“Can you write me a song about chess?”
“Sure, what for? When do you need it?”
“asap”
“er…ok”

Nick is the senior editor of Hip-Hop journal Words, Beats & Life WBL is an organisation that is working to transform individual lives and communities through Hip-Hop and they were gearing up for their 2nd annual Hip-Hop Chess Tournament - Bum Rush The Boards.

The competition aims to show children how the worlds of Hip-Hop and chess are linked and to show them how the principles of chess can be applied in life.

It was time to water the seed that had been planeted and grow the two lines into a song.

I retreated to a secluded courtyard where I battled my sister. I reflected on the many bouts with my sparring partner Susie, getting whipped by my cousin, being defeated in the League by Special Opps and scores of trans-Atlantic games with Cheddar Ted

I returned to The Shire with an epic story of Kings, Queens and Castles. I put the finishing touches to the song in Cat’s Lair whilst Thundercat spent the afternoon creating the perfect beat. We came to a sticking point and had the inspiration to fuse the two beats we’d been working on together, and the beat was completed as I penned my last word.

The rhymes had split and divided into 64 lines, one for each square, and by sundown “War & Piece: Wise’s Gambit” was born.

[See the post to listen to audio]

Washington D.C. 19th May 2007

The guys at the journal loved the song and rather than just having it on the mixtape they decided to make it the official song of the event.

As it happened there was another Hip-Hop Chess event happening that very same day, the inaugral competition of the Hip-Hop Chess Federation. This event was being organised by Adisa Banjoko and was being attended by The RZA.

The Wu-Tang Manual was a huge influence on me and inspired me to start studying the game of chess I contacted Adisa and he was all for the song and he put it up on the myspace in the hope that RZA would hear it. This connection has led to 2 or 3 remixes being made and possible involvement with a chess themed album featuring some prominent members of the Hip-Hop community (many of whom are involved with HHCF).

In the ensuing year I have visited the WBL office in D.C. and had a good discussion with 2Tone about new ideas for this year’s event, about how we could come with different themes and perspectives to demonstrate the many facets of the game.

Washington D.C. 17th May 2008

The day was a great success and I really hope I will be able to attend the next one.

What’s even more exciting is the fact that we have a video for the song in the works which is being created by youngsters in the WBL programme.

From a spark of inspiration manifested in rhyme, through a golden opportunity taken, the song has travelled all around the world and, in turn, it has sparked creativity in other minds.

Bum Rush the Boards, the world’s first hip-hop chess tournament, was created to promote the idea of strategic struggle to the hip-hop generation. There was a logical connection between Chess and Hip-Hop considering the fact that hip-hop as a culture is highly competitive. By connecting hip-hop to chess, we have created a chess tournament that exposes youth to a culture (hip-hop) and a science (chess) that requires them to think ahead, manage talent and size up their adversary. These same skills, when properly applied, are also very useful in business and in life.

Bum Rush the Boards dares to ask the questions; “What happens when a pawn becomes a King or Queen?”, “What happens when a pawn knows that he or she can be more and see’s for the first time that they can ultimately be the most powerful player in the game?”. Bum Rush the Boards harnesses the power of hip-hop culture and the science of chess to open the minds of a generation to a host of new options the world has available to them.

I want to share with you all a fantastic event that I am involved in. Last year I was asked to write a song about chess for Bum Rush the Boards - a hip-hop chess tournament held in Washington DC by the hip-hop journal Words, Beats & Life. The song, ‘War & Pieces: Wise’s Gambit’, is now the official song of the annual event which will be held for the 3rd time in May.Here is a short video featuring the song, you can hear the whole song at myspace.com/thewize and I am currently in Washington DC where we are hoping to do some filming for a full length music video.

For more information feel free to contact me via email at 2tone(at)wblinc.org. Also, see footage from last year’s event at wblinc.org.

Date: 9th December 2007
Venue: KOKO, Camden, London.
In Attendance: Myself, Tes, & Christian.
Occasion: GZA takes us through the Liquid Swords chamber.

“Keep your temper. Never lose control of yourself. Be patient. If you learn to do these things, you can master anything.”

With this sage advice in mind we are just about able to withstand the awful awful DJ spinning as we jostle for position inside the venue. This guy is playing some Wu but he is messing around with his own remixes – never once looking up to gage crowd reaction he is playing like he is alone in his bedroom…although considering that any diligent DJ spends many hours doing just that I suggest that this fool take a page from their book and come back in a few years!

Shire Knights move in a 7, we move in an L…in this case it is Tes, our man from Mordor, who executes the perfect L-plan attack which results in us taking up our squares, four rows from the front at dead centre stage! My happiness is partially deflated when some clown comes and stands right in front of me (plus, as a basketball player I am rather jealous of anyone who hits 6’4” before they’ve even started shaving!). I feel slightly bad for taking the piss when the Disc Jokey plays some plinky-blinky-bleep-bleep BULLSHIT and this character starts jerking around uncontrollably…the man is clearly ill! Thankfully this all ends when – as Tes predicts – the DJ literally runs off stage to shouts of “Wu” and “boo”.

‘Legend of the Liquid Sword’

If you are Living in the World Today you know GZA is the lyrical Swordsman of the Wu-Tang Clan who dropped the Gold standard album Liquid Swords. Outside tonight it is a Cold World, but inside the 4th Chamber it is hot as Hell’s Wind Staff because The Genius is performing the entire album from front to back. The soundman is a figure that has gotten it in the unprotected neck even more than the Labels throughout the history of Hip-Hop so one would be forgiven for expecting a round of Shadowboxin’ as the sound is consistently terrible. However Killah Hills 10304 is the parish of Killah Priest and GZA has evidently taken on board the Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth so on this night he chooses patience and peace over a Dual of the Iron Mic. If you weren’t in the house yourself fear not, I Gotcha Back, you know that my Investigative Reports leave nothing Unexplained.

‘Beneath the Surface’

“When the MCs caaame…”

The Genius, Killah Priest, Dreddy Kruger and “back up DJ” City Rich bring the classic album to life; GZA at times is a one man Clan flipping darts by RZA, Meth and Masta Killa as he puts flesh on the Hollow Bones of RZA’s classic soundscape. One thing to note is that, strange as it sounds, GZA’s delivery sometimes detracts from the performance. His rhymes are powerful and delivered from deep inside, yet they are also understated and incredibly slick – often it takes half a bar or more for a line to truly sink in – all these aspects make him incredible in the headphones but somehow cause the live action to lack a little impact (not aided by the poor sound quality). This is reflected in the behaviour of the crowd – we get rowdy when the beat drops (I know I saw Christian doing his fair share of shoving!) but quieten down throughout the song, simply because we are trying to catch every word! Thankfully just appreciation is shown as each song comes to a close.

‘Words from The Genius’

After Killah Priest closes the album with the outstanding B.I.B.L.E we move into a new chamber, and the second half of the show couldn’t be more different…shit is unbalanced, like elephants and ants on see-saws.

However, before the talk he gives it to us raw and rugged like slave man boots with classic tracks such as ‘Clan In Da Front’ and ‘Da Mystery of Chessboxin’ fucking up new recruits.

The bottle of brandy set out at the start of the show is getting low and with it GZA is getting loose, with plenty of time left before we get kicked out he is happy to spend some quality time with the fans…particularly the front row, with whom he comes and stands with for the majority of the show! At first heads swarm like iron fillings around this ultra magnetic MC but he reminds us that he is a normal person just like us, in fact “we are all celebrities”!

Many more jewels of wisdom and comedy gems proceed to follow the oft uttered declaration “I just wanna make a point…”

Predictably, and understandably, the state of Hip-Hop is a topic of discussion and the diagnosis is not positive, at a prompt from an audience member we get a “Fuck soldier boy” and “fuck 50 Cent”, in fact “Curtis, you may have a lotta money, but you ain’t got talent!”…everybody smile: “we on YouTube!”

All this is pretty funny stuff but I listen to Wu to make me forget these fake MCs and indeed that anything ails the genre at all, so it is after an a cappella rendition of ‘All In Together Now’ which kicks off an ODB tribute that I am left wishing GZA would invoke a little more of his late cousin’s spirit:

“Introducing, yo fuck the n!gga name! My Hip-Hop drops on your head like raaain, and when it raains it pours, I give you more of the raw ‘cos my rhymes hardcore, the talent that I got will riz-ock the spot, MCs I be burnin’ - burnin’ hot!”

