Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Sun, Blunts & Hip Hop


*WARNING: PROCEED WITH CAUTION* (Don't say I didn't warn you...)

When last year's Rock The Bells ended, I told myself, "There is no way Guerilla Union is gonna sucker me into hangin' around for another 14 hour show." But seein' as how I turn into a little kid when I see the line-up every year, I caved in as soon as I saw that Wu-Tang and Black Star were gonna be this year's headliners. So, I found myself sleepin' in early on Friday in preparation for Saturday's (and part of Sunday's...) Hip Hop overdose.

I was gonna post this huge blog recounting my 24 hour day (like
Jack Bauer) at Rock The Bells this year, but that seemed a little much so I decided to give you a rundown of what I saw and my thoughts on this year's show. If you're readin' this, I'm warning you now...it's not for the easily offended. Especially you Hip Hop heads out there who are certain fans of certain groups or artists I will mention (and talk shit about) in this blog. You've been warned...

We got to San Bernardino just before 11:00 A.M. thinkin' we would get there just in time, but, as it does every year...the show started late. And, as it does every year, it has to happen directly under the hottest weather possible. But anyway...we finally make it in and run directly to Up Above's booth and buy as much gear as possible. Whaddup to the
Visionaries and the whole Up Above crew...y'all are the illest! Thanks for signin' my shirt!!!

Big up to also to my homie
Eric (a.k.a. Bumps The GooseGot) and the Verbal Supplement crew for the CD. The Gas Company should be warned...5 bucks is a small price to pay for that much heat...

Anyway, so I missed the first couple of acts but we rushed to the stage just in time to catch
Self Scientific...also known as the best duo you've never heard of. STOP SLEEPIN', PEOPLE!!! So they rocked a short set, and then I think I remember Murs comin' up shortly after that. I'm diggin' Murs...he's the only cat from Living Legends that I can actually tolerate. Plus, he did "L.A."...that shit is ill!

My boys, the
Visionaries, rocked the spot as always, for about a half. Dope set from the fellas, but that's nothin' new. It would be a mistake if I didn't mention that they're one of the finest acts to see live. You don't see that much energy from most crews. New album October 3rd...don't sleep on that either.

So the next, we thought, would be
Dilated Peoples...but instead Del came out. Honestly, I've seen the whole Hiero crew a bunch of times and I probably wouldn't care if I never saw them again. Don't get me wrong, "93 'Til Infinity" is ill and it was just about the only album I dug...but they got other ill joints. Personally, I think the music doesn't translate well into a live show. I don't know...maybe it's just me. I guess it must be, cuz they get mad love wherever I go. That train passed me by.

At this point in the show, I was hungrier than a hostage...plus, a brotha was dyin' of thirst. But we didn't wanna lose our spot close to the stage before Dilated came on, so we hung out thinkin' that they got bumped and would come out after Del. Del finally leaves the stage and we're gettin' hype thinkin' Dilated's just about ready to rock it, then we can go cop one of those shitty $5 burgers that were bein' sold. So Choc, the host, comes up and says "Get ready for the next act......B-REAL!"

WHAT THE FUCK?

I couldn't give two shits about seein' this cat do a set and I was just about ready to bounce...but that hope, the anticipation, of seein' Dilated again wouldn't let go. So we stayed there like three idiots...cuz they had to be comin' up after B-Real, right? WRONG. And I dig and respect
Immortal Technique to the fullest, but at this point I had to eat and/or drink somethin' cuzI was gonna pass out and go down faster than Paris Hilton. I hated to leave the stage durin' Tech's set, but I got to chill in the shade, eat and watch him rock it from the back. He did his thing. "Dance With The Devil" is a fuckin' classic.

After Tech, the part of the show that is known as "Sleepy Time" came. Well, at least for my brother and my homie it was. I stayed awake, like a moron...and I only say that cuz it came back to haunt me later. Aesop came up next...and I ain't really a fan of his, so I'll move on. Then...THE LIVING LEGENDS!!!

Whoopty-fuckin'-doo

How these muthafuckas have such a huge following is beyond me. Maybe I didn't get the memo on why these dudes are so "ill", but I guess that train passed me by, too. The story on why I don't like 'em is a long one that I won't go into now, but I've seen 'em live before and I HONESTLY TRIED TO LIKE THEIR MUSIC. But their whole crew, except for Murs, is like a bad stock tip...I LOSE INTEREST.

