If Bey announces a serious retirement, you may never see Black Star on tour ever again, so hearing these songs live felt like we were transported back to the Rawkus days. Three years ago, Chappelle used his influence to reunite Black Star during a smaller, 10-show run at Radio City, and here he did it again. with “Juicy.” This set up an easy tie-in to “Auditorium,” which featured Slick Rick in gaudy jewelry ripping his verse. Later, Bey paid his respects to Prodigy of Mobb Deep by playing “Shook Ones (Part II).” He honored Phife Dawg by rapping his verse on A Tribe Called Quest’s “Butter.” And last but certainly not least, he saluted The Notorious B.I.G. “You could be anywhere in the world, and you chose to spend it with us,” he said. He’d occasionally pick petals from the red rose arrangements on either DJ booth, dropping them around the ground for added elegance. Flanked by two DJs, a droptop lowrider in the center, and black, red, and gold balloons on stage, he opened with a cover of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five’s “The Message” before interpolating those same lyrics into “Close Edge.” Bey seemed to be enjoying the grooves of his own songs, conveying a positive energy that was both exuberant and warm. Behind us, Robert Glasper and some friends were enjoying the show. I was sitting in a row with respected New York rap promoter Peter Oasis along with Rawkus Records co-founder and Uproxx publisher Jarret Myer. Cipha Sounds was our DJ for the evening, occasionally shouting out who was in the building the genre’s gatekeepers like Fab 5 Freddy and Busy Bee, as well as contemporary stars like A$AP Ferg, who performed “New Level” and “Work” later. Chappelle had opening acts that ranged from former cast members (Donnell Rawlings) to Bill Bellamy, Jerry Seinfeld, and Chris Tucker. The essence of Chappelle’s entire Radio City gig felt like a live rendition of The Chappelle Show, as Dave curated a program of comedy and message-driven hip-hop for a mass audience. It’s by far one of the most iconic scenes in hip-hop’s history, shedding light on the rapper’s talent, even if he’s sometimes been deemed conscious or too underground to succeed in the mainstream. Mos is rapping lyrics to “Close Edge” from The New Danger, and Dave nods along with a focus and a smile on his face. It showed Mos riding shotgun with Dave as they drive around New York City. The video noted that this was “20 years” before Carpool Karaoke even existed. To get an idea of how long they’ve known each other, the comedian showed a clip from his 2003 appearance on The Chappelle Show where Mos Def was the first musical guest. On Wednesday night (August 23), a day before Chappelle’s birthday and final show at Radio City, the rapper-actor-activist retracted his own claims of retirement by performing a buoyant set featuring a reunion of Mos Def and Talib Kweli as Black Star.ĭave and Yasiin go way back. ![]() When Dave Chappelle announced his 16-show residency at Radio City Music Hall with musical guests, fans knew he couldn’t finish the run without the legendary Yasiin Bey.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |