Have you ever eaten free cupcakes at a bar? No? Well, I hope you are now kicking yourself for not coming down to Tipitina’s last Friday night for DJ Soul Sister’s 8th Annual Birthday Jam. This Right On Party Situation featured sets by DJ Maseo of De La Soul and the Soul Sister herself, gift bags for those early to the party, as well as some of the most joyfully genuine smiles from the birthday girl. 
  There’s a reason Soul Sister is considered a hometown hero. Her opening set was an impeccable rare groove blend, as expected of her. The highlight was her golden era of hip-hop tribute towards the end, featuring 80s era LL Cool J and The World’s Famous Supreme Team as well as some scratching work from the Sister herself. This bout of classic hip hop created the perfect entrance for DJ Maseo, a legend in his own right for his illustrious work with De La Soul. After bowing down to the birthday girl, Maseo kicked up the energy. He started out the set playing Eric B. and Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Kurtis Blow and just about every Michael Jackson dance hit you could think of, with no signs of toning the party down anytime soon. Maseo crafted a great balance between songs everybody knows, forgotten gems, and songs that I needed to stop and Shazam. I really appreciate a show that is a crowd pleaser, without dumbing down the music.
  While I could not have asked for better music, the best part of the night, surprisingly, was the crowd. There wasn’t that ‘one guy’ in the crowd whose antics get on everyone’s nerves. Latecomers weren’t pushing to get to the front. There were no awkward, just standing fans in the middle of the dance floor. Most importantly, everybody had enough space around them to actually dance, instead of the just-bop-along, hip sway that typically happens with crowds. It was intimidating how impressive the crowd’s moves were. Crowds were everyone can come together and get hype without it being at anyone’s expense are getting more and more rare. It was nice to have a reminder of what that was like. 
  This show was a complete blast. You don’t need a lot of extravagance or gimmicks to throw the perfect birthday party, just some good music and good people. I cannot wait for the invite to next year’s bash. Happy Belated to DJ Soul Sister. I hope you had as much fun as I did.