Editor’s note: Terrence Elenteny is an up and coming filmmaker and a large part of the success of the iNTERNETS CELEBRITIES and DP dot com film projects. During my desperation to get into the ‘Rock The Bells’ concert I put out an all points bulletin to everyone I thought would be in attendance. Terrence didn’t have an extra ticket for me, but he blesses us with the best recap of the show I have read so far…
Yo D!
Whatsup man,
Sorry I didn’t get back to you this weekend – I was involved in the tail-end of a week long bender on Long Island culminating in one of the greatest fucking shows I have been to in quite some time. I did not have an extra ticket unfortunately – If I did, you would have gotten the call, believe me. Man, if we could’ve gotten access to work at that Rock the Bells shit – we would have KILLED it. But I was damn happy to relax and be a fan.
Have you been to shows at Jones Beach? Totally different experience than a Randalls Island or typical festival. Call me an old man but I was damn happy to sit in the upper deck of the amphitheatre in my seat all day, smoking blunt after blunt with a picturesque view of the water, boats, and stage, not having to walk around at all. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful show. I’m sure you’ve heard all about it from other people already but the performances were off the hook in my opinion. I wish De La had a longer, and later set. Seems crazy to me that they aren’t headlining their own shows like this but I guess that goes to show you what a Long Island loving De La Soul stan I am.
Pharcyde was sick. Never got too deep into them but their performance and energy will def make me go back and check out their classic joints. Rae and Ghost did their thing, you know Wu always shows up with about 60 people on stage to show a presence and have their backs. Ghost might be my favorite rapper still putting out consistent albums in my opinion so I almost wish they would let him go in on more of his new stuff, but hearing all the Cuban Link and classic Wu joints is always special.
As the sun starts setting at Jones Beach, you start to feel that something special is happening and just as the light started changing we get a Mos Def set. Mos Def might be the most entertaining person I have ever seen in my life. Not sure what it is about that dude that just gets me wrapped up – but I will always buy, watch, love anything he creates or appears in. And as far as entertainment value–the man puts on an original, never stale/rehearsed show and feels spontaneous and reactive to the crowd’s energy. He has the DJ playing sick Jamaican/island tunes and his set weaves from solo classics to Black Jack fire to him singing at the top of his lungs. That dude is gifted like no other . And then out comes Talib to kill some Black Star shit — my high was in full effect at this point and I was bumping that album to the death when I was in high school so I was transplanted instantly in space and time. They fucking killed it. To the last minute—the production crew came out and told Mos to start wrapping it up and he owned that dude – “Nah man– Im bigger than that” and he finished up his set. I love Mos – definitely.
So now its nighttime – Red and Meth – who I had seen before years ago on their How High tour – and and Ive seen Wu a few times as well. Knew this shit was going to be high energy. The perfect act to have up now that the light is gone and a full stage production with lights and stage monitors can be truly effective. These dudes really do put on a show their energy can’t be contained. Not to mention they are some funny motherfuckers who can make my side split simply by doing that walk frrom Da Rockwilder video. These cats own an audience. Not sure if Method Man killed a bunch of dudes and swallowed their souls or something – but every time I see him perform I’m floored by his boundless energy. Honestly, I think if this dude was a nobody and you put him up on stage in front of a crowd without a microphone — just let him run around, dance and yell at the crowd — after 5 minutes he’d have everyone singing M-E-T-H-O-D mannn. He demands crowd participation like no other. And you gotta respect these dudes for just being the same motherfuckers as always — this is Jones Beach we are talking about on Long Island–there’s underage teenage girls with their moms waiting to pick them up in the parking lots after the show at every turn. And to hear Redman encouraging the ladies in the crowd to make noise if they’ve got that “good pussy” – there’ s just something great about that and I don’t even know why. So all this in itself makes for a great set. Add to that these motherfuckers brought out DJ KOOL (Let me clear my throat, and big up Wale, then leave), Slick Rick (I think he came out with them, but maybe with Rae and Ghost– I was higghhh) and EPMD!!! Let me tell you something man– I have been caught sleeping because I have not made progress on this Long Island Hip Hop documentary that I have had in my head for years, seeing EPMD and De La rip shit up at a classic show in Long Island mind you, I have been woken up and I need to get going on that shit, we should talk about it.
Anyway, EPMD is on stage – I have officially lost my mind. How sick is Eric Sermon’s voice – is it a lisp, some sort of speech impediment? — I dont fuckin know but it just sounds like he’s the one dude who should have probably not tried his hand and public speaking – and ends up being a rap star like no other. I just remembered — someone brought out Biz Markie at one point – Long Island representative yet again. And De La brought Dres out from Black Sheep who is always a fan favorite. So we’ll say thats it for the Red and Meth set -although Im probably forgetting something crazy. Long break in between sets for the crew to set up and assemble the full band that will accompany Nas. Assholes in the crowd were growing impatient and booing the long break but I was cooling out and getting to know my high.
