Hip hop isn’t dead. But you knew that already.
It was a no-brainer. The 2008 Rock the Bells tour (www.guerillaunion.com/rockthebells) was coming to the DC/Maryland area, and it was a must-see show. Produced by the California-based Guerilla Union group, the show has undergone numerous incarnations, with many repeat performers such as A Tribe Called Quest, Redman, various members of Wu-Tang, The Pharcyde, De La Soul, and Nas. Overall, the show was outstanding, even though it had a lull or two, which were few and far in between. The set changes were swift and the crowd somehow managed to maintain and elevate its energy over a period of 11 hours.
The show was highly political, from angst ridden Immortal Technique’s set, to Nas’ rip on Fox News and Jesse Jackson, Sr., to countless Obama t-shirts sported by individuals throughout the whole show (“Obama is the new black” and “Obama: Born to Lead” are just two examples). The show also included numerous tributes and shout outs to those fallen too soon, including Ol’ Dirty Bastard, J Dilla, Biggie, Tupac, and Jam Master Jay. Despite my relatively early arrival, the show really did not seem to start until “The God” Rakim took stage. A few observations, in order of appearance:
Rakim: Hard hitting, deft, and thorough. Rakim came through with the same characteristics that garner him one of the top spots on anybody’s “Greatest MC of All Time” list. The crowd ate up every word of “Microphone Fiend,” and he closed the show with a sample of some of his new music, which did not seem to provoke the same level of enthusiasm from the crowd. Whether or not the hip hop world will be more prepared for a new single from Rakim in the future is yet to be seen.
Raekwon and Ghostface Killah: The duo called for the crowd to throw up the Wu “W” sign before they would go into the set, and tracks like “Can It All Be So Simple” and “C.R.E.A.M.” were expected crowd pleasers. Even though Ghost and Raekwon performed a number of Wu hits in which Method Man had verses, Meth never made a special appearance to lay them down. The duo finished off a satisfying though not electrifying set.
The Cool Kids: A quick trip to the second stage to holler at the Cool Kids was in order, and the marked difference between the main and second stage was very evident.
For one, the crowd had a totally different vibe- somewhat detached yet committed. Second, there was hunger in the air. These MC’s were hungry. A starving, youthful hunger that really emphasized the worlds that set them apart from the main stage performers, but claimed them as a legacy to the acts I had just witnessed. The Cool Kids rocked the mess out of “Black Mags,” and definitely left me hungry for more.
De La Soul: Their set was heavy on the side of Stakes is High, and Posdnous made it a point to remind folks that De La has never broken up, despite adversity. The unity that Pos emphasized was more than evident in the way the crew effortlessly moved through decades of their repertoire. Adding to the level of excitement that was building on the main stage, Q-Tip made a special cameo during “Buddy” which drove the crowd to the brink of insanity.
Method Man and Redman: Killed it. This duo wins the award for most outlandishly ridiculous behavior on the tour, including but not limited to: front flips into the crowd, multiple attempts at crowd surfing, rapping while standing upright on the hands of fans in the first row, and being the first act to fully engage with the crowd by climbing on side walls and rapping into the mid-section of the pavilion. These two feed off each other’s energy in the most extreme ways, but that is what makes them Meth and Red. They ended their set on a high note with “Da Rockwilder,” then proceeded to threaten the crowd with promises of a “How High 2” movie release. They stated the movie was in production. We should all be weary.
The Pharcyde: There was much hype and anticipation for The Pharcyde performance, which was being treated as a special, reunited gift from another, more divine world. The problem with reunification, however, is that it sometimes displays just how much practice and momentum was lost in the years that the group was apart, and this was the case with The Pharcyde. Regardless, there is definitely a movement behind the group, and hopefully this will be enough to push them into extreme production mode.
Mos Def: Mighty Mos led a very mellow set, a testament to his highly reflective and finessed lyrical skills. He led the crowd into the depths of his meditative cipher, crooning out the lyrics to “The Boogie Man Song” and “Umi Says.” The two-steppers in the audience lit up when he played the first few stanzas of Aretha Franklin’s “One Step Ahead” which lead into “Ms. Fat Booty” (and the crowd goes wild).
Nas: The most fluid and potent performance up to that point, Nas shut the house down and unified the crowd. He unapologetically criticized Fox News’ skewed involvement in the election and made very poignant statements about the changing of the guard in black politics. Nas hit to the very heart of the crowd’s political consciousness, and rocked his set with great fervor. From Illmatic to Untitled, and all points in between (even sampling some of his more dubious work such as “Nastradamus”) Nas reminded us why we have stuck with him for almost 15 years now- all he needs really is “One Mic.” The rest is magic.
A Tribe Called Quest: Q-Tip started the set with some of his new work which appears to be extremely promising. He then moved into his earlier solo career work- “Breathe and Stop” and “Vivrant Thing” truly brought the jiggy out of the crowd.
He was later joined by the rest of Tribe and they teased and hyped the crowd, handing out classic after classic from “Bonita Applebum” to “Award Tour” to “Electric Relaxation.” The two cuts that Tribe delivered the hardest were “Check the Rhyme” and “Scenario.” Tip ended with the particularly hot track “Getting Up,” his newest release that uses a sick Madlib sample called “Understanding (Comprehension)” from the Beat Konducta Vol 1-2: Movie Scenes Album. Rock the Bells ended poised on the future of hip hop, leaving fans looking forward to the new album by Tip, with the whole crowd bouncing to one beat- part of one mind and one heart locked away in the vaults of hip hop.