Music is still a part of the show and the GZA is open to requests, the trouble is he rarely gets round to performing them, instead getting sidetracked by boxing banter - to end the Mayweather/Hatton back and forth between MCs and crowd he offers £100 for a fan of each fighter to come and fight on stage.

He does get round to a few songs…or parts of them…Animal Planet, performed as it is with only every 10th word, goes down particularly well.

“Yeah, I forgot my words…so what?! You forget shit everyday!”

A request to freestyle is also dismissed: “Who said freestyle?! You forget I’m a Genius?…99% of off the top shit is WACK”

As Killah Priest’s background beat box provides one of the crispest rhythms of the night GZA confusedly calls to City Rich to turn it down, drawing bemused looks and laughs all round.

“What month is this?! I’m having so much fun I lost track of time”

And so it goes on for some time, until, in fact, it is time for us to ‘Breaker, Breaker’ break the hell outta there.

“After the Laughter…”

Despite how it may come across it has been a hugely enjoyable show, mostly because we have experienced a hitherto unseen side of one of the Clan’s most enigmatic members, who knew the stone faced expression was so often exchanged for a sly grin and a witty, dry humour? That the mystique shrouds a genuine desire to mix with his equals the people who come to support Wu-Tang forever? The genes shared with ODB become more evident during the drunken foolery, and none of this detracts from his hugely powerful presence, especially as he grips the chrome microphone to perform his legendary classics.

Witty Unpredictable Talent And Natural Game indeed…the saga continues…W.U.T.A.N.G…W.U.T.A.N.G…

Date: 12th October 2004. Venue: Shepherd’s Bush Empire. In Attendance: Me, Tes. Occasion? The legendary Ghost Deini, on stage unmasked.

Note: All references to track names are circumstantial and will bear no relevance to either the names or listings that appear on your own, completely unique, copy of ‘Supreme Clientele’.

The party actually started the previous afternoon in Oxford’s Covered Market with the purchase of two pairs of Wallabies for £40 each. Unfortunately Tuesday afternoon’s rain was cock blockin’ the rockin’ so I donned “my first” Timberlands and headed for the Smoke. Waiting on Buses is like waiting on babies, as a result I’m hours out on the ETA so when I finally complete the trip from Bampton ‘in the’ to Shepherd’s I am already bushed. After nursing a solitary pint for time I met with Tes and we set off looking for bad directions from jokers. Surviving both said directions and a random heckling about my bball skills upon entrance (and not just from Tes) we made it in.

It is announced that Grim Soldiers (possibly ‘Soldierz’) are about to take to the stage, PARTY TIME!! Well at least the effort was made to provide live acts as a warm-up and before too long there is also a Jumpoff hosted dance contest and an impromptu performance by a local duo which went down well.

All in together now:

IT’S THE GHOST-FACE-KIIILLLLAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!

“Tony Starks, makes you feel, he’s a cool exec with a heart of steel…”

Ghost takes the stage accompanied by Theodore Unit, resplendent in large black fluffy Kangol style hat and a black and grey robe he looks like a medieval nobleman, albeit one also wearing an orange doo rag. This is not the polished routine of many a top rap act nowadays and the sound system often blurs the vocals and at times makes it difficult to hear anything but the bass line. Sound system gripes aside I’m not complaining though, Ghost spits with wholehearted passion and in place of a set routine there is the air of an intimate and unique live jam and nothing less should be expected from one of rap’s most charismatic and enigmatic (not to mention baffling) entertainers. We are treated to songs from the whole catalogue including most of the defining record that is ‘Supreme Clientele’, a few shiny coins from ‘Wallets’, classic verses from ‘Cuban Linx’ and joints fresh from ‘The Pretty Toney LP’. If ‘We Made It’, ‘Cherchez la Ghost’ and ‘Ice Cream’ rouse the crowd it is nothing to the response that is elicited by the surprise appearance of a Grey Goose guzzling RZA. The pair rips straight into ‘The Grain’ and, after a pleading request from Ghost for anyone ignorant to the correct words to “keep your mouths shut”, A Capella sing-alongs to classic Wu verses. As it was no one struggled with the opening verses of ‘Nuthin’ to Fuck Wit’, ‘Triumph’ or ‘Shimmy Shimmy Ya’.

