I cram to understand the abundance of work-night hip hop events in New York City. Perhaps it’s an embarrassment of riches that shows must be crammed into weeknights to make room for the plethora of weekend activities aimed at the double turntable/microphone crowd. Maybe there’s an underlying assumption that we don’t have jobs for which to muster up the strength to wake up the next morning. On the other hand, just maybe, there’s a conspiracy by promoters to get hip hop’s working generation fired en masse after stumbling into the office an hour late. Whatever the reason, I, like many others, decided to forgo better judgment and head to the Knitting Factory for EMC’s album release party.
Intro
Coming straight from the office with the workday’s funk on my back, I arrived at the venue ten minutes after the doors-open time. At a weekend show, this may have lost me a coveted stage front standing spot, but on a Tuesday, it meant a virtually empty room with the other early arrivers scattered about, nodding their heads to DJ Eclipse’s (of Non Phixion/La Coka Nostra/Halftime Show/Fat Beats cash register fame) warm-up set.
I’ve always been impressed by Eclipse’s steadfastness in spinning current underground selections. At shows for older hip hop fans, the night’s DJ may dabble in recent records, only to quickly retreat to a set of classic stand bys to which we can happily attempt to mouth the words and not complain about today’s young whippersnappers with their synthesizers, pastel gym shoes, and too-colorful hoodies. Nevertheless, no matter the show, Eclipse constantly finds plenty of solid modern-day independent boom bap to keep the crowd satisfied.
After spinning new records by The Roots, KRS-ONE, and Sunkiss (10 bonus points if you remember him. 17 more bonus points if you read his Newsweek blurb nine years ago.), the evening’s host, the formerly ubiquitous Baby Power (who now just goes by “Power” because like Lil’ Bow Wow and Buckshot Shorty before him, he’s grown up and shit) took to the stage to nondescriptly announce the evening’s first act. For those who remember him, (Baby) Power may have been hip hop’s first Paris Hilton-esque figure. In the mid-90s, he appeared in numerous videos and Source fashion shoots, and eventually landed a spot on MTV’s “Lyricist Lounge Show” alongside EMC’s Wordsworth. Does anyone know why? Who was he? How did he get there? I’m guessing I’d know more if I was from NYC. Regardless, I’ve gotten way off track. The point is, he was the host, and his first duty was to introduce Don Cerino.
Don Cerino
Of the three (yes, only three!) opening acts, Don Cerino was the only with whom I was completely unfamiliar. After kicking things off by shouting out his borough (the Bronx) and his MySpace page (which reminded me how out of touch I am with modern-day promotions), he rhymed over the ever-reliable “Juice (Know the Ledge)” instrumental, which is always smart when the audience doesn’t know you. As an emcee, Don Cerino was adept enough, but his stage show seemed a bit unpolished and lacking energy. Regardless, he kept us interested with dope beats and unlimited subject matter. His set featured topics as varied as cruising around the city with a fancy wristwatch, dead homies, hip hop hypocrites, and not trying to grow up too fast. Though his stage show could use some work, Don Cerino was an appropriate opening act, and was good enough to raise interest in his recorded material.
Interlude
DJ Eclipse returned to the steel wheels to play another batch of current ish. By this time, the venue filled quite nicely, and a full house was…in full effect. I generally prefer shows where one act flows into the next with no pauses, but these little breaks gave me time to write shorthand notes in my phone. I should seriously consider purchasing a full-keyboard model.
Torae & Marco Polo as Double Barrel
This marked the first time Canada’s Marco Polo (he’s the DJ/Producer) and Coney Island’s Torae (he’s the rapper) performed as Double Barrel (because there’s two of them, get it! Or perhaps it’s an homage to Twin Hype’s second album. How disgusting is my overuse of parentheses?), and the first time I’d heard of them forming a group. This seemed odd considering Torae is just beginning to make a name for himself with the recently released Daily Conversation album, and he was nowhere to be found on Marco Polo’s Chronic-format Port Authority album from last year. Their set was a mix of a few new Double Barrel records, cuts from Daily Conversation, and the passing out of free Port Authority CDs to those who could name the artists who rhymed over select beats from that album. I don’t know how long Torae has been performing, but he seems to be well versed in crowd moving 101. He had no problem keeping the masses entertained. Unfortunately, his set seemed shorter than Don Cerino’s did.
Interlude 2
DJ Eclipse amazingly played another round of recent hip hop without dipping into the yesteryear or mainstream record stacks. By this time, I was cursing my phone for its sub-par picture-taking abilities and short battery life.
Termanology
Termanology’s set was even shorter than Double Barrel’s, which made me think Don Cerino held the stage for longer than anyone intended. Within the span of a few songs, Termanology showed and proved why he’s a popular mix tape (read: he’s released a shit load of free music on the Internet with no record deal) emcee. I was slightly disappointed he didn’t perform the Marley Marl-produced “50 Bodies”, but he did rock “So Amazing”, so I guess he filled his legendary-producer track quota for the evening. Overall, his brief set was dope, despite having one too many random hype men/friends on stage with him.
Interlude 3
DJ Eclipse again. I recognized Ghostface Killah’s “Walk Around” in his set. EMC’s DJ Flo Fader operated the tables and settled into spinning the expected roster of hip hop classics. My phone’s batteries went dead. No more notes or lame photography. Chicago’s Rhymefest nonchalantly walked on stage and handed out a few copies of his Man In The Mirror Michael Jackson “dedication mix tape” to those willing to feebly throw their hands in the air for one. I was one of those audience members, and I must say the disc is damn good, and well worth the download time. New York City hip hop shows are always good for surprise cameos, no matter how low key they may be.
EMC
The unexpected guest appearances continued with the headliner’s set. Ladybug Mecca, Craig G (the T-Pain of NYC rap concerts), and Buckshot all got stage time during the group’s performance. However, none of these guests managed to upstage EMC, whose live show displays the energy, professionalism, and fun missing from today’s hip hop artists’ stage routines. Masta Ace, Stricklin, Punchline, and Wordsworth ran through several songs from their new album and collaborations from Masta Ace’s last two records. I was particularly pleased Masta Ace elected to perform my personal favorite “Da Grind” (which introduced me to the Justus League’s Khrysis), with Stricklin filling in for a seemingly absent Apocalypse. Then Apocalypse later hit the stage with Ace for “Take A Walk”, so figure that one out. I would’ve liked to hear more joints from Ace’s first three albums, and maybe an additional off-the-cuff Wordsworth verse, but I couldn’t complain at all. They thoroughly rocked shit.
Conclusion
With well-placed and paced opening acts and a buoyant headliner, the EMC show is well worth the $15. Go see them when they’re in your town.
Bonus Tracks
“The Grudge”
- Album: The Show
- Year: 2008
- Producer: Ayatollah
“2s And 3s”
- Album: Sound Chronicles
- Year: 2006
- Producer: Ayatollah
“Four Minus Three”
- Album: Take A Look Around
- Year: 1990
- Producer: Marley Marl
