Genuine hip-hop

July 30, 2005
DJ Fat Cal, Tasherre D’Enagetic, Silent Army, Dante & Deck, and Eyedea ft. Carnage, Kristoff Krane, Will, and live bassist and drumer
Blind Pig

The night began with DJ Fat Cal spinning some songs as people walked in. His set was more like background, and it went by almost unnoticed by the crowd. Asylum 7 and Tasherre D’Enagetic shared the stage next, waking up the crowd with the refrain, “Rock that shit!” In between songs, they gave shout-outs to the other artists their, reminding the audience to visit the merch tables in the back, also giving plugs to their personal merch including Asylum 7’s new CD, Grand Steady.

Next, a minor from California going by Silent Army, took the stage. His rhymes were clever, and he got his beats from his i-pod. Although his set was fairly short with only a handful of songs, he managed to get the crowd going with his energetic rapping and catchy, interactive choruses, such as “It’s not where you’re from, but where you’re at – where you at, where you at.”

Four dudes from Madison, Wiscompton, known as The Crest, took the stage next. Their entertaining set included light-hearted and fun songs like “Rich Girl,” as well as the deeper, more thought-provoking song about two different perspectives of war. A highlight was when they brought Carnage up and rapped to his skillful beat-boxing. He then proceeded to launch into a song about “thick girls” and how they need love, too.

Dante and Deck of Switch Stance followed with a set that could have been improved with less technical failure. Despite this obstacle, they put on a good show. Dante had much energy and kept spitting rhymes, even when there was no beat. Switch Stance fans were glad to hear “Couch Bum,” which the two rapped over Deckmaster D’s spinning of their vinyl. And with Dante’s harmonica incorporated in a song, they were able to switch things up for the crowd.

Shortly after, a bassist and drummer quietly took the stage and eased into some cool jazz, fitting for the smoky, dimly lit stage. A shaggy-haired guy with crooked teeth casually walked up and began reciting what seemed to be spoken word poetry. A slower pace than what one might expect of rap, his rhyming style was what one would expect of Allen Ginsberg or Jack Keruoac of the Beat Generation, backed by some live jazz. After a few minutes it became clear that he was freestyling. Accompanied by Carnage, Will, and Kristoff Krane, Eyedea led the freestyle forum, addressing each rapper with different topics on the spur of the moment. The four took turns freestyling in their unique styles, playing off of each other and the talented musicians who mocked the styles of the rappers as they rapped. Kris's style was fast and emotional, reminiscent of Eminem. Carnage matched Kris's speed and raised, often spitting rhymes so furiously they were unintelligible, but reminded the crowd of his great beatboxing skills. Will played with different rhythmic patterns, focusing more on the content of his raps, and could easily (it seemed) switch up different rhythms and speeds. For an hour and a half, the incredibly talented and courageous rappers took turns feeding off the creative vibes of each other, the eagerness of the crowd, and the musicians, often trying to change their own styles to grow as artists. At one point, Eyedea proclaimed that he wanted to be faster with his rhymes, and launched into a succession of faster paced raps. Often they even surprised themselves with the depth of their words and their one-time performances. Their set was completely genuine, with each artist knowing that they would mess up, but having the will to keep trying to come up with something completely new and spontaneous.

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