You know it’s about to get crazy when Ghost tells the sound man to “turn it up loud like we talked about earlier” and informs us that it’s time for a cardiovascular work out, with that ‘Run’ drops and on cue the whole crowd jumps up like Clyde Drexler. In his element ‘the Black Boy George’ needs “about 12 girls to come up on stage”, the quota is quickly filled and ladies, remember Ghost said take your clothes off! Even Caramel Sundaes are getting touched. (Thanks T).

The show begins to wind down amidst childhood anecdotes of fond Soul memories, shout outs to the English Cobblers of Clarks, a rendition of Slick Rick’s ‘La-Di-Da-Di’ and a promise of return if we “phone the promoter and ask for Ghostface”. The excitement is too much for some as a signed T-Shirt thrown into the crowd results in a furious tug of war. Ghost seems upset and tries to calm the over exuberance (“your fighting over a T-Shirt”), caused by the angry presence of the Devil amidst all the positive energy. After dropping a Jewel and increasing the peace autographs are signed whilst RZA leads the girls backstage. Despite the lights up a last pleading wish for ‘Daytona’ is granted and run through A Cappella, crouched on the edge of the stage right in front of the fan with Trife filling in Rae’s verse. We exit as the last signatures are being penned.

Adios, thanks Ghost, One Love.

The biggest story of the album at the time was the break up of The Roc and Jay-Z and Nas reconciled, well, next to each other in the track listing was the closest they had been in some time. True, I am better off for having been introduced to a hitherto unheard of Lupe Fiasco but my favourite songs were both bonus tracks and that was only because of the guests – Cam entertained and Cons’ stole the show on ‘Gone’ and I was left hoping that ‘We Can Make It Better’ was a mission statement for his next album ‘Graduation’. So, when the ‘Touch the Sky Tour’ rolled into town, was this die-hard fan impressed by Kanye’s lateness?

Date: 20th February 2006.
Venue: Hammersmith Apollo, London.
In Attendance: Me & Tes.
Occasion: Kanye West brings his Touch the Sky Tour to Town.

This The Blueprint homies, follow my moves…

Feeling unusually unexcited about the concert but none the less looking forward to the night ahead I set off for the smoke. As I waited for Tes at the gates of NikeTown some “community police” eyed me suspiciously, I’m pretty sure they were just respeckognizing my especially fresh CommuniTee.

After a quick visit to the household we were on our way, more correctly we were on a slow ass train waiting for the ‘security alert’ to get cleared up further down the line.

The show itself, like Late Registration, was to prove disappointing by unavoidable comparison. We arrived mad late, squeezing thru the doors and joining the back of the crowd to discover that we’d only missed the first couple of minutes – later on I only remembered the first number as “one of the long slow songs from the album”.

I cannot deny that the 10 piece orchestra (led by a hyperactive violinist), backup singers and DJ (A-Trak) was impressive, and possibly necessary to bring the multi-layered musicality of the songs to life. I put it down to our late registration but the nagging under whelmed feelings did not dissipate.

When The College Dropout tour came to town for one night only back in ’04 it was a magical affair that went down as one of the best in the year that was soundtracked by the irrepressible Mr. West.

Whilst I can appreciate the skill and dedication put into Late Registration it just doesn’t move me like The College Dropout and this show is the same – everything is done to perfection, except it’s not.

This show is not perfect, it is rigid and strict and I can’t get loose to it. Everything is choreographed to miniscule detail – even the long drawn out song endings are rigidly and strictly adhered to. The crowd interaction seems scripted to the utmost.

Case in point – one of my greatest show experiences comes from that evening in ’04, when Kanye launched into Slow Jamz only to have the entire crowd sing the words back to him – his mic held loosely at his side, the expression of wonder on his face was priceless. Nowadays this is a scripted part of the show – A-Trak spins the original track, Kanye directs the crowd. Cold Call and Response, this is more like the answering machine.