Nas came out hard – the live back worked with him well- often the DJ would throw on a classic joint on wax- the band would start playing along, reinterpreting the samples from the original track as the record faded out and now Nas is rocking his verse with the newly created backing track. It was pretty dope. He performed at least half of Illmatic– not sure if he gets tired or forgetful but it isn’t uncommon for him to miss chunks of his verses at a time. It didn’t even bother me though. Nas is a passionate dude and that shit comes through no matter what. Not sure how you feel about Nas lately- but I’m feeling his maturity and attempts to be more socially relevant.
He came hard telling the crowd that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton were out – as are the rest of the old leaders. He sounds like a man who wants to run for office – or at least be a representative of the people. He aligns himself with the young generation and asks the people to believe in him because they are one in the same. Nas is a genuine, real artist in my book and I was happy to see him put all of himself into a performance. I won’t say that I knew Jay-Z was coming but I knew that motherfucker was coming. I heard just the smell of that Breathe beat and was out of my seat yelling “Here come Hov motherfuckers” It took a minute for the rest of the crowd to join me but next thing you know, there he is. Jay-Z has created really a new level of rap icon. Seeing him step on stage unannounced, whether you love the dude or not, is the equivalent of Elvis stepping on the stage, or whoever it is that rock n’ roll people shit their pants about these days. This reminds me of another larger point that I have been missing as well–it’s no surprise obviously – but it’s just good to see all these guys give these amazing performances and rep so strong for NYC. It’s Hov’s civic duty as reigning hip-hop impresario to show up at this classic show and do his bit. Him and Nas killed that Black Republican joint and Hov officially left the bulding.
Nas wrapped up his set with One Mic– performing most of the song on bended knee–the two huge stage monitors in tight on his face as he performs his poetry with a look in his eye that makes me think that this dude was actually pretty good in Belly. Last set: Q-Tip gets top billing over tribe– or at least gets a quick solo set before they all come out together. I’m not mad at that I guess– think he has a solo project coming out and I’m just happy to see Tip. He came out with DJ Scratch who got some a minute or two to show off some serious DJ skills–something rap shows could use wayyy more of in my opinion. Tip did some solo stuff, including his new single,- the song that uses the same sample as a track off Madlib’s Music for Movies album–I wonder if he produced the track or if Tip just heard the sample or whatever. Either way, I like the song– but I really wished he hadn’t performed Vivrant Thing – I always hated that shit. Mos Def was out there chilling for the whole Q-Tip solo set and I was just waiting for them to start announcing the Neo-Native Tongues movement, album, tour, and world dominance.
It didn’t happen exactly like that but when the lights went down and a familiar voice rang out declaring, “A Tribe Called Quest consists of four members….” over an eerie soundscape, I realized what I had somehow forgotten for the day. I was about to see A Tribe Called Quest perform together live in New York for the first time in 10 years. Was I excited to see Q-Tip? Absolutely –always loved that dude. But it paled in comparison to the excitement that had been building inside me to see Phife. I was nervous about how the Tribe performance would be. I know Phife has serious health issues and hoped he would be in classic form. He was. Love his voice, love his delivery, attitude, underdog confidence—he was rocking a Jamal Crawford jersey and white towel strapped by a headband the whole show–had you asked me what I thought he might be wearing before the show, I would have told you exactly that. Seriously, I knew it before even he put it on yesterday morning. They did a bunch of classics–also accompanied with live instrumentation — breaking into bass solos and performances of the original songs that they had sampled – they sang, Mos and Tip do some dancing that the kids will enjoy. They just put on a SHOW. The shit is continuous, it is a performance, it is entertaining. It’s not someone pressing the play button while the rappers talk over their instrumentals. It’s inspired, it’s planned, it’s original – it’s MUSIC. Consequence was out on stage. And then of course–Busta. We were there at the VH1 tribute to Tribe when Busta came out and killed Scenario. That shit was amazing and I think everyone left happy and saying, well the only thing that could have made it better was if he was performing it with Tribe. That’s what we got last night and it was of course unbelievable.
Where’s Dinco D?
Where’s Charlie Brown?
Questions left unanswered I suppose, but the shit was off the hook regardless. I was definitely worn out by the end of the show – it was without question one of the best hip-hop shows I’ve ever attended. Strong Island won.
Sorry I couldn’t get that ticket for you.
Next year let’s work that motherfucker.
This hurt me to read because I totally slept on such a great event happening in my own backyard…
good recap. Had me reminiscing about yesterday like it was 20 years ago or something.
Applaud this recap
Your recap was mesmerizing. Especially considering the fact that you were flying like a kite and can remember all those details. Very impressive.
This post has me hype for stop two out of three of my RTB itinerary.
It’s on.
I’m almost ready to brave the port-o-potties in the middle of the desert after reading this.
Great write up. Golden era > 99% todays HipHop.
Excellent recap — I was there too, also way up in the cheap seats. High as fuck, in both senses of the word. But I wanted to add a couple of points:
Terrence wrote:
“Mos Def… puts on an original, never stale/rehearsed show and feels spontaneous and reactive to the crowd’s energy. He has the DJ playing sick Jamaican/island tunes and his set weaves from solo classics to Black Jack fire to him singing at the top of his lungs.”
