Propain "Say I Won't" video premiere party 300 Bowling, Katy May 15, 2011
Sunday night, Propain, whose name has to be brought up during any "Which New Houston Sir Is Most Likely Pop Nationally?" conversation, had a video premiere party for his single, "Say I Won't."
The song first appeared on last year's impressive mixtape/album #Departure, but has recently gained traction on regional radio stations. Here's we wrote about him, and that tape, at the end of 2010:
Propain is one of the (if not the) most devastating forces within the New Houston Collective. He's gritty and grimy and astute, three character traits that, paradoxical as it might seem, are hyper-magnified by the fact that he's educated. His #Departure, which very neatly packaged nearly all of his strengths, was one of the very best Houston mixtapes of 2010.
Now that you're all caught up, a strike's worth of notes from the gathering:
1. The premiere was held at 300 Bowling out in Katy because, duh, rappers love bowling. Also, and this isn't known by many, but Propain was actually a super talented bowler when he was growing up. However, one night when he and Bill Murray tried to hustle some local yuksters at a bowling alley, they responded by shoving his hand into a ball-return machine, effectively ripping it from his arm. The more you know...
2. Actually, point No. 1 up there is almost entirely false. It's the beginning of the plot of Kingpin, the best bowling movie Woody Harrelson ever made. They did have the premiere in 300 Bowling's private-party section, which made for a more entertaining night than usual. It's always interesting to see rappers a little out of their element. High-five for that move.
3. Lots of people showed up to support, including rappers Short Dawg, Delo and O.N.E., sports figures Vince Young and Rashard Lewis, the Maestra of the Mohawk (Miss Mykie) and her producer husband (Yung Chill), the affable and talented DJ Don and more.
4. VY bowled the evening's high score (172). Go ahead and add that to the list of things that he's better at it than you; slide it right in between Winning National Championships and Temporarily Going Kinda Crazy.
5. Ken 2 the Fool was there ; dude shows up to everything, it seems). He was wearing a Death of a Salesman T-shirt. That seemed important. Also, he made the evening's best joke: When Propain rolled a ball down and knocked down only one pen, Ken, referencing a song Propain has called "Bipolar II" that features him rapping against an angry version of himself, shouted to him, "Pro! One pin!? You need to get that 'Bipolar' nigga out here to bowl for you." Funny, funny, funny.
