Thoughts: EPMD, Naughty By Nature, Lordz Of The Underground, OC @ Nokia Theatre, NYC 4.25.08

Considering Eye didn't even know about the show until the day before, it was hard for me to get too excited about this show.

Actually, even if Eye had known about it, Eye wouldn't have been too tweeked.

Other than EPMD, the lineup was not that crucial to me in terms of catalog and live performance. And before you all get your panties in a bunch, Eye don't mean to imply that everybody else doesn't have a solid (if not stellar in the case of Naughty) catalog...it's just that for me personally, the other acts didn't have more than a few joints that Eye REALLY connected with on that "Eye have to see them rock ____" level...feel me?

Now EPMD...them's my dudes right there!!! The banger quotient is a lot greater...more meat, less filler. PLUS...they got DJ Scratch. If you've never seen an act that has a battle DJ (as opposed to a cat that just queues the next track and does a rub here and there for effect), then do yourself a favor and catch EPMD when then they come to a theater near you! DJ Scratch puts on a show.



But Eye digress.

As Eye alluded to above, my sense of urgency was non-existent for this ticket, so Eye showed up close to two hours late...just in time to catch the tail end of D.I.T.C..

Ok...now I'm feeling a little annoyed, as Eye didn't know they were going to be in the building. Eye would've made more of an attempt to get there early had Eye known. Actually, Eye found out afterwards that OC was the official act but, when Eye got there he was already joined by Lord Finesse (an all-time fave for me) and AG (who Eye last saw live at a Madlib show...still sharp, always refreshing to hear a good NYC emcee). What little Eye did see was good and the crowd Eye was posted near at that moment was definitely open, so Eye guess they did their thing.



Seeing the Lords Of The Underground was a first for me. Never heard much about their live set from back in the day, but Eye figured given their studio persona's, they would probably have a high energy live set. And that's pretty much what it was. Both cats generally nailed their performances, although there was a moment or two when it looked like DoItAll was upstaging Mr. Funky a bit...and from the look on his face, Funk caught that vibe too. Still, the overall chemistry between these cats appeared to be genuine and positive. Good to see them let Lord Jazz get some shine with his song as well.

There were two things that hurt their set, though. First, was the lousy sound, particularly on DoItAll's mic. It was bad to the point of distraction. Not a good look. The other problem was a problem that plagues a lot of shows featuring vets from era's gone by...new material. Or more specifically, new material that no one has heard yet. Nothing kills momentum more than dropping some new joint that no one in the crowd has heard before after ripping through 3 or 4 classics. By the time they got to the last song of the set (Chief Rocker), the energy of the crowd was down to one bar. Luckily, Chief Rocker was apparently what the whole house was waiting for because, the place exploded when they jumped into that.



Naughty actually kinda surprised me, as they ended up having the tightest set of the night. Not that Eye didn't think that they had a tight stage show...Eye know better than that. These cats have been the ultimate professionals on stage over the years. It's just that Eye never really considered myself a Naughty fan...in the way that I'm a fan of say, M.O.P. or DeLa or Gang Starr. It's like yeah, Eye know the hits and Eye own an album or two, but it's not like Eye have their complete discography.

But Eye can't front, there wasn't a song they rocked that Eye didn't know...and most Eye genuinely dug. They never really lost the crowd. Partially because of the string of hits they dropped and partially because they just had fun up there. Vinny did his usual ringleader thing and Treach was particularly loose...almost comical, but he was on top of his rapid fire flow all night. Just one thing, fam...Eye think it's time to let go of the wife beater. The six-pack is more like a keg these days.



As the headliners, Eye was a little disappointed that EPMD got cut short. Apparently, the Nokia management is on some Strictly Business shit too when they set their closing time because, Erick and Parrish hit the stage after 11pm and were off the stage by midnight.

That said, what we did get from them was what Eye was expecting...that classic EPMD hardcore funk. Individually, the E Double was going hard at the new generation of rappers all night. He's a genuinely funny guy. PMD was his usual calm but deadly persona. Scratch did his thing, as mentioned before. Watching these cats put it down just confirmed how much of a crime it was that they split up. They really were unique. Despite the early assertions that they were trying to imitate fellow Strong Islander, Rakim, they ended up with a style and flavor that was very distinctive. That's saying a lot in the rap game, where biters by the dozens have always tried to duplicate hit sounds to get put on.



Overall, the show was more enjoyable than Eye anticipated....and definitely wet my appetite for the 2008 Rock The Bells tour.



