet, and of course, his Roc-A-Fella buddies Eminem and Jay-Z (he produced tracks on Jay’s Blueprint series, as well as the iconic Black Album). He also throws in a bit of dance to keep us on our toes – expertly and effortlessly mixing the likes of Daft Punk with Dr. Dre, which needless to say, goes down a treat.