Then there is the “media” rant complete with quotes on the big screen that he has taken particular umbrage with (including one which is actually a compliment – backhanded though it was). Upset that his oh-so-humble-look-I’m-not-arrogant Brit Award speech (the Brits?! Who the fuck cares?!) had been cut short he knelt on the floor and went on for a bit. I suggest that he stops paying mind to the celebrity fawning gutter press (of the UK in particular) if it upsets him this much. I understand he is trying to overcome it but he doesn’t seem to realise that he is still playing by their rules and, as such, into their hands - Wake Up Mr. West!

It is a real shame that the positive messages in Kanye’s music get glossed over by the whole superstar image nowadays, the words become secondary to the whole package. Not that this crowd seems to mind much, first-name-superstar pop concerts (yes, Pop Concerts) bring out the bougie crowd, a mostly white crowd that is happy to sing along to Gold Digger (Digga?!) and holla the chorus to Crack Music, but they can’t hear Jimi. It was interesting to watch Tes try and throw a slap in all directions at once.

Songs? Well, you all know them, he did most of the album but without the guests they lack impact, Lupe Fiasco’s wonderful closing verse being the exception. Unless it was the first song Diamonds from Sierra Leone is conspicuous by its absence. Even Through the Wire sounds off; leading me to wonder if another stint with his jaw wired shut would do him some good. Bizarrely it is Jay-Z’s U Don’t Know (produced by Just Blaze) that gets people most hyped. There was no Encore.

The after party was at some swanky Leicester Square joint called Penthouse where the prices were Sky High! Sky High! – Tes got on the Bat Phone and immediately found the location but when we rolled up the queue was round the block and the only way to jump it involved miniskirts and “favours” no doubt, needless to say this was borderline homo.

This was all just a little too polished and impersonal, it was like theatre or TV, like the crowd didn’t need to be there – the token, security accompanied, jumping in front of the first row just seemed fugazi (after watching Nas jump shirtless into a gun toting crowd rocking his shine all else pales by comparison!). So Kanye finally has the whole world checking for him, but gone is the diamond in the rough passion – forgive me if I preferred it when most of his plaques they still said Kayne.

So that is what has gone before, hopefully Tuesday will bring us another great album and at the very least I am glad there is an event to look forward to in the barren mainstream landscape!

Date: 11th May 2004

I decided to snub Jigga at the urban music festival and go to Nas instead, unfortunately the lazy Nastard cancelled his whole freckin’ tour ‘cos he has spent to much time making shit songs with Kelis an rappin’ about fuckin’ her to actually finish his “highly anticipated” album due for summer release. Well fuck you very much…

Date: 20th May 2004
Venue: Kentish Town Forum
In Attendance: Vikki and Myself
Occasion: Kanye West’s first ever UK gig.

“This the real one baby…”

May 20th, putting the Nas disappointment behind me, and full of School Spirit having handed in my last uni work this week, Vikki and I headed to the Forum, Kentish Town to see the world’s most famous Dropout and man of the moment, Kanye West…

Having survived my directions we arrive at the venue to discover that someone forgot to top up the meter, no electricity at the venue, luckily this is sorted pretty quick and we’re in.

The show was supposed to start at 8 but we were told there were no supporting acts, instead a DJ spins all the usual suspects (plus Chingy and Ja, twat!). And still he spins.

And still.

Two hours later the crowd is restless and expecting the drop-out to drop-in any time, the hype man does his best but before long he’s ducking water bottles, I get the feeling its about to All Fall Down until eventually anticipation once again peaks, he’s coming on! err, no, actually there will be some supporting acts, to little to late, nobody wants to hear the useless fool who takes the stage and starts crooning but fair play for trying. Next up a very talented young lady comes on to play piano and sing (through the boozy boos, of course) thankfully she endeavours and does receive some applause. Surely now its time for the Louis Vuitton…hold on, someone else? It’s S.A.S!!! THE ROC IS IN THE BUILDING!!! Now, from what I’ve heard of S.A.S, the Roc’s first UK signing, I like ‘em, but, coming out shouting “Dip Set!” and doing a shit tune is no way to further endear yourself to me, quite the opposite in fact.

