Going, going, back to Cali, Cali!

On April 2, I attended the Paid Dues Festival in San Bernadino, CA hosted by L.A. rapper Murs and music promotion company Guerilla Union. The one day hip hop festival included over forty hip hop artists and acts. Notable acts included Murs, Immortal Technique, Bun B, Dead Prez, Asher Roth, Heavy Metal Kings, Slaughterhouse, E-40, Mr. FAB, Tabi Bonney, and Dom Kennedy. Artists performed on three stages: the  Paid Dues, Dues Paid, and the Grind Time Now stage.Local (Chicago) rapper Hollywood Holt acted as the host of the Festival for the Paid Dues stage.

The show was held at the National Orange Show (NOS) Events Center, a large fairground  demarcated by a lagoon that runs through the fairground. Two large stages (the Paid Dues and the Dues Paid stage) were placed across the fairgrounds. The Grind Time Now Stage was located in Orange Pavilion, a large hall where acts performed in a Mixed Martial Arts octagon cage. A VIP event was held in the Valencia Ballroom, where fans could meet artists Murs, Asher Roth, Bun B, Slaughterhouse, Immortal Technique, and Sage Francis.

There were approximately a dozen vendors at the show, ranging from local t-shirt staples such as Acrylick , Streetwise , Soterik, the clothing. The t-shirt and art company, the radio station 93. 5 KDAY, Grimm records, Hieroglyphics (the rap group), Source Magazine, Camel cigarettes, and of course, Murs, who had his own tent selling his merchandise, manned by his parents and siblings. There were also several food vendors present, selling everything from pizza, gyros, tacos, ice cream, and of course, beer.

At the show, I did my best to see all of what I considered to be "notable" artists; (Dead Prez, Mr. FAB, E-40, Immortal Technique, Sage Francis, Slaughterhouse, Heavy Metal Kings, Bun B, Tabi Bonney, Dom Kennedy, and of course Black Star) while I was able to see most of the artists, I was not able to catch them all. I think the best way to review the artist's performances is to review the ones I did see one by one:

Black Hippy: I came in on the end of their performance, so I don't think it's right for me to comment on it; however, I went on Youtube to check out a few of their videos, and what I found it that group members Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Ab-soul,  and Schoolboy Q definitely have some skills lyrically. Kendrick Lamar's flow bears a striking similarity to Jadakiss; Schoolboy Q delivery is a mix between the Game and Young Buck; Jay Rock has a deep voiced flow reminiscent of Styles P, and Ab Soul despite a look resembling Eazy E with his fluffy Afro and black sunglasses, has a nasal flow that's very similar to T-3 of Slum Village.

Bun B: Seeing the Trill O.G. was a real treat; while Bun Beater didn't perform many of his classic songs ("Big Pimpin" and "International Players Anthem" were the only two I counted) he brought his hard Texan drawl and forceful energy to each song, making songs like "Get Throwed" "Keep on Pushin'" "Sipping on Some Sizzurp" and "Gimme that P***y" sound as good as classics such as "Too Hard to Swallow" "A Pocket Full of Stones" and "Front, Back, Side to Side".

Dead Prez: Stic-man and M1 performed hit the stage this year with a especially politically tinged message in their music; they stormed the stage stating their views against the war in Libya ("Fuck Obama, no more bombing Libya" to paraphrase the duo). Dead Prez performed such hits "Turn off that Bullshit, Turn off the Radio" and "It's bigger than Hip Hop" but their main focus was to promote their new album, "RBG: The Workout Plan"; performing the song "Get Swoll Like Tookie Williams". They also advocated exercise, proper dieting, and establishing a self-sufficient society as the new definition of "gangster".

Slaughterhouse: Joell Oritz, Joe Budden, Royce da 5'9, and Crooked 1 rocked a packed crowd in the octagon stage in the Grind Time Now stage. In a  packed crowd where weed smoke wafted through the air freely, Slaughterhouse performed their hits such as "Sound Off", as well as their own solo hits ("Boom"-Royce da 5'9, "Pump it up"-Joe Budden, for example. They also performed songs representing their geographical locations-Joe Budden performed Naughty by Nature's "Hip Hop Hooray", which he elicited crowd participation in; Joell Ortiz performed Notorious B.I.G's "Hypnotize", and Royce da 5'9 performed Eminem's "Lose Yourself". Crooked I took a different turn by having the DJ play Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Nate Dogg's "The Next Episode", as a tribute to the recently deceased Nate Dogg. And the end of their performance, Slaughterhouse gave three fans in the audience a chance to perform one of Slaughterhouse's songs; however, none of them were able to finish the song without stumbling over the lyrics.

