Open Thread: Rock the Bells
by Latoya Peterson
I wanted to post this Monday, but we had a little to much to get through.
Who went, who is going, and who wanted to go but missed it this year?
I know I’m not the only crabcake eatin’ muthafuckah who was at Merriweather on Sunday.
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
crogirl wrote:
I want to go, but I have no one to go with so I have to pass.
The closest one to me is this Sunday in NY. How was it? Am I really missing something good? Go ahead Latoya, rub it in… I have to live vicariously through you!
Posted 01 Aug 2008 at 2:02 pm ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:
@CroGirl –
Yo, it was amazing. My friend grabbed Q-Tip’s ass. I was so proud.
I got some posts in me about how quickly a space becomes gendered and sleeping on Nas based on being there, but I was going to save them for next week.
Posted 01 Aug 2008 at 2:07 pm ¶
crogirl wrote:
@Latoya – props to your friend for grabbing Q-Tip! That’s awesome. And yes, I do think Nas doesn’t get the props he deserves (as of late, especially). It’s hard when there’s a generation of folks who are buying up Lil Wayne like it’s gold.
Posted 01 Aug 2008 at 2:25 pm ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:
@CroGirl –
I completely missed the Lil Wayne boat. I really did. He’s amusing, but I am so not sold on this “best rapper in the game” madness that seems to be rolling around.
And yeah, they were right on the side of the stage and he kept sticking his butt in her face, so the next time he did it, she grabbed it.
De La’s set was just a bucket of fun, I haven’t smiled that hard in a while. And Mos is apparently reinventing himself as a reggae singer. I don’t know if he was drunk or what, but he sang most of his set. I still got “Ghetto Rock” and “New World Water” and “Ms. Fat Booty” so I was alright.
Meth and Red’s set was ridiculous, as was Raekwon and Ghostface, but they (M & R) had a completely different energy than was the tone of the concert.
And Nas’ set was like a baptism. For real. In all the shenanigans of the past year I forgot how much I liked him.
Need to look up Jay Electronica – they booed him from our section but I think it was because he came out late and got deep after a couple party sets.
Posted 01 Aug 2008 at 2:31 pm ¶
WestIndianArchie wrote:
I went to the one in the DC area
- Wale – decent
- Jay Electronica – terrible. He did the “let me cut the music and rap acapella – cause what i’m saying is so deep” move and it didn’t work.
- Rakim – The God is actually nice despite all these years. He did all his hits, imo. And 1 new joint. (which wasn’t terrible, but a little too modern, if you ask me)
- Rae and Ghost – Haven’t lost a step. Did a lot of OB4CL material, as well as GFK material. Didn’t do Cher Chez La Ghost. Did an OBD tribute, and had everyone rap along to Brooklyn Zoo
- Mos Def – Yawn, as usual. He did his typical self indulgent play music he likes, before linking it to the break used for his big hits. And he did New World Water….Not mathematics. How this cat has folks fooled is beyond me, but it’s clear his best rapping years are behind him.
- Pharcyde – Rocked it to a live band, which as we all know, with the exception of the Roots – is usually terrible. They did all old material over a DAT, and Fatlip even did his own solo joint. But like we said in 95, Jay Dee smoothed their sound out way too much. Crowd was not feeling it.
- Red and Meth – Hilarious. Also did their own tribute to ODB. Meth didn’t do any collabs with Rae and Ghost – even though Rae and Ghost did Ice Cream (where Meth has the chorus).
- De La Soul – Still dope after all these years. They did material from 3 feet to Blind Date. During Buddy, Q-Tip came out and did his verse.
- Nas – 2 songs from the new lp. (yawn). And then he did most of Illmatic, w/exception of 1 time 4 da mind and Memory Lane. Pretty much a chronology of his big hits. Lots of asides. His breath control is improving, but he’s much more of a bedroom mc. Rakim, who’s just as dense lyrically was never gasping for air.
- Tribe – “the greatest group in hip hop” (c) Nas. No wait, Q-Tip has to do his solo stuff 1st. Yawn. But then Phife and Jarobi came through. (Dj scratch of EPMD fame replaced Ali “i don’t need tour money” Shaheed). Phife looked better than he normally does – and they did a lot of songs from their good lp’s, but a few from their bad (last 2)
Lot of Dilla shot outs all night.
70 bucks well spent.
Posted 01 Aug 2008 at 2:45 pm ¶
Black Canseco wrote:
I move to Cali looking for good music and NYC goes and does this to me? Every hiphop artist i ever dug? Ugh!!!!