First and foremost, fuck you Kanye for keeping us waiting…

Next up on stage is a man at a piano (this is John Legend, KW collaborator but, not many people know this) at this stage I think if Jesus Walked on he would have been booed, luckily it was not Him but him, Kanye-to-the…bouncing out to The Blueprint ‘Intro’ instrumental before ripping into ‘Breathe…’ and being joined by that other “asshole”, Mr. Dame Dash.

I knew he’d Never Let me Down. The “best dressed rapper” is wearing a black hoody with the Bear logo (which gets tossed to the crowd), the requisite Roc Chain and one of his watches, he rolls thru most of the album tracks with guest spots, a few of his beats (’Encore’, ‘Stand Up’) and after 20 mins or so the track that introduced him as a rapper, ‘Through the Wire’.

He finishes this song and runs off stage (leaving a few bemused fans to boo once again) before Legend coaxes him back out with ‘Encore’, the second half of the show begins with Miri Ben Ari wowing the crowd on the fiddle and Kanye performs much of the songs accompanied by her and the piano alone.

The guest verses littering the airwaves are gone thru (I have now seen a full live version of ‘This Way’ with Dilated, albeit months apart), when it comes to ‘Slow Jams’ the crowd sings his verse verbatim leaving him grinning on stage with the mic at his side. He would eventually perform every song on the album to much aplomb, including an angry rendition of ‘Spaceship’ with GLC (or it could have been Consequence, I don’t know).

The sing-along hand-clapping nature of his songs gives the concert the air of a gospel gathering at times, with everyone delighting in singing along.

A break in performing gives Dame the chance to present Kanye with a Plaque celebrating the first Roc artist to go Platinum (2x) in the UK. The stage is full of people in the wings (including a shady looking Tim West(awk)wood, “even uglier in real life”-thanks Dave) and the Roc Familia joins Kanye for ‘Family Business’.

Look out for ‘Late Registration’ next spring ‘cos he gave us all a taster with his “Dear Mama”-esque track (”And Mama, I know I act the fool/ but I promise you I’m going back to school…some say life is like a box a chocolates/ but my Mama told me to go get my Doctorate/ an she still supported me when I went an’ did the opposite…”) which had the crowd wrapt. As expected he brings the curtain down with a heartfelt ‘Last Call’.

All in all a great show despite the dodgy start…

Here’s to the Roc…

Next up…2 years on could ‘Late Registration’ walk in the shoes of ‘College Dropout’? Coming soon…

It is in this spirit that I take my first dip into the archives to bring you a review of a wonderful night back in 2005, a reminder that Hip-Hop is for the big and for the small and that you get out what you put in…

Date: 22nd October 2005
Venue: The Forum, Kentish Town, London
In Attendance: Me, Tes. Occasion: One Nation Under a Groove

“The Revolution will not be televised on Channel U” – Klashnekoff

One Nation Under a Groove was a show organised by the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies’ Palestine Society, it was a show that gathered people from all over the world to perform, spread their message and represent themselves. It’s almost a shame that I had won the tickets because this show was well worth the admission, I’m definitely glad to have been there.

Possessed with little information about the event, and an ignorance of the details of the politics discussed, I was unsure what to expect from it. We arrived as the first poet was finishing, as I sipped my Guinness the host for the evening, Abiodun of the Last Poets, took the stage. Abiodun is a natural talker with a voice that makes you listen, after thanking the performers so far he recited a poem that the “spineless” Russell Simmons had been “scared to air” when performed on Def Poetry Jam.

Next up was rapper Invincible from Detroit, the live drummer was a nice touch but unfortunately she had a small voice and the sound system was doing her no favours, end result: I could barely understand her. Does anyone ever do a sound check?!

The crowd might have been a little hard to fathom for some of the artists, it was small and, because of the nature of the event, not particularly boisterous (there were to be exceptions) but it was an attentive crowd that was definitely appreciative.

Next up was a man I was excited about seeing, British poet Benjamin Zephaniah. Benjamin is an oral poet whose work I had previously enjoyed studying, he is a thoughtful commentator on British culture (amongst other things), his insight comes from a well considered personal viewpoint, his passion is obvious and he fuses it all together with a love of wordplay and a sly sense of humour.

