Lyricist
Lounge Tour w/ Mos Def, Slum Village, Major Figgas, Bahamadia,
Master Fuol, DJ Cypha Sounds
Pine
Street Theater
215 SE
9th Ave., 232-7861
9 pm Thursday,
Sept. 14, $25
THE SUMMER'S
SHOWS:
The
Spitkicker Tour
Roseland Theater, June 29
Wu
Tang Clan
Roseland
Theater, Aug. 11
D'Angelo
Arlene
Schnitzer Concert Hall,
Aug. 12
Up
In Smoke Tour
Rose
Garden Arena, June 24
When hip-hop is at its best, there's a quiet storm within
the rhythms. Notes of unity somehow ring through the roar
of the drums, seeping into the pineal gland and moving the
frame. A live hip-hop show amplifies these feelings a hundred
times over; it's crazy to see people losing their minds due
to the music's bully effect.
The Lyricist Lounge tour, featuring the ever-eloquent Mos
Def and DJ Cipha Sounds, will no doubt get people carried
away during its Portland stop. With Mos Def admonishing
the culture to maintain peaceful ways following the well-publicized
foolishness at the taping of the Source Awards, the show
appropriately caps off a summer filled with dope concerts.
Besides the many entertaining moments the summer had to
offer, there was even an occasion to witness reasons why
that whole mess in L.A. even started.
For the most part, everything was lovely for Portland hip-hop
fans this summer. Biz Markie, De La Soul, Common, Pharoahe
Monch and Reflection Eternal spitkicked their way through
fierce sets back in June, igniting the throng into a frenzy.
A rise in humidity paid homage to headliners De La Soul
as they controlled the crowd like true masters of the craft,
introducing "OOOH" and the anti-gun anthem "You Don't Wanna
B.D.S." long before Mosaic Thump hit the streets.
Even though Common is as laid-back as a pimp in a Caddy,
everybody got caught up in his thing, especially when he
performed "The Light." The legendary Biz Markie, ugly as
homemade sin, kept people happy between rounds with classic
hip-hop joints from
his crate.
Contrary to their past track record, the Wu-Tang Clan tour
stop in August went off without any violence, though there
is an air of militant peace that surrounds the group. What
the Wu is known for in hip-hop lore really comes to life
on stage. At various points, the RZA, Ghostface Killah or
Raekwon would encourage the audience to pursue education,
to love everybody and to know self. The beats hit the body
like a wrecking ball. Ghost and Cappadonna held the stage
down for their missing brothers, Method Man and ODB, rocking
the mic like true MCs. Of course, the highlight of the night
was when Allah Mathematics spun "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" to alleviate
some of the crowd's jones for Ol' Dirty.
Many wouldn't equate D'Angelo with hip-hop, but it is difficult
to deny his place in the culture considering his production
from DJ Premier, collaborations with Method Man, Redman
and Q-Tip, and the boastful "The Line" from Voodoo.
D'Angelo's show at the Schnitz was a thorough lesson on
how a show should be done. Accompanied by a 10-member
band, three back-up singers and voodoo-influenced set designs,
D'Angelo brought the roof down. Opening up with the Five
Percent-tinged "Devil's Pie," the brother had the aisles
flooded with honey-dips screaming ecstatically. Hands became
sore from clapping and knees ached from swaying as D'Angelo
took people through a spiritual experience. The beautiful
music of "Africa" escorted each performer off stage and
made the love hanging in the air so thick you could almost
see it.
As peaceful and gratifying as these concerts were, the
Up In Smoke tour left a nasty memory behind. Hailed as the
hip-hop event of the summer, the lineup was filled with
old school and new school rappers who have sold mad albums
in the past year. The new N.W.A.--Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC
Ren and Snoop--drew the attention of heads, while Eminem,
Warren G and the rest appealed to the fans of popular music.
Sadly, flashy sets couldn't hide the bullshit that went
down that June evening. The joy of seeing Ice Cube spit
classic hits like "The Nigga Ya Love To Hate" was dampened
by the antics of WC. The famed rapper extolled the audience
to "Crip Walk," a straight gangsta dance step, a clearly
inflammatory move that affected the rest of the evening.
Unfortunately, this display of ignorance set a tone for
what happened at the after-show party at the Roseland Theater.
Cats representing Crips and Bloods passed cold stares back
and forth during the medley of one-song sets of local artists.
Right after Philly's 100X left the stage, two brothers squared
off with each other. First, fists were thrown. Then, someone
pulled a pistol and folks scattered like shotgun pellets.
I, along with some close friends, holed up in a room waiting
anxiously for the green light to leave.
Today rappers often insist they're gangsters, then turn
around and say it's all for the sake of entertainment. But
everyone doesn't take it as such--like the dudes who really
live by the rules of the street. WC, Snoop and their cohorts
didn't see the result of their words in Portland, but it
caught up with them at the Source Awards. Death Row Records
cats stepped to Dr. Dre and his pals, starting a ruckus
that shut down the taping of the awards show and came close
to setting the culture back as far as the deaths of Tupac
and Biggie did.
Hip-hop is about keeping it right, not espousing activities
that could potentially bring harm to others. I, for one,
am leaving that gangsta shit alone and focusing on its antithesis:
positive, consciousness-building artists and tours like
the Lyricist Lounge show. Hopefully, I'll see y'all there
enjoying a hip-hop show like you're supposed to--in peace.
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