Much peace to the heads over at Grandgood.com and IAmHipHop.com for the vidz.

Your subscription has NOT expired!

Don't go deleting the Hip Hop *Revisited Podcast from your RSS feeder just yet!!!

I know it's been a minute since Eye threw up a cast but, keep layin' in the cut like peroxide...we'll be back with another full set of classic Hip Hop treats shortly.

In the meantime, here's a little Scooby-snack to hold you over til then.

Click here to get your own player.

It's a little late, but it's my nod to the 2008 Super Bowl champion New York football Giants!!!!

New York is the town and the team is the Knicks

When the Hip Hop generation began to infiltrate the major sports scene in the late eighties-early 90's, several icons emerged...the greatest individual figures being that of Mike's Tyson and Jordan.

When it came to teams, universally it was Jordan's Bulls but, in NYC...it was all about the Knicks.

A far cry from the current cast of knuckleheads that call MSG home, the Knickerbockers of the Golden Age of Hip Hop were unquestionably knuckleheads themselves but the BIG difference was, they were winning!!!

They played an in-your-face, rough and tumble, knock-down-drag-out style of ball that clicked with the street-cred mentality of New York City Hip Hop.

And in the center of it all for the orange and blue stood the captain, Patrick Ewing, who for better and worse came to symbolize the team in all it's pain and glory.



Today it was announced that Patrick will be enshrined in the basketball hall of fame, where he will be immortalized as one of the all-time greats of the sport.

Eye hope this serves as a not-so-small slice of vindication for the man.

To this day, he gets more than his fair share of abuse...for everything from not winning a ring, to his looks (people can be real f*cked up sometimes), to his demeanor.

One thing, however, could never be questioned...his heart.

That man always gave everything he had when he suited up and the whistle blew.

And no matter how many haters came out of the woodwork, he always commanded respect (and if you got too slick with the lip, you might just get mushed by him and his crew of thugs).

Kinda like NY Hip Hop was back in those days...constantly fighting for respect.

Anyway, Eye just wanted to big up the yardman on this crucial day....

like Heavy D. once said..."man like Patrick Ewing....you're large!!!!"

I Want My U68 !!!

Back in the day, somewhere in the mid 80's before B.E.T. and the BOX....before MTV was playing anything other than rock......and at some point after Hot Tracks, Friday Night Videos and Video Music Box (peace to Uncle Ralph)...

...there was quite possibly the best music video channel to ever broadcast in the NYC area...

U68.

The station was broadcast out of Newark New Jersey and it reached the entire NY metro area.

It was a UHF station with a generally weak signal but, damn, did they have the right idea when it came to programming!

If you were a person who loved music regardless of genre, this was the station for you. They played it all (including Hip Hop)...

"Punk Rock, New Wave and Soul,
Pop music, Salsa, Rock & Roll.
Calypso, Reggae, Rhythm & Blues,
mastermix those number one tunes..."

G.L.O.B.E. & Whiz Kid - "Play That Beat"


Damn, do Eye miss those days...

U68 promo

Podcast Ep. #008 - 2007 Holiday Special

Happy Holidays, fam!

Please click through and check out my 2007 Classic Holiday Hip Hop EXTRAVAGANZA (as Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito used to say back in the days of 89-Tec-9....LOL)

Whilst on a last minute holiday shopping mission in the city, Eye took some time out to bless you with some holiday gems...Eye hope you enjoy.


And BTW....Have a happy, healthy and safe '08!!!!!!!


Click here to get your own player.

• Santa Baby - Christmas All Stars feat. Rev. Run, Mase, Diddy, Snoop, Salt, Onyx, Keith Murray

• Santa Claus Is Going Straight To The Ghetto - Snoop
  

• Christmas In The City - Angie Martinez & Mary J. Blige
  

• Cold Chillin' Christmas - Juice Crew
  

• Kangol & Doc - UTFO
  

• Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa - De La Soul
  

• Live @ Harlem World 1981 - Force MC's
  

• K.O.S. (Determination) - Black Star
  

• The Night Before Christmas - Cutmaster DC
  

• Christmas Is - Run DMC
  

• Santa Is A B-Boy - Whistle
  

• That's What I Want For Christmas - The Showboys
  

• My Christmas Bells (Hardcore Xmas) - Elf Elf & Dok-Im
  

• He's Santa Claus - Disco 4
  

• Dana Dane Is Coming To Town - Dana Dane
  

• Christmas Rappin' - Kurtis Blow
  

• Xmas Rap (a.k.a. Santa's Rap) - Treacherous Three feat. Doug E. Fresh
  

• The Night Before Christmas - Cypress Hill
  

• Santa's A Fat Bitch - Insane Clown Posse
  

• Merry Muthafuckin' Xmas - Eazy-E
  

• Sleigh Ride Drive By - Coolio and the Z100 Morning Zoo
  

W H Y ? ? ? ? ?