Hollywood Holt: Chicago hipster-hop rapper Hollywood Holt kept the crowd at the Dues Paid stage engaged for the duration of the show by running across the stage passing out "shots" of Vodka to crowd members of age (he made sure to check their wristbands) and yelling the lyrics to songs that DJ Bizzy spun during intermission, hip hop classics such as Notorious B.I.G.'s "Hypnotize", Crucial Conflict's "Hay", and Bone Thug-N-Harmony's "Thuggish Ruggish Bone". Holt also introduced the crowd to some of his rhyming skills, performing a rapid fire freestyle that drew applause from the audience. In the four years I've been attending Rock the Bells/Paid Dues shows, Holt is has been my favorite hype man (no disrespect to Supernatural).

Murs: I came in late on Murs performance, as I was in the Slaughterhouse show. By the time I got to the Dues Paid stage, he was performing on the with his rock band Young MC's  "Bust A Move" to a packed crowd. He then, in honor of the recent liberation of Egypt, he performed the Bangles "Walk Like An Egyptian". While a different turn from the normal Murs show (which showcase his hip hop songs) this one was still entertaining and somewhat refreshing after hearing hours of murder/death/kill and smoker's rap.

 Black Star: Last but definitely not least, Mos Def and Talib Kweli performed for a packed and weary crowd on the Paid Dues stage at 1045p. Mos Def hit the stage holding a red microphone, wearing a pageboy cap, and a blue jean jacket with a tie; Kweli wore his standard black leather jacket and baseball cap. The duo performed classic Black Star hits such as "Ghetto People" and "Astronomy"; however, the tempo of the show quickly switched over to the Mos Def show, as Mos Def began to perform songs off of "The Ecstatic", such as "Auditorium" and "Casa Bey". Regardless, it was still a treat to see them performing together again; like many, I'm waiting for a follow up to the first Black Star Album.

In short, the Paid Dues festival was a great experience; great music, good vendors, most of the attendees were genial (the Paid Dues show was the first place I've been where weed smoking was more liberal than alcohol). If you can make it, it is definitely a must attend for those who love hip hop.

Big K.R.I.T. is Tha Muthaf**kin Truth!

"They made it so the villains we would cheer fo', 'cause they murdered all the heroes"
Big K.R.I.T.-"American Rapstar"

Listen to " Return of 4eva", available for free download on K.R.I.T.'s website, www.returnof4eva.com, and I'm  sure you'll agree. "Return of 4eva," Big K.R.I.T.'s follow up to the critically claimed "Krit wuz Here",  is laden with a medley of songs, ranging from reflective tracks with old school soul beats to the synthesized bass heavy beats endemic of southern hip hop popular during the 1990's and the first half of this century. The album was produced entirely by K.R.I.T.

In "R4 Intro", the song uses a clever sample from Marvin Gaye's "What's going on", then K.R.I.T. introduces the album, starting rhyming at a slow place about opening up at a concert and ending his verse at a frantic pace. "Rise and Shine" in which K.R.I.T rhymes over soulful moaning vocals mixed with scratching, a beat reminiscent of Rico Wade's Organized production for Outkast. "R4 Theme Song" is a medley of operatic voices, 808 beats, and K.R.I.T. repeating "For-eva-eva?" in Andre 3000 fashion; on this track, K.R.I.T. channels Pimp C (RIP) with a country twang flow. On "Dreamin", which uses the haunting sample from Brothers of Soul "Dream", K.R.I.T. raps about his genesis as a rapper. In "Rotating My Tires", K.R.I.T. spits a Juicy J-esque hook ("Old school when I ride, forever sky high, working wood wheel, when the sun's outside, I'm just rotating my tires")  over a 1980's r&b beat, with Chinese symbols and drum roll. Five tracks in, and I could tell "Return of 4eva" was going to be an amazing CD. "American Rapstar" and "Players Ballad" "Country Sh*t remix" are other standout tracks on "Return of 4eva".

In contrast to "Krit wuz Here," which only featured Big Sant, K.R.I.T.'s partner in rhyme, "Return of 4eva" has several guest stars, including Big Sant ("Made Alot") David Banner ("Sookie Now"), Joi (Shake It), Chamillionare ("Players Ball") Ludacris and Bun B ("Country Sh*t remix").

Needless to say, K.R.I.T. is one of the best MC's to coming out of the south in a long time, giving hope to southern hip hop. His music promises to bring a rebirth of  the good ol' country sh*t that hip hop's been missing for a long time.

Where The Hell is Jean Grae?

