Well that kicked some serious ass.
I may be getting long in the tooth and I've never been able to shake my booty (being a white boy I've never really had 'booty' as such) but oh-my-god does hip hop really twank my plank. And tonight's performances seriously kicked.
We got in to catch just the end of Frontline's set, Con Psy really giving it up to the very appreciative crowd. I've not heard much of them (nothing since getting to Oz) but the little I did hear made me hungry for more. Some definite talent there.
After a short dj break Mareko and Savage came on and gave us the Deceptikonz treatment. Deft and muscular delivery. Mareko has got some good shit there, and Savage as his wing-man worked the crowd up a storm. They talked with the crowd well, did all the things good rappers should, bringing everyone into the gig. When they brought out Stop, Drop and Roll I thought that was going to be the evening highlight.
Then the headliner came on - well P-Money came up first & intro'd him on the decks. Then Scribe rolled out. Not like your US rappers, full of macho wank, talk of bitches & ho's, gangster ass rap. This is NZ hip hop and there's a strong thread of humility running alongside the bravado, and several breaks to give honest thanks to the crowd. And oh man he has an incredible stage presence. He worked the crowd up with ease - had me whooping & waving my hands like I just didn't care. Such smooth delivery too. I've missed that, being exiled to the backwaters of hip hop here in Seedneey. Sorry to say but pretty well all Australian hip hop outfits are sub-standard. Hearing Scribe in full flight made that all the more clear to me.
True there's an element of 'patriotism' in what I say - not for NZ the country, the nation, the government, but for that unique NZ culture that I miss so much. This gig tonight has made me quite homesick and I'm glad that tomorrow (today!) I fly back to misty Christchurch to recharge my Kiwi batteries.
But I digress.. Scribe and P worked up a storm, perfectly tight together, hyping the crowd & inciting us to join in. P-Money had several dj breaks where he showed off his magic fingers (and that boy has an amazing talent) but never let it overshadow his emcee, no 'drum solo' type scratch breaks. Scribe was superb. He busted out Not Many early on and had everyone on that high note from then on, not letting the connection drop throughout. The crowd was at least half Kiwi and he got us to bring the house down on several occasions - and got a surprising number of Cantabrians (your humble fishboy included) to "make some noise" too. My throat is so raw..
Scribe saved the best for last too, bringing out Stand Up to a sea of waving arms. So damn cool. Had everyone going wild. The crowd of course couldn't let it go at that and we demanded an encore. Which we got - in spades. Scribe brought out Savage and Con Psy to join him & P-Money to reprise Not Many - like the tv video edit, complete with goofing around. In fact Savage jumped into the crowd near the end and never came back. Brilliant stuff. The gig ended with Scribe on the mic, off stage, saying "Savage has left the building".
So. I had an awesome night and didn't end up feeling old & crusty at all. I came away feeling enlivened and younger than I have any right to.
Hip hop is the music for the new millenium. Seize it.
Update: Via Dub Dot Dash here's P-Money giving the NZ hip hop community a kick in the pants.
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