Smoothvega launches Premier Live Experience

Lately, it’s been tough to know exactly how to describe the man born Lorenzo Zenteno to those who might not know who he is.

Sure, he has made a name for himself as acclaimed rapper and producer as Smoothvega, he has helped guide rising stars like Brandon Marcel, Lou Charles and Nadiya Sol, and he has, increasingly, taken a larger role in booking some of the higher profile hip-hop and R&B shows making their way through North Texas.

It’s a conundrum Smoothvega himself readily acknowledges.

“A lot of people don’t know what to refer me as — an artist, producer, promoter, [or] manager,” Smoothvega writes via email. “Honestly, I just want to be referred to as successful. However, ‘Fort Worth music entrepreneur’ does have a great ring to it!”

He jokes, but as with every bit of good comedy, there’s a lot of truth there.

With his latest undertaking, Smoothvega isn’t going to help clarify matters — but that’s good news for music fans in North Texas.

When Houston rapper and former Geto Boys member Scarface performs at Dallas’ Trees Friday, that concert will mark the first official event booked by Smoothvega’s new venture, Premier Live Experience.

To hear Smoothvega tell it, the creation of Premier Live Experience, which draws on his background as a musician as well as his retail management experience, is simply formalizing something he’s been doing for nearly a decade.

“I started doing self-promoted shows in 2007 [with his Total Pandemonium showcases] and, though it was never my intention in the beginning to book shows long-term, I realized quickly from the results that it was something that I was great at doing and something that can be very beneficial long term for myself and others around me,” he writes via email.

Initially, Premier Live Experience will handle booking for rapper Joe Budden’s Texas run, which stops Feb. 19 at the Live Oak Music Hall & Lounge, as well as Krayzie Bone’s Feb. 23 concert at the same venue. Most of Premier Live Experience’s current bookings are hip-hop and R&B, but Smoothvega aims to “branch out and [do] all genres of music.”

What’s more, Smoothvega’s ambitions reach beyond simply booking artists into venues.

“The goal is to create a multimedia production company,” he writes. “I want this brand to be the go-to brand when it comes to entertainment in the region. For years, I have had a hand in elevating national [and] local artists presentations, [so] I feel now is the right time to start transitioning and creating a strong connection with the public, with venues throughout the region, [and] with artists/agencies.”

Premier Live Experience will also be one of the very few booking entities to have successfully staged events at the beautifully restored but otherwise languishing Ridglea Theater.

Smoothvega’s annual toy drive was held at the theater in December, and he says there are “a lot of possibilities” that may develop as a result of what’s being called, for now, The 350 Room opening this spring.

“The venue has a great deal of trust in my vision,” Smoothvega writes via email. “[The venue manager] knows how passionate I am about bringing live music back to that venue. The 350 Room is almost open, and once it’s up and running, I’m sure that music will be booming at the venue again.”

As focused as he is on getting other acts onto area stages, the launch of Premier Live Experience doesn’t mean Smoothvega the artist is a thing of the past.

“Right now, my focus is the company but by no means is my music career over,” he writes via email. “I am working on releasing my next project Natural Born Winner, which I’d like to release by the summer. ... All of what I’m doing today is going to benefit my music tomorrow.”

And it’s that artistic mindset Smoothvega sees as, perhaps, Premier Live Experience’s greatest asset. Put simply, he intends to make the live music setting as enjoyable for those on stage as it is for those in the audience.

“My biggest advantage in doing what I do is that I’ve been doing it for years,” he writes. “I come from the front lines, so I identify with all the pain points that artists have, [and] being able to give artists opportunities that I never had coming up is extremely rewarding.

“My goal was never to be just a rapper [and] recording artist. My goal has always to be an entrepreneur. However, I do believe that you can have success with both.”

This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Smoothvega launches Premier Live Experience."