Everyone who loves hip hop say 'YE~A'!

I started out thinking that I was going to describe the Blackalicious concert that I went with a friend mind last week. I wanted to do it, and then my muse never hit me.... maybe it's only because my muse was passed out after a drunk binder. Maybe it's just that I keep drinking coffee at work that tastes like Juan Valdez's piss after he had a nice cup of coffee or maybe I'm thinking that I don't have much to say about it because I was under-wowed. Under-wowed I wonder if that's a word I'm sure my editor will nail me on that one. Headlining with Blackalicious was Pigeon John, Fat Lip formerly of Pharcyde and Life Savas. It wasn't even until the next day while thinking about the show that my little dusty light bulb went off and I realized that Pigeon John and Life Savas were each featured on a track from "The Craft" album. Kinda makes sense that they were touring with Blackalicious I'd say.

Pigeon John was a really good opener bouncing around the stage with the energy of an ADD child. It didn't even seem to faze him that there was only 20-30 people on the floor in front of him. That's nice you know, I mean I've seen opening acts that either got boo'd off stage or were practically talked over. This one time I went to see NIN when Trent was touring for the "Downward Spiral" album. Marilyn Manson was opening for NIN at a time when know one had heard of him and yo know what no one paid attention to him, eventually he got so disgusted he threw down his mic and walked off the stage still wearing his big black strap on dong. Where was I, dongs concerts, oh yes. I don't really remember that much about Fat Lip other than he did a part of the Pharcyde song "Yo Mama" and while I don't remember much from the Life Savas set I have some impression that they were pretty good. It wasn't that I was drunk, it's just that I don't have any of the three headlining groups albums so it was hard for me to follow along or get into a song that I had never heard before. Blackalicious was good but their style just didn't seem to translate real well into a live show. I'm not sure if that could have been fixed by reducing some of the bass or if the acoustics of the Newport were also a problem. I do know that rock concerts while ear splittingly loud still generally sound good but I think rock music in some ways is a lot simpler than hip hop. Anyway Gift of Gabs style of rhyming is fast, and their music is pretty complex and multilayered. I wanted to hear all of what was going on and all I really heard was a lot of loud bass, incoherent background vocalist and Gift of Gab trying to rhyme over it all. Even so hearing tracks Supreme People, Rythm Sticks, Lotus Power, Side to Side, Ego Sonic War Drums along with Chemical Calisthenics off of "Blazing Arrow" was a joy.

Biggest shock of the whole deal might have been the crowd that showed up. For a group that so good the crowd was kind of small, and for a hip hop concert the crowd was kinda.... white like 98% college student white. Cool thing was there still seemed to be plenty of energy even if the the arm waving, head bopping and dancing was entirely too white boy-ish. At one point in the concert a girl walk by wearing a t-shirt hanging off of one shoulder followed by a mesh top over the t-shirt, a short mini skirt, boots and teased hair.. felt more Whitesnake than Blackalicious but who am I to say one way or the other.