WHY MUST THESE WACK ATHLETES CONTINUE TO PLAY THEMSELVES!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?........









WHEN WILL THEY LEARN.....STICK TO BALLIN'....WITH A REAL BALL!!!

Just when you thought there was nothing new to discuss about THAT word...

...here comes this shit!







The song is David Banner's "B.A.N.".



A cleverly crafted track that lifts several sound bites from a popular animated television adaptation of the controversial comic strip, "The Boondocks". The clips that were sampled for the song's hook feature a notable character from the show's first season. A cantankerous old blind man named Col. Stinkmeaner.



The Stinkmeaner character was featured on one of the more memorable episodes of the show, one that dealt with a phenomenon that the show's creator Aaron McGruder dubbed, "the nigga moment".



The general concept of "the nigga moment" being any situation where irrational and self-destructive behavior by black folk reigns supreme in a circumstance that prevailing logic would dictate should have otherwise been harmless.



With "the nigga moment" setup as the precept, McGruder introduces Stinkmeaner as antagonist to one of The Boondocks' central characters, "Granddad", a senior citizen who moves himself and his two grandsons out of the "hood" and into a vanilla suburb called Woodcrest. The bourgeoisie aspirations of the Granddad character are constantly being sabotaged or outright thwarted...sometimes by his own doings, but usually at the hands of his two grandsons, Huey and Riley, who rebuff all attempts at forced assimilation.



It is Riley, the younger and somewhat misguided grandson who instigates this particular diversion away from the civility of upper-middle class life through a series of unrelenting taunts and attacks on Granddad's ego after a confrontation with the Stinkmeaner character leads to brief scuffle in which Grandad is floored and caned by his blind adversary. Adding to the humiliation of being bested by a blind man is the fact that Col. Stinkmeaner is a foul mouth, trash talking old dirty bastard who did not hesitate to deliver a barrage of shit-talking that would put any WWE cat to shame.



The word most active (and most lethal) in Stinkmeaner's repertoire was that most inflammatory of insults, the N-bomb.



For all of the venomous properties contained in the word when used by non-black individuals who use it as a racial epithet of the most traditional order, there's still something to be said for those times when a black person reaches deep into their soul to put that extra sauce on the word and spit it with a level of contempt that could never be truly perceived by anyone who has never been on the wrong end of that word.



By contrast, another recurring character on the show named "Uncle Ruckus", an openly self-hating older black man who routinely refers to all black folk (himself included) as niggers, almost comes off as civilized by comparison.


Eye believe that it was that bottom-of-yo-black-ass-heart-cruel aspect of Stinkmeaner's character, which was brilliantly voiced, that resonoated with so many people. The greatest humor is often culled from the tragic truth and McGruder's brand of satire has consistently been razor sharp. The character of Col. Stinkmeaner is evidence of both those statements.



One of the reasons why McGruder's Boondocks comics and animated television show are considered so controversial is because of the very public depictions of characters, language and subject matter that many people feel should be off limits for mainstream consumption. The general fear being such portrayals do more to perpetuate than eliminate, a sentiment more acutely associated with his detractors in the black community.


Supporters counter with the assertion that the beauty of McGruder's work is in the absurdity of the subjects that he chooses to spotlight and how astutely he illustrates the ridiculous nature of certain sad realities in a comedic setting. In short, his opponents don't understand the very nature of satire and therefore can't see that Aaron McGruder is one of the most gifted satirist of this generation.


So then The Boondocks represents yet another catalyst for the seemingly never-ending struggle within the black community between what Eye like to think of as those who believe the solution is to abolish all traces of socially destructive entities (most readily represented in the form of the N-word), and those who are of the mindset that such entities can be nullified through recontexualization.


Imagine then, the quagmire that is likely ensue if and when this David Banner ditty starts getting widespread attention.

With any luck, nobody will notice and it will just slide right on by....and those who get it, will get it, and those who don't won't see it as anything more than an extension of the irresponsible mess that is The Boondocks.


Somehow though, Eye doubt we'll get off that easy.