Rock the motherfu**ing bells!

"back in the days when i was a teenager"

Gee golly willickers, this show was the neatest! For real, shit was off the hook, on fire, and will go down as one of the greatest hip hop shows of all time! I am not exaggerating. The lineup was already incredible but add in the fact that this was the NYC leg of the tour, and that all of these acts with the exception of the pharcyde are from the great city of hip hop mecca and you’re bound to come up with something magical. Everyone and everybody from the hallowed halls of hip hop history came through, as surprise special guest blessed the stage one after the other. It was like watching the royal rumble: you just never know who was gonna come tear it up next. Just look at this list of acts to get a taste of the greatness that touched down on jones beach yesterday:

Dead Prez

Immortal Technique w/
Pharoahe Monch

De La Soul w/
Dres from Black Sheep “You could get with this, you could get with that”
Biz Markie “Youuu, got what I neeeeed”
Q-Tip “B.U.D.D.Y”

Pharcyde

Raekwon and Ghostface w/
Cappadonna and like 50 other people on stage

Supernatural -- freestyling about any object the crowd put in his hands

Mos Def w/
Talib Kweli (full Black Star set)
Pharoahe Monch “Simon says get the fu** up!”

Redman and Method Man w/
DJ Kool “when I say freeze y’all freeze one time”
Slick Rick “La di da di, we like’s to party” (after that one line, he bounced lol)
EPMD! “There ain’t no laffy taffy on this stage!”
Keith Murray “a hip hop, a hibbit..."

NAS w/
JAY-Z!!! “I feel like a black republican…”

Q-Tip w/
Mos Def as the hype man

A Tribe Called Quest (including Jarobi) w/
Cons to the quence
Busta Rhymes!!! “RAOWW RAOWWW like a dungeon dragon!”
Spliff Star
Mos Def

Quotes of the day:
Nas says “I feel so energized being here…I feel like doing 400 records for y’all, and I got ‘em!” only an LG could say that – legendary gangsta!

Q-Tip says at the end of the whole show, “This is beautiful…hip hop brings people together…I see white, black, Filipino, asian…” haha FILIPINO what!!! He left out latino and inserted Filipino. Maybe he’s been reading mark’s blog: hiphoplives-mrk904.blogspot.com

Native Tongues fam De La and Tribe really killed it with well-crafted, refined performances that showcased high energy, love-infused, artful hip hop. People really need to study their craft of hip hop performance. Not many come with rehearsed performances like they do in way that 1) utilizes the dj, 2) utilizes the crowd through effective and original call and response, 3) varies the arrangements of their hit records, and 4) shows crew unity through complimentary and collaborative deliveries that go beyond the hackneyed, lazy “MC and a hype man” model.

And seeing Tribe together like that …there are just no words. They broke up in ’98 and haven’t performed together in NY in 11 years. Q-Tip and Jairobi are a little fatter. Phife looks real skinny, and clearly effected by diabetes. This may very well have been their final performance as a full crew. But at least their going out in the only way that tribe could: LE-GEN-wait for it…DARY. They had everything in their show. The dramatic lights out entrance w/ the computerized voice from Midnight Marauders introducing them: “A Tribe Called Quest is: Phife Dawg…Ali Shaheed Muhammad…Jarobi…Q-Tip…A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y.” They did cool intros to just about every song that had you guessing what was coming up next by playing sample originals, scratching, beat juggling, and other showmanship. They had the entire crowd side-stepping in unison to Bonita Applebum. They passed the flow to each other with the elegance and energy of a choreographed dance. They interacted with each other on every verse, animating collectively to highlight certain lines and phrases. They interacted with their DJ, integrating his skills into the show. They did most of Scenario accapella, and only brought the beat back when BUSTA RHYMES burst onto the stage with crazy busta-style menergy! He was rhyming so hard he looked like he was krumping! Then they went into Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See. They finished the show with Award Tour, singing praise for “New Yoooooooork!” and stirring the crowd’s love for hip hop. Wow.

And this was after an entire day of phat ass performances. After everyone was exhausted, sun burnt, throats parched, and ready to go home. And after Nas ripped it with Jay-Z beside him and in front of a full band. Just goes to show you how celebrated and respected Tribe is. C’mon, Mos was Q-tip’s hype man in the beginning. That’s status.



For more youtube vids: http://backpackgully.blogspot.com/2008/08/rock-bells-jones-beach-2008-de-la-soul.html

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B-side
To all you nerdy, white hipster kids that showed up, smoking weed till your eyes bled, and looking all confused when you didn’t know We Got the Jazz: you are not hip hop. Please learn the culture, study the history, or go the fuck home. I’m insulted that you came to see Immortal Technique but didn’t know how to party to Buggin’ Out. I can’t believer you just stood there in stoic silence. You were killing my natural high. For that, I wish you many many years of bad karma and public humiliation.

And to the ditsy white girl with her hipster-wannabe, preppy bf that pointed up to the screen while Supernatural was on stage, asking me “Is that Mos Def?”: yes, yes that is Mos Def, and I’m 2Pac Shakur. My friend Suge Knight here will now proceed to rob you as he dangles you from a 30th floor balcony.