Posted 01 Aug 2008 at 2:59 pm ¶
Black Canseco wrote:
Warning, Left Turn ahead:
In honor of Missing Black Girls everywhere I created this MISSING BLACK GIRL SURVIVAL KIT:
It’s a fun way to spread the word about the importance of looking for all children of color, not just the Caylee Anthony’s and Nancy Grace poster childs of the world:
Check it out, please:
http://tinyurl.com/65mkw5
Posted 01 Aug 2008 at 3:02 pm ¶
Black Canseco wrote:
I created some cool buttons to support missing children of color–black, hispanic asian, multiethnic kids… they deserve media coverage too.
http://www.photobucket.com/missingminoritybuttons
please download ‘em and spread ‘em around
Mod Note – BC, this isn’t going to be effective. 1, it’s a comment, so half our readers are going to miss it. And 2, it’s Friday, people aren’t really here. After I clean out my inbox, I’ll post your piece (a lot of good stuff is lost) so hold these comments until then. – LDP
Posted 01 Aug 2008 at 3:17 pm ¶
Nadra wrote:
I went to Rock the Bells last year in San Bernardino, Calif. Does that count? Wu-Tang, Rage Against the Machine, Cypress Hill, Nas, the Roots, Public Enemy, Pharoahe Monche and many more were there. The concert will always hold a special place in my heart because it’s when things with my BF kicked off.
Posted 01 Aug 2008 at 3:24 pm ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:
@Nadra – Yes, it counts. And can I get a hell yeah for concert love?
Posted 01 Aug 2008 at 3:27 pm ¶
gatamala wrote:
I’m jealous!! They need more beer kiosks and bathrooms at Post. Lawd last time I was there I was so shitfaced…I digress.
I completely missed the Lil Wayne boat. I really did. He’s amusing, but I am so not sold on this “best rapper in the game” madness that seems to be rolling around.
(do I make a Lil Wayne/boat/NOLA joke?…naah)
That’s cause he sucks! I bet his Gollum-lookin’ ass was waving that damn Solo cup around.
And Mos is apparently reinventing himself as a reggae singer. I don’t know if he was drunk or what, but he sang most of his set.
I’ve heard of his drunken performances.
Meth and Red’s set was ridiculous
I saw them in college. They got all up in the crowd.
Were you in the seats or on the lawn?
…and did they search your bag?
Posted 01 Aug 2008 at 3:28 pm ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:
@Gatamala –
LOL, naw don’t make the joke. I feel for him in that one verse on Hollywood Divorce where he’s like “the hurricane done took my Louisiana home/and all I got in return was a dang country song” – I’ll let that one go.
LOL, that Vibe cover killed me too. I thought I was the only one who noticed the Gollum/Wayne connection.
He wasn’t there, I just brought him up in reference to how crogirl said the game has changed.
Re: Mos –
Yeah, he was acting like one of my wino friends. Now, I love this wino friend dearly, but I’ll be damned if Mos wasn’t doing the same things he does – sit back, groove to some music, sing songs under his breath, forget what was he was doing. I still liked the set though, put my fist up during “Umi Says” even though he cut the black references during the show. (WTF@ that.)
Re: Meth & Red – They are still the same. And they threw water on everybody. They got all up IN the crowd. We lost Meth for a while while the camera followed Red. My friend was pissed because they threw so much water her hair converted to a full natural. This is why you don’t get a press and curl before a hip-hop concert…
I had floor tix that I didn’t use. Pissed. I was still sick, so I stole someone’s seats – 3rd row, center. The whole time we were there, people kept coming and fighting for seats (a lot of the floor folks got tired and came back trying to sit down, not knowing those seats were sold to people as well.) We kept waiting to get kicked out, but I guess I got lucky.
And yeah, we got searched. Ah well…
Posted 01 Aug 2008 at 3:35 pm ¶
chi wrote:
I live in Columbia and MPP is a hop skip and a jump away from my house, so I had no excuse not to go to Rock the Bells, despite it being my first major concert/festival (sad, I know). I went with my ex and we bonded over our mutual love of hip hop <3
We got there a little late, during De La Soul’s set and enjoyed theirs and the following groups performances. I yawned a bit during Jay Electronica — I had just read up on him and was expecting more…
Did you all smell all that weed? Jeez…
But damn. I think there should be a Racialicious meet up next time something’s going on in the MD/DC area.
-c.
Posted 01 Aug 2008 at 4:09 pm ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:
@chi –
LOL, hell yeah. When Meth and Red lit up, any semblance of air left the damn pavilion!
