Rakim Live.
spelunk
3,400 Posts
Just got back from this. Really good show, I wish there were more people there. I'd guess it was under 400, about half capacity. And yet Andre Nickatina sells out the same spot....go figure.Anyways, yes, the Rhythm Roots All-Stars were great - far and away the best backing band I've seen for a hip-hop show. They played for a half hour before anyone else came on and really tore things up - no crazy arrangements or solos (I'm thinking back to seeing Nomo this summer and they really don't compare), but they play very tight as a group and got the energy moving.Brother Ali really surprised me - I've been too dismissive of his music and haven't really given him a proper listen, but he really tore it up live and I was impressed - really clear voice on stage, it's nice to be able to actually understand lyrics live. He also spent time after the show meeting fans which I always have a lot of respect for because touring has got to be pretty draining.Ghostface was exactly what I expected - too many other dudes on stage yelling with him, spending too much time telling ODB stories and bringing 17 year-old girls on stage to invite backstage. It's always frustrating seeing him live because he could be so damn good - the moments where he actually gets into it and raps are dope.Rakim - my first thought is geez, this guy is so calm and stoic. No smiles, no running around onstage, no hype. Just straight flows that are so flawlessly executed that they might as well be right off the record. His son was there - I really wanted to hear him flow but he never got on the mic. Amazing to see a legend - frustrating how few people there really understood who he is and what he represents.Really though, what captured me the most was hearing all these beats - especially for the Rakim set - played by the band. They really nailed every track - if any of these shows are getting recorded I'd love to hear some live cuts, cause they sound like the record (at one point in the night Rakim goes "I got ten DJs with me tonight", pointing to the band)Anyways I recommend the show if it's coming near you - it'll probably be even better wherever that is with a better crowd.
Comments
It's at the 9:30 club too.. and I'm still feeling a little burned about seeing DJ Krush there. 25 bucks to get in, and Krush plays for an hour with a fifteen minute encore and then the club shuts down for the night... even before last call. WTF?
For real??? You basically paying 10 buck for each performer. That sounds about right. All those stadium bands charge $100+ and you can't even see them cuz there are 30,000 other people there.
Well thats just... like ... your opinion man.
Yea, he needs to get a high top fade and have some scooby doo looking DJ cutting 2 copies of 'The Big Beat' for an hour while he raps in his Members Only jacket.
If you are implying that he has PROGRESSED to performing with a live band, then that's the exact type of quackery I'm talking about.
Rappers IMO rarely sound BETTER with a live band. And I've seen everyone from Mos Def and Haiku de Ta to Scarface and Devin do it. Best example I can come up with where it has worked is the Coup and that's with their full Steal This Album band rather than their latest stripped-down funk line-up.
I mean cool Rakim, more power to you. He toured sans band last year (which I caught), so why not try something different?
But stil,
I don't mind paying the 35 bucks if each artist is playing for at least an hour, but like I said last time I ended up feeling a little cheated by that venue.
I've seen the live band thing done poorly before, so I understand where you're coming from, but these guys had a way that made it feel so natural - it wasn't a contrived "let's mix these two things together" thing at all. The band played with the rappers just like a DJ would - it's not like Rakim or Ghost would finish a verse and then they'd jump into a Rhodes solo.
No one is saying he progressed to anything man. I mean the guy said point blank that he doesn't remember a lot of the verses of some of the old tracks, and it's not like he's been actively putting out music and switching up his style.
The band was really good...they did an amazing job recreating some Rakim tracks (Follow the Leader, Juice). However, I agree with Harvey, most rappers sound better with a DJ. Bands are good, but different than hip hop. Hip hop was built on the looping of breaks...getting that in the pocket repetitive groove with occasional breakdowns. Bands are not very good at that...they have to go and vamp and change keys and have solos, all which detract from the MC. Rhymes just aren't half as good over a band that has to breathe, than they are over a solid beat.
I mean, some do it quite well, and its OK to an extent, but a DJ is gonna be preferred most often...at least by me.
I understand that some people prefer having a DJ, but this makes zero sense. A band that has to breathe? They have to go and vamp? Please to make sense.
Then try this one on for size: 95% of hip-hop bands sound 100% the same.
Right, and if you read what I said, I'm saying that this band was in that other 5%. Stop hating and see the show before you dismiss it so easily.
I just listened to some clips of the band on youtube and on their myspace page...and I'm not seeing what so original about them. At some points, they sound like pedestrian acid jazz. At others, they sound like the former Texas white boy funk of Retarded Elf. I like that they feature horns so prominently, but if those clips are any indication...they sound exactly like 95%ers to me.
peace.
Or is it Blake's?
my description sucks...what i mean is generally a band can't stick to a a stripped down repetitive beat/groove, which is the best format for backing raps. live musicians have go outside of that box. sometimes they can get that going for a song or two...but almost never for a whole show. when a band stretches out its not really beats and rhymes anymore...the raps get lost in the music.
as a band, they are great. backing rappers, better than most. would i still prefer to hear a skilled DJ backing Rakim and Ghost for most of the show...yep.
considering it but I don't know about 30 bucks. I'm pretty sure ghost is going to be a disappointing performance.
The guys from this band are mostly longtime LA heads that have been members and leaders of bands like Connie Price & The Keystones, Breakestra and a ton of others.
Tepid wannabe retro soul funk-related.
naw...while i'd rather see rakim backed by a DJ I can vouch that these guys are solid...that is...if you like funk/latin/afro-beat vibes. i mean, yes they are retro in the fact that they play styles of the 70's, but its hard for me to believe that doesn't appeal to you in some way if A) you're a member of soulstrut, B) you like Rakim's early stuff and C) if it's executed well...which it is.
Like I said, I was pretty blown away at how they recreated "Follow the Leader" and "Juice".
This coming from the tepid texas rap authority.
- spidey
We've got tepid retro soul funk bands down here that could easily crush all them LA fools into disco dust.