Franchise over at Know The Ledge caught the other Jay in concert over the weekend minus, the boos this time. Another video after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Words By Khalid Strickland

The deeper I get into this game, the more I doubt that I’m built for journalism. My homies think it’s a picnic. “Strick, you get to go to hot shows and parties for free,” they say. True indeed, but they don’t know the politics and bullshit I tolerate to attend some of these gigs. Being a real nigga, it’s tough to deal with folks lying to my face (“Sorry, there’s no media list”) and juiced-up bouncers barking orders (“Don’t cross the velvet rope!”) without hooking off on somebody. But I refuse to be dragged back into the gutter.

That’s why for nearly two hours, I patiently baked in the sun before entering the anticipated Rock The Bells concert at Jones Beach. Meanwhile, the Nikon Theater’s yellow-shirted minions ran a defensive scheme that Bill Belichick would envy. Many of the security guards, perhaps not used to corralling thousands of hip-hop fans, were a little overzealous. You’d think all the weed smoke hovering around would’ve mellowed security out, but no dice.

Once inside, I kicked it with my Brooklyn homie, underground icon Poison Pen; he’d just been onstage with his fellow Stronghold crew member, Immortal Technique. I was heated that I missed Technique’s show, but it’s always good to chop it up with Pen. I missed Murs show too, but I saw him in V.I.P. and as always he was down-to-Earth.

By the time I got to the main stage, De La Soul was beginning their set, which featured appearances from Q-Tip on “Buddy,” Dres of Black Sheep (the fans flipped for “This or That”) and Biz Markie, who had the capacity crowd singing along to “Just a Friend.” Next, B-Real of Cypress Hill introduced the The Pharcyde, who performed their hits “Runnin,” “Ya Mama” and the timeless “Passing Me By.” Two of my favorite artists, Raekwon and Ghostface, gave a decent performance together. As much as I dig those cats, I’ve seen them both do better. Supernatural followed with a crowd-pleasing freestyle where he incorporated items the fans tossed to him; blunts, t-shirts, and even a pair of panties (!!!) effortlessly meshed into his impromptu verses. Mos Def’s segment was respectable but didn’t really explode until Talib Kweli assisted him for some Black Star joints. Redman and Method Man brought down the house with their kinetic set; EPMD, Slick Rick and Ghostface provided entertaining cameos. Read the rest of this entry »

 

Nas & Jay @ RTB

Via Miss Info

Words By Khalid Strickland

EPMD’s goodwill tour finally touched down at a sold-out Nokia Theater in New York City. Much like the Super Bowl-winning Giants, the legendary duo of Parrish Smith and Erick Sermon received a heroes’ welcome in their home city. But before EPMD stormed the stage, the fired-up crowd was treated to performances by the members of the D.I.T.C. crew (Lord Finesse, O.C., Showbiz & A.G.), Lords of the Underground and a kinetic set courtesy of Naughty By Nature. Each act had hits aplenty and the packed house seemingly knew every classic record line for line.

Once the fans were worked to a fever pitch by the seasoned vets, the legendary EPMD took center stage and proceeded to rip shit. Erick Sermon set the tone from the jump, making the crowd roar as he proclaimed, “There will be no Laffy Taffy in here tonight!” It was a sight to behold. Midway into EPMD’s set, DJ Scratch got his customary spotlight moment and brought the house down with his feats turntable manipulation. No matter how many times I see Scratch do his thing, I always walk away amazed; he’s mastered the turntables the way Jimi Hendrix mastered a guitar. From start to finish, the entire concert was energetic. Read the rest of this entry »

Photos By Peace.Images

When I gave word to my little brother that I was going to see EPMD later that evening, he responded with the phrase “What’s that?”

Not only was the “what” instead of the “who” an indicator that Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith were facing an uphill battle in their comeback, it also goes to show how Hip-Hop’s overcrowded market can bury the memory of some of its pioneers.

Fuck it. I know what I was getting myself into.

Rolling up to Skully’s, which is one of Columbus Ohio’s definitive hot spots for local and independent acts to showcase their talents, I was immediately greeted to the sounds of the funky grooves from Connie Price and the Keystones. A live band complete with saxophones, bongos, and trumpets to accompany the typical bass guitars, drumset, and keyboards, the crew from the Left Coast (Cali to be exact), took the audience, who’s age demographic ranged from 18-to well over 40, back to the days of fat gold chains and Kangol® hats with the mixing of old school favorites such as Kool G. Rap’s “Ill Street Blues” and Rakim’s “Microphone Fiend” while throwing their own material in the mix. The fact that these brothers were Caucasian didn’t startle the crowd at the least, it just drove home the point that Hip-Hop was alive and well in the building.

After getting the crowd’s juices pumping for some of that classic material, the Keystones announced one more surprise before the men of business took the stage. With a brief introduction, underground champion Percee P took the stage to spread his message. While the majority of the crowd played the background due to their unfamiliarity, there was still nods of approval as Percee ripped through extended versions of his infamous battle with Lord Finesse before capitalizing his performance with “International Hustler”, which appears on the Keystones latest album Tell Me Something.

With the mood set and the crowd’s energy bubbling for the E Double and Pee-MD, the duo took the stage and immediately ripped into “Strictly Business” and “It’s My Thang” before greeting the more than appreciative crowd. Approaching their 20th anniversary in the rap game, Erick Sermon was extremely vocal in his displeasure for the here-today/gone-tomorrow acts of the present, ripping through accapella freestyles laced with ridicule before telling all wack rap hopefuls present “You Gots To Chill.” Not to be outdone, PMD covered both verses for “Please Listen To My Demo” to motivate the rightful heirs to the Hip-Hop throne. Keeping it in “89″ for the time being, the businessmen kept it funky with “Knick Knack Patty Wack,” and “So Wat Cha Sayin” as the Keystones supplied the instrumentation, much to the die hard’s delight. Read the rest of this entry »