Yeah, I’m working on the meet up thing. I’m talking to Carmen about it, but I feel her hesitation – I can ban assholes online, it doesn’t work so well in real life…
Posted 01 Aug 2008 at 4:13 pm ¶
JustChaz wrote:
Other than the fact that I was somewhat in the middle of a confrontation between a drunk white guy (who I’m SURE was either AWOL from the Army or on the run from the law) and a black guy who just wanted to watch the show but got kicked out for fighting, this was one of the the best concerts I went to in years.
Here’s my quick rundown…
-Dead Prez did a good job. Of course, they got the biggest reaction from “Hip-Hop” (”that’s the Dave Chapelle song”-my friend that came with me)
-I was excited to see hometown dude Wale get up there and do his thing, even if it was for a little bit. He’s ok up there, and will only get better. I was surprised at the amount of love he got upfront.
-Supernatural freestyled for like 15-20 minutes straight! Good lord.
-Man, why the hell is Immortal Technique so angry? It’s bordering on cartoonish. The guy was just cursing like a fourth grader who just learned those words.
-Rakim was good, he still does that goofy pantomining eating thing when that “fish, which is my favorite dish” line comes up in “Paid In Full” though. Seeing Rakim perform “Juice (Know The Ledge)” is ALWAYS worth the price of admission.
-My co-worker once told me that he saw De La Soul at the 9:30 Club with MF Doom and they rocked it. I told him I couldn’t imagine that, and thought they would prolly put on a boring show. Sweet jeebus was I wrong. They killed it. (after Mos’ set, my friend got a pic with Dave, who was talking to a woman, and my friend was scared she would mess his rap up. I laughed and told her to get the damn pic. After taking it, Dave shook my hand and chatted with me for a bit. The guy hasn’t aged a day). And it was cool to see Q-Tip come out and do his part of “Buddy.”
-Rae & Ghost were great, I thought the place was going to explode when “Incarcerated Scarfaces” came on! But seriously, why didn’t Meth come on stage to do the chorus of “Ice Cream?” What’s up with that?
-Jay Electronica is actually a pretty great lyricist (his “A Prayer For Mike Vick was of my favorite songs last year), but his live show needs a lot of work. A LOT. I kinda felt bad for the guy up there.
-Meth and Red were vicious, even though the crowd lied and said they wanted to see a sequel to “How High.” DJ Kool looks exactly like he did in the 90s-like the skinny kid in high school that was cool with everyone.
-WestIndianArchie, I have to semi-disagree with you on the stance that other than the Roots, most rap acts with live bands are terrible. I saw Ghost at the 9:30 Club with Brother Ali and Rakim earlier this year, and the live band backing the groups did their thing. But The Pharcyde clearly have some kinks to get out, even though screaming the chorus of “Passing Me By” along with everyone else is mos def going to be one of the highlights of this year for me.
-Mos Def was a disappointment. This was my first time seeing him, and if his shows are usually like this, then it will definitely be my last. Too much reggae, and not enough of his rap songs! Using the original sampled song to “Ms. Fat Booty” to spill into the latter was a nice touch though.
-I’m not one for jewelry, but it looked like Nas had a gotdamn glowing amulet on his chest or some shit. He rocked it, too. “N.I.G.G.E.R.” was made for that big bombastic anthemic arena sound. Even though I could’ve did without “Sly Fox” that night, I loved how “Can I Talk To You” led right into “Black President.” That shit was perfect. The rest of his site was cake of course, because he delved into his old shit. I almost had a heart attack when “NY State Of Mind” and “Nas Is Like” came blasting through the night. He needs to stop smoking so much weed, but he held it down that night.
-Other than Outkast, does anyone know a hip-hop group, past or present, that has just as many female fans as males as A Tribe Called Quest? That’s the soul reason my friend came, and other than Nas, I don’t recall an act getting a bigger reaction than Tribe. Anyways, I thought Tip did a good job on his little solo set, and I actually like that “Getting Up” single he has (after going to the RTB website and listening to it though). I’m going to cop that shirt he rocked with the “Excursions” lyrics on it as well. (Aside: Tip must’ve found the Fountain Of Youth, because he hasn’t aged a DAY. He looks like he did when I was a teenager, it’s amazing). Mos was more entertaining as Tip’s hypeman than as a solo act that night. And…what else is there to say about Tribe? They are fucking Tribe! I broke my damn belt when they started performing, I know that much.
Overall, excellent show.
Posted 01 Aug 2008 at 4:32 pm ¶
Karen wrote:
Did anyone catch Amanda Blank or Kid Sister??