None of 'em stand out as bein' exceptional emcees...their beats are weak...and the fact that they call themselves "Living Legends" is a fuckin' joke. Sorry guys, but the only Legends I saw came on after you. And whose cocks are they suckin' (besides their own) over at Guerilla Union to get top billing every fuckin' year at Rock The Bells? I saw those dudes sellin' T-shirts and CDs, but yet I didn't see any pillows and blankets. Just an idea for next time I wanna sleep at one of your shows, fellas...

Now, I know that everyone's got their own personal taste in music and Hip Hop heads are VERY opinionated. I'm by no means tryin' to start any kind of wars, but if Guerilla Union wants a dope group to rock it 45 minutes straight without all that talkin' and shit they need to book the Visionaries later on in the day instead of, like KeyKool told me, "after lunch". There are 1,000 other acts that could rock the crowd better. The only reason I mention the Visionaries is because I seen both of 'em on the same bill, and in my opinion they should have switched spots. So to quote Eddie Murphy's dad, "Kiss my ass if you don't like it!!!"

OK...let the flaming begin. I can feel all the LL fans seething with anger right now. Enough of that...let's move on.

Dilated Peoples finally jumped on the stage, and we damn near missed the start of their set cuz we were walkin' around the different booths. This is now around 6-6:30 P.M. in the day. Of course, they fuckin' killed it...but that's nothin' new.

Right after them is when
De La Soul came up and...OH...MY! Honestly, I had seen De La before and there's no doubt they are legendary and, even after all these years, they can still blow up the spot. They really made me feel like a little kid again cuz their energy was so infectious. They really fuckin' surprised me with their set. Not to mention that as special guests they brought up Phife from A Tribe Called Quest and Dres from Black Sheep and did it Native Tongues reunion-style! Hearin' "Award Tour" was so ill, and rhymin' along to "The Choice Is Yours" were highlights durin' De La's set. Not to mention that they closed with "Rock Co.Kane Flow"...what more could I have wanted? At this point, I was ready to rock the rest of the night.

That brings us to Redman, who I admire as emcee...but not as a live act. Like I said before, there's just some artists that can't pull it off and I hate to say it but Reggie's been at 3 RTB's and he still has yet to impress me. He did his thing for awhile, but I honestly zoned out and my high from De La began to wear off. I hate when that happens...

My homie KeyKool from the Visionaries came up next to introduce the new freestyle champ to the world.
Supernatural did one of the most amazing feats I've ever heard of...the man freestyled non-stop for over 9 HOURS. Much props to Supernat...that dude has never been really, truly appreciated for his skills. He's another cat you must see once in your lifetime do his thang live.

Not to worry though, cuz
Black Star was the next act and they had the place jumpin'. Kweli started it off, then Mos came out and they rocked it on the tag team tip. Hearin' those cats do "Respiration" is mind-blowing. That beat is definitely one of the greatest pieces of music ever composed. No lie. Talib was dope, but man...Mos Def is fuckin' amazing. I don't know what it was, cuz I'd seen him before...but his set at RTB was really ill. I think it was the acapella to "Travellin' Man" that did it. And, of course...I was the only dude rhymin' along.

Which brings me to another point I wanted to make. There was A LOT of fake Hip Hoppers in the crowd. I hate to call y'all out like that, but I'm just bein' real. The DJ's were spinnin' the classic, ill, rockin' joints...and it seemed like my brother and I were the only dudes that knew 'em. And he's only 16! I don't pretend to know all the lyrics to every fuckin' classic song, but at least react to what the DJ is playin'...Gang Starr, Biggie, KRS, Slick Rick. Nobody even rhymed along to "Children's Story"!!! What kinda shit is that? I bet if they woulda spun a 50 Cent joint, everybody and their fuckin' dog woulda been singin' that shit at the top of their lungs. And it would piss me off when the acts on stage would say, "Who here loves that real Hip Hop?" and everybody would respond. Y'ALL NEED TO STOP FRONTIN'!!! Now, I ain't sayin' that I know everything when it comes to Hip Hop, but I know enough and I have a deep appreciation and respect for the culture. Most that were at that show didn't...plain and simple. OK, I don't mean to lump everyone in together...but at least from the crowd that was around me, that was the impression I got.

