The growing, underground hip hop show, Rock the Bells by Guerilla Union, proved that, when it comes to real stage shows, people don't want glitz and glamour. They want "real" hip hop.
They came out for a raw, freestyle exhibit. One mic, one stage, and a hyped, nostalgic crowd of culturally boundless kids coming out to head-bang at a world-class hip hop platform.
The first Rock the Bells took off in 2004 in California with a reunited Wu-Tang Clan. Just four years later, it's turned into an international affair, every year, bringing together hip hop's most missed characters.
Last year, it was Rage Against the Machine. Headlining the festival this year was a reunited Pharcyde, and A Tribe Called Quest, both scheduled to tour on every show date. Pharcyde rose to fame in the early 1990s with tracks Runnin, Drop and Passin' Me By, and released its last album, Humboltd Beginnings, in 2004. A Tribe Called Quest also exploded in the early 1990s, and released its last album in 2003.
Grammy Award-winning De La Soul, which took over the hip hop world in the late 1980s, garnered much hype from its anticipated performance.
Rapper and actor Mos Def commanded the stage, combining new tracks and old, and throwing in an acapella song or two. He performed classic tracks such as Umi Says and tracks off his latest LP, The Ecstatic.
Veteran lyricist Rakim, alongside DJ Kid Capri, spit raw, hardcore rhymes. Despite a few audio issues, Rakim demanded attention during his short time on stage. But Rakim, originally of Eric B. and Rakim, can do that. The duo broke up in 1992 after releasing four albums. After a five-year hiatus, Rakim exploded back onto the scene with The 18th Letter, and secured the respect of the hip hop world.
Duo Redman and Method Man undoubtedly stole the show with their high energy and humourous lyrics. Method Man, originally from the Wu-Tang Clan, rose to fame in the 1990s with tracks Bring the Pain, M-E-T-H-O-D Man and You're All I Need, a duet with R 'n' B sensation Mary J. Blige.
Redman also spit out tracks from his Doc's Da Name 2000, and Muddy Waters album, including Da Goodness, Da Bump and screamed out their collaborated tracks, How High and Da Rockwilder. The performers also announced that a sequel to their 2001 movie, How High, will be released next year.
Nas, a.k.a Nasty Nas, a.k.a Nastradamous, mellowed the crowd with his often conscious rhymes on social issues and American politics. I Wanna Talk to You, Street Dreams and If I Ruled the World were crowd favourites.
The grand finale was a performance by Q-tip and other members of A Tribe called Quest, who hyped the crowd with tracks Vivrant Thing and Bonita Applebaum.
Rock the Bells is on the road across North America until September.
For more information, visit www.guerillaunion.com/rockthebells.
lrosati@mississauga.net