Where’s the support for the ladies?
Posted 01 Aug 2008 at 4:49 pm ¶
dave wrote:
aw i’m jealous, i had a wedding to go to the day they were in boston. yeah immortal technique is never not mad. its tired.
anyone catch kid sister or amanda blank? i love them girls.
and supernatural is possibly the best freestyle MC i’ve ever had the pleasure to see, did anyone have him on stage with him?
Posted 01 Aug 2008 at 5:21 pm ¶
Flowers wrote:
I shared beer with this white chick that liked my flavored cigs.
The crowd is booing Q-Tip? Really? Well, forget it, I’ma boo him too. I didn’t come to see Q-Tip perform the Thong Song. I want my money back, and all the cigs I just gave the white chick. Oh, wait, here comes Phife. Hell yeah. Nevermind Q-Tip, I love the Thong Song.
I went to Wal-Mart and bought this damn poncho for nothing. I should have been up front when Red and Meth were throwing water on people.
I fell down the hill and knocked 3 people over when Electric Relaxation came on. They acted like it didn’t happen. It was weird. I really wanted them to yell at me, but they treated me like I didn’t exist.
I took a picture of Nas. I’m lying. I took a picture of the giant TV that had Nas on it.
After the show, I had dinner with a woman who claimed that she bakes cakes for Usher. I’ m not sure if I believe her.
Posted 01 Aug 2008 at 6:20 pm ¶
bdsista wrote:
Yo Chi, I live in Columbia too, but hey I am in Albuquerque at Amaya’s Shake n Bake Bellydance festival, performing to live Arab music. Imissed it, but I am having a ball! Maybe next year we can all meet up and go and party afterwards at my house. I am not an asshole. Zaghareet to yall, gettin my Racialicious fix on tha road!
Posted 03 Aug 2008 at 1:57 am ¶
B. Nerd wrote:
I attended Rock The Bells @ Merriwether last weekend.
First off awesome! Almost 12 hours of good live Hip Hop!
Second, I missed Murs’s set while waiting in line to get in. Boo!
Saw Ninja Sonic on the second stage and laughed my ass off.
Supernatural is a ridamndiculous freestyler.
Drank too many 24ounce beers so I had to take a piss every 20 minutes. Finally learned my lesson and stopped drinking the last two hours of the concert.
Dead Prez good. Missed most of Immortal Technique’s set because I was getting food.
Missed all of the Cool Kids set because they were on second stage between Ghost & Rae and De La Soul(Wasn’t missing that for the world). Btw, Tony Starks did like only one song from his Ironman album. Double boo!)
Mos Def was f’ed up but entertaining. Happy 2 c Pharcyde reunited. Wish I was faded during their set. Red and Meth were off the wall. And another btw, I loved How High. “U East Coast. I far East Coast.” Can’t wait for the sequel… Nas was good but short and Tribe tore the roof off that sucka. Never seen 30K people that hyped… Seeing Mos hump the speaker during Q Tip’s solo was a highlight.
Summation. Paying double for a seat under the roof was money since it rained half the day. My white buddy knows more rap lyrics than I do. Black card revoked.
Posted 03 Aug 2008 at 2:27 am ¶
Joanna wrote:
@Latoya – I didn’t go to Rock the Bells, but yeah, when I saw Mos Def in concert last year, he sung most of the set. And only did a couple of songs that people actually know! It was still great to see him in person, though. There’s something about that smile….
Posted 04 Aug 2008 at 10:24 am ¶
Mayhem wrote:
I saw Rock the Bells in Toronto and so the city missed out on Rae and Ghost, Wale, Immortal Tech etc.
But Nas was amazing. He really knows how to get a crowd going! Murs was great; Cool Kids were great; Meth and Red were really fun to watch on stage; Tribe delivered and Supernatural made for the perfect host. I missed Kidz in the Hall because they were on really early but I’m sure they were awesome…wish I had seen it. To be honest, I can’t say Rakim captured my attention much…
Venue and line-up issues aside, I am definitely glad I went.
Posted 05 Aug 2008 at 12:12 pm ¶
jessica wrote:
Was at the NY concert on Sunday all i can say is Oh My God!
LMAO ***B. Nerd don worry all these white kids ages of 25 and under knew the words to all these songs that were way before there time. My old card revoked. I am not the biggest of fans of most of the groups. I know them and I am more of a Wu Red Meth fan but I am 33 and grew up with knowing most…. Great time great day! Glad I could be apart of that.
Posted 06 Aug 2008 at 6:02 pm ¶