With the ubiquity of Nicki Minaj these days, one has to wonder where the hell is Jean Grae?  She has not put out a studio album since Jeanius, which was produced  three years ago, and Hip hop is in need of another female perspective other than Nicki Minaj's.What brought Jean Grae to mind was a recent Rolling Stone review of Lauryn Hill, which made a reference to Nicki Minaj in regards to who was the best female MC (Rolling Stone gave it to Lauryn). I bring that up to say I was amazed that Rolling Stone would even bring up Lauryn Hill and Nicki Minaj in comparison to who's the greatest female MC, considering the several female MCs who've made significant contributions to hip hop (Mc Lyte, Queen Latifah, Sista Souljah, Monie Love,Yo-Yo, Bahamadia, the Lady Rage, Da Brat, Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, Missy Elliot, Eve) before and between Lauryn and Nicki, not even including Jean Grae, which is, in my opinion, the most skilled female MC to come out in this past decade

Upon doing some research, I found that Jean is at work on her new album, Cake or Die, which is due to be released this spring. Two tracks, Bridge (Produced by RJD2) and Rock in My Pocket, feat. Styles P and Talib Kweli. Both are very promising samples of her album; hopefully the rest of the album is of comparable quality. If it's anywhere as good as Jeanius, (which from the leaked tracks it appears it can be) then it would definitely worth the wait. But my the first question posed just leads me to asking another: where the hell are all the female MC's at today?

Hip Hop is definitely in need of more female voices. Up until recent years there were several (Eve, Remy Ma, Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, Trina, Rah Digga) female MC's, however in the last few years their voices seem to been silenced, with the exception of occasional club banger ("Tambourine"-Eve, "Download"-Lil Kim, for example. Several of the aforementioned have run into legal problems and jail time (Remy Ma, Lil Kim, and Foxy Brown); but even more problematic than that I see that many of these female MC's fall into the trap of being the "baddest chick" instead of focusing on their lyrical skills; in other words, they flaunt their sex appeal instead of their skills on the microphone, which becomes played out very quickly (see Trina "Waist so Skinny" for example). The only exception to this rule I have seen recently was Rah Digga, who put out a slept on but very dope album "Classic", which was full of tight rhymes and slick 70's funk production by Nottz.

Female MC's falling into the "baddest chick" trap is unfortunate because women have a great deal of perspectives  they could bring to hip hop (relationships, parenthood, etc) and stances against misogyny, sexual  abuse, many negative elements that plague hip hop music and the black community. While they may not receive the fame of being the "baddest chick", they will definitely gain the respect that their hip hop forbears (MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Sistah Souljah, and Lauryn Hill) demanded when they stepped on the stage.




 

The Yuppification of Hip Hop

Hip Hop, namely hip hop clubs, have become the latest victims of gentrification. Over the past several years, hip hop clubs in large urban areas have enacted dress codes that have banned baggy clothing, gym shoes, baseball caps and other apparel that are synonymous with hip hop culture. In the past ten years, a large group of African Americans (the largest groups of performers/listeners of hip hop music) have become affluent  and a large professional black class has emerged; and with them, more Caucasians, Asians, etc have become patronizers of black clubs. As a result, club owners have been receptive of catering to their wants, designing their clubs with slick designs, bars stocked full of high end liquors and attractive female hosts to greet entering patrons with VIP sections. However, these club owners and their dress code restrictions have left a large percentage of the hip hop demographic, hip hop purveyors of the nonprofessional class, out in the cold.

This past Sunday, I went to the Ice Cube concert at the Mid, a nondescript club located in the West Loop neighborhood in Chicago. Before going in, security informed my friend Rob that he would have to take off his baseball cap ("What?" He asked me. "I can't wear a baseball cap at a hip hop show?") Upon entering, I was surprised to find a modern designed night club, lined with columns, a long neon lit bar, and of course a VIP section, patronized by young men and women enjoying what appeared to be a bevy of high end liquor. This scene, though not in the VIP Section, could be seen throughout the nightclub, young men in casual work wear making frequent trips back and forth to the bar. Before Ice Cube got on stage, local Chicago artists Illagit/Alo and Mikkey Halsted gave very spirited performances, however both received lukewarm responses from the crowd, as many took this time to make bar runs. When Ice Cube and W.C. entered the stage, the crowd became excited, but that was to be expected; it's ICE CUBE, one of the founders of gangster rap.

I can recall many experiences like this, and they all attest to the growing class gap between hip hop listeners, the haves and the have nots; club owners have aligned themselves with the haves, which is understandable, as that is where the money is. However, I believe this is unfair to the lovers of hip hop who cannot afford a nice suit jacket, a button down shirt and dress shoes. Let us not forget, when hip hop was founded over thirty years ago, it was founded on the premises of creativity; who could rap, beat box or tag the best; not who could buy the flashiest clothes and the most expensive liquor; it would be good if some people ( i.e.club owners) would keep that in mind.