London has seen its fair share of performances from golden-era
artists in recent months, with this particular event being one of the
most anticipated, promising appearances from not one, but two iconic emcees backed-up by one of the greatest mixtape deejays of all-time.
Between them, Brand Nubian’s Sadat X and former Gang Starr Foundation
member Jeru The Damaja share a hefty catalogue of classics, all of
which have aged well and still stand as musical monuments to the lyrical
brilliance and sonic creativity that the best of 90s Hip-Hop had to
offer.
After the Bounce Master himself DJ Doo Wop had warmed the crowd up
with a selection of real rap staples, a lively Sadat X bounded onstage
to the sound of the Brand Nubian favourite “Punks Jump Up To Get Beat
Down”, leading the crowd as they chanted the hook in unison before
launching into the timeless “All For One”.
Pausing to remind everyone that he reps “New York City, Brand Nubian,
D.I.T.C. and Lo-Lifes”, the emcee with one of the most recognisable
voices in Hip-Hop proceeded to drop his verse from the late-90s Rawkus
banger “1-9-9-9″ and also delivered a rousing rendition of his “Ready To
Die”-era collaboration with Biggie Smalls, “Come On Motherf**kers”,
with Sadat reminiscing on the time he spent in the studio writing the
track with the BK giant as they both got drunk on champagne.
Promising to return later, X left the stage, leaving the audience in
the capable hands of Doo Wop once again. Dropping some rhymes of his
own, the Bounce Squad leader took the opportunity to dedicate the
segment to his fallen friend Guru (complete with a “F**k Solar!”
moment), going back-to-back on the turntables with some Gang Starr
classics, including “Take It Personal”, which was Jeru’s signal to make
his first appearance.
Reciting Guru’s rhymes in his own inimitable Brooklyn baritone, the
NY emcee, decked in jeans, hoodie and Timberlands, smiled widely as he
was greeted with roars of approval. Working his way through a number of
DJ Premier-produced cuts, including “D. Original” and “Tha Bulls**t”,
the gritty wordsmith mixed some humour into his performance, engaging in
light-hearted exchanges with various audience members and playfully
chastising the crowd for apparently not making enough noise.
Something that was apparent from looking around the venue was the
number of younger heads in attendance, some of whom looked like they
would barely have been born when both Sadat and Jeru were first making
their respective marks on the Hip-Hop landscape. Encouragingly, the
majority of the more youthful faces around the Jazz Cafe definitely
didn’t appear to be fairweather fans, rhyming along word-for-word to
twenty-year-old joints as if they were the soundtrack of the present
day. A situation which can only be viewed as a positive thing as,
judging from the lack of old-school heads at this and other recent gigs,
it will be those younger fans who keep artists such as Sadat and Jeru
touring for years to come, as long as their interest in classic Hip-Hop
isn’t just a passing phase based on the music’s potential retro-cool
appeal.
With Sadat and Jeru each performing a second individual set, which
included anthems such as “Love Me Or Leave Me Alone” and “Come Clean”,
the show closed with an impromptu freestyle session. As Jeru stepped
behind the turntables to spin some familiar breaks, Sadat and Doo Wop
invited any emcees in the house to approach the stage, with UK talent
such as Oliver Sudden and Chima Anya taking the opportunity to rock with
the three Rotten Apple representatives.
Ending a seamless night of classic material by mingling with fans to
graciously sign autographs and take photos, Sadat, Jeru and Doo Wop left
having ensured those older fans in the crowd were able to relive
some of their Hip-Hop memories, whilst helping the younger heads in the
audience create some new ones of their own.
Ryan Proctor
Link to original article:
DJ DOO WOP LIVE MIXTAPE EUROPEAN TOUR FEAT SADAT X & JERU THE DAMAJA LIVE @ JAZZ CAFE LONDON 10/17/12 from 238BEATS ENT on Vimeo.