I thought Mos showed us his best and worst sides last night. He came out doing “Hip Hop” and killed it — my friends and I were afraid he was going to be doing a lot of his rock stuff, or his limp-noodle lite-jazz material; instead he hit us right away with the high-energy but soulful and thought-provoking boom bap. BAM! We were excited. And then…
For the next 15 minutes or so (I think — could’ve been 10, could’ve been 30, but it felt like forever…), he sucked all the air out of the concert. Which is hard to do at an outdoor venue. But he did it. He had his DJ spin a couple of dancehall tunes and I think some old-school R&B jam, while he… stood there. Nodding. Occasionally lifting the mic to his mouth and going, “Uh-huhhh” or “Yesssss” or “Mm-hmmmm” or “La-deee-daaaahhhh…” Sometimes it seemed as if he was warming up to scat or toast or, I don’t know, maybe even SING or RAP or something crazy like that. But noooo… this was the extent of his “performance” for at least a third of his set. It was some lazy shit. I realize that as a Korean person I’m not supposed to call a black man “lazy” or I’ll have my father’s deli picketed, metaphorically speaking, but it was pretty much the laziest, most narcissistic, self-indulgent bullshit I’ve ever seen from a musician in concert. In my high-school Deadhead days I once or twice saw Jerry Garcia fumble nearly every single note of a 10-minute guitar solo, but at least the motherfucker was trying hard. You could tell. It was just that the drugs had completely obliterated the synapses connecting his brain to his fingers. Whereas Mos, if you believe everything you read online, which I do, is supposed to be some kind of teetotaling Muslim who lives off wheatgrass, sunbeams, and righteous anger, isn’t he? What’s his excuse? I’m surprised that Terrence enjoyed this part of the show.
But then Kweli came out and the two of them RIPPED it for the remainder of the set — Mos’ energy was through the roof, he was all over the stage, he rhymed his ass off, and he and Talib had such chemistry, you’d think these guys had been recording and touring together regularly since the Black Star album dropped. And later, as Terrence noted, Mos served as hype man during the Q-Tip/ATCQ set, and you couldn’t ask for a better hype man — even though the entire crowd was going wild by that point, he seemed like the happiest person in the venue, clearly overjoyed to be lending his heroes a helping hand. It was a beautiful thing to see.
On a similar note: Nas had mad energy, he was obviously amped to be there last night, and it was cool to see him backed by a live band. And I’ve dreamed of hearing him perform some of those Illmatic verses in person for 14 years. Not to mention Jay’s appearance!
Nevertheless, this has to be said: Nas’ mic skills, in concert, are weak. Terrence said he’s “not sure if he gets tired or forgetful but it isn’t uncommon for him to miss chunks of his verses at a time.” I think it’s a mixture of both. He has poor breath control and vocal control, and definitely forgets a lot of his lyrics. He just leaves these gaps, as if expecting either the audience or some imaginary hype man to fill them in. The opening bars from “NY State of Mind” went something like:
Rappers are monkey-flipping to the funky rhythm!
Musician!
Of pain, I’m like Scarface!
Pen I’m extreme now!
I’m exaggerating a little for comic effect, but only a little, I swear. This is a bad look for the man many of us exalt as hip hop’s supreme wordsmith — he doesn’t even say half his words. And don’t give me any of that audience-participation, collective-spirit, African-tradition-of-call-and-response shit. I can rap “The World Is Yours” to myself in the shower. I can go to hip hop night at the club and see a bunch of dudes mouthing every word to “Hate Me Now.” I expect the actual artist to bring a little more to the table. Every other MC on the bill last night, including some dudes who are several years older and look to be a lot more out of shape than he is, had their material down tight. And it was obviously not a question of ability, ’cause a couple of times he buckled down and executed a verse flawlessly — before one of them, he even said something like, “Aight, let me get this verse right” — and you could see the difference. It’s a question of putting the time in, rehearsing and all that. He needs to check out a Roots show and see how Black Thought gets down.
Don’t get me wrong, though — the good parts of both artists’ sets overwhelmed the bad. Hell, I would’ve paid my money and put in the travel time just to see the 20 minutes of Mos and Kweli, or the 7 or so minutes of Nas and Jay, and it would’ve been well worth it. What a concert — easily one of the best days of my life as a hip hop head!
p.s. The sound system was garbage, although they did improve it for the Nas and ATCQ sets. And there was no beer for sale (unless you were in the $100-plus VIP section)! Note to future ticket-holders: security was not as tight as expected (though this may vary by venue), no frisking or patting down, so take a risk and try to sneak that flask into the pocket of your cargo shorts. Or get drunk in the parking lot.
^ I saw NaS forget his intro at a Dilla tribute concert while backed by the Roots. Good thing that Black Thought had a microphone too. He started NaS song off for him and helped him catch the beat.
Black Thought is a top 5 dead or alive EMCEE.
NaS is one of the greatest RAPPERS of all time.
There is mos def a difference.