So Mos rocked it, did some new stuff off
the new album and bounced. My high came back and I caught my second wind, cuz I ain't gonna lie...rhymin' along to all those songs at the top of my lungs fuckin' wore me out. Plus, the weed smoke gave a nigga a contact high like a muthafucka. It was the regular smoke that got to me too, though. I hate that shit. But the "surprise guest" took so long to come out after Mos that it brought the excitement down again. It was almost a fuckin' hour before they came out. At this point, I couldn't even bend my legs so a bunch of us just sat down right on the ground among hundreds of people standin' around us. But I didn't care...I was mad tired.

There was a drum kit up on stage, so I my first instinct was that The Roots might stop by...but I was wrong. The "surprise guest" turned out to be......Lauryn Hill. Now, when I saw her I thought..."Oh my God...THE FUGEES!!!" So I stood up with the quickness and got ready to bug the fuck out, but it was not to be. It was only Lauryn and I gotta say that I was really underwhelmed. I don't even think the crowd was feelin' it cuz there wasn't much of a reaction when she hit. To be honest, I don't even think half of 'em knew who it was at first. I stood for a little bit, but I quickly lost interest so I sat back down.

Ms. Hill bounced and to my surprise,
Wu-Tang came on stage no more than maybe 5 minutes after she left. Once they came on, forget it...I completely forgot about my legs bein' sore. Cappa came out to "Slang Editorial" and I was goin' crazy already. Then the rest of the Clan jumped out and it was on. From "4th Chamber" to "Shadowboxin", "C.R.E.A.M."...you name it, and they did it. If you're down with Wu, then you already know what time it is.

I was so tired at this point that I damn near gave in and wanted to leave our spot and take a seat. But seein' my brother dig his first real concert so much was a great feeling and I didn't wanna ruin it for him cuz I could tell he didn't wanna leave. I hung in there for him and I'm glad I did.

The highlight, or lowlight (dependin' on how you look at it...), was when Steve-O from Jackass and Wildboyz made his way to the stage. They were in the middle of doin' a tribute to Dirty (R.I.P.) with his (Dirty's) mother present (and having just cried cuz the crowd was chanting her son's name) when Steve-O came on and told this whole story about bein' in the same jail cell at L.A. County with O.D.B. He then proceeded to pull down his pants, get buck-ass naked on the stage, do a backflip and swing his balls under his ass Buffalo Bill-style, turn around and show it to the whole crowd. My first thought was for Dirty's mother. They're tryin' to pay tribute to her son, and this dick (no pun intended) pulled some shit like that. They pulled him away, then the Clan went straight into "Brooklyn Zoo"...which brought the fuckin' house down. Right after the song, though, Raekwon brought Steve-O back on the stage was like, "Yo...I didn't appreciate what you just did." Rae made Steve apologize to the whole crowd, Dirty's mom, EVERYBODY...cuz if he didn't, Rae would "Knock your ass out in front of all these people...I don't give a fuck who you are." The fuckin' crowd went nuts right then. I mean, I think Steve-O is a funny guy but there's a time and a place for everything and he shoulda been a little more respectful considerin' that Dirty's family was up there.

Meth and Red went straight into "Da Rockwilder" which threw the crowd into another frenzy and they closed the show shortly after "Triumph" a little while later. All in all, it's an honor to see those cats in person. Hopefully I'll be out in Philly next weekend to catch 'em again...

I won't even go into the whole long story about how
The Wu changed my life (cuz they really did...), but they were pretty damn amazing. Their catalog is so insane that they could rock it for 3 hours and not do all their classics. They may not be as dope collectively as they once were, but the legacy that they built made an impact on me (and, more importantly, on Hip Hop) like nothin' else. It's a shame that most young cats now don't understand just what they mean to the game. Before Wu, there was nothin' quite like that...and sadly, there probably never will be again. That's why I'm so thankful that I lived my teenage years during the Golden Age of Hip Hop. We will never experience anything like that ever again...

Here I thought that there was no way that we could top last year's marathon session...but I was wrong. We got back to the car at exactly 2:18 A.M...a little more than 15 hours after we got there. Man, I still don't know how we made it to the end. As soon as I got back home to bed, I thought that I might be gettin' too old for this sort of thing...and maybe I am. No matter what, though, Hip Hop will still always bring out that kid in me that fell in love with H.E.R. almost 20 years ago.

Or until I see the next Rock The Bells line-up in another 9 months or so.

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