Benjamin’s vibrant character makes his performance a joy to behold; his accent is Jamaican meets Brummie (with my slow ear I have to concentrate to comprehend at times) and he plays into his comedic moments which are born out of the ridiculousness of reality. Benjamin on his poem ‘Money’: “Titles are important, it took me 15 minutes to write the poem and 3 weeks to think of the title. You may not like the poem, but you will like the title!”

He also keeps the legacy of Stephen Lawrence alive, this was a young man whose racist murderers were known to all, because of the way the case was handled they walked free – ‘What Stephen Lawrence Has Taught Us’. I recommend anyone to look up some of my favourites from the night: ‘Wrong Radio Station’, ‘White Comedy’, ‘What Has That Got To Do With Me’. Citing a need to truly experience Kentish Town, upon finishing he said he was going to try and get arrested. The other option being to have sex with someone from the area, he dismissed this after asking for a show of hands: “There are only three of them, and they look very nervous!”

Throughout the night various images are projected onto a large screen behind the performers – kids and troops, world leaders etc. When artists were performing some dope camera work showed their image larger than life behind them.

On a night full of lyrical treats the performance of Poisonous Poets was no exception, although only half the cru was there (Reveal, Lowkey, Stylah and DJ Snips) they put on a good show. The catalogue was narrowed down for the occasion so whilst Reveal was not punch line heavy his a cappella about the daily condition of the citizens of Iraq (that he has witnessed first hand) was most intelligent. An impeccable freestyler it would appear Reveal needs a prompt when performing written lyrics as he reads from a mobile phone, unless of course he was multi-tasking. The double P ran through a few hits, including Lowkey’s ‘Lies’, before Lowkey closed it with an a cappella of ‘Perspective’:

“To a youth wearing hand-me-downs in a shanty town / your Avirex is probably worth enough to get his family out”

“You think having a Gat makes you gangsta? That shit’s fake / ‘cos there’s kids in Rwanda that been strapped since 8”

And if you don’t like that you can spin on it like Alistair Campbell.

Nowadays me and Tes can’t go anywhere without Wu-Tang showing up, in this case it was affiliate Cilvaringz who had been off touring 37 countries. This was his first time in London and he was joined by Arabic rapper Arap who was an absolute monster, a big ball of energy who smashed the heavy beats that were dropping. Abiodun told us how the Wu like to teach and how they drop by when he holds an open house and cooks for people in his Harlem home.

KRS ONE doesn’t fly, KRS ONE most definitely talks – we are treated to his positive ramblings via the video screen.

Next up was DAM, the first Palestinian rap group. The group is made up of three Arabic rappers and a Jewish DJ and they are from an area in Israel. If they were ever daunted at being the only Hip-Hop representatives for a whole people it didn’t show. They rapped in Arabic and Hebrew and spoke English well, an obviously conscious effort to promote understanding between people.

Throughout the night there had been a lot of “Fuck Bush, Fuck Blair, Fuck Sharon” – names that partly seemed interchangeable and more so a “Fuck” what they represent. One member of the group said that he was not going to say these things “there has been a lot of fucking people tonight, if they hadn’t of said it, believe me, I would be saying it but I want to let you know we are not just about fuck this fuck that, we are a people of culture and we are here to represent it”. Arabic, Hebrew – these languages I don’t speak, but I do understand incredible beats, confident and determined flow, excellent delivery, rhythmic songs, a natural easiness with one another and a bold stage presence – things that DAM had in abundance. These guys really smashed it.

It was the smaller names on the night that I really enjoyed seeing do so well but as we neared the end the big names certainly came out strong. Abiodun introduced M-1 and Umi of Dead Prez (Sticman was back home in Atlanta) by telling the tale about how ‘Mind Sex’ (on which he featured) was recorded in prison; he said this was an odd experience for him because he had been in prison for real. Abiodun was not repentant of his crime because he was jailed for stealing money from a Grand Dragon of the KKK:

“And I didn’t do it with no poem either!…I used a .357 Magnum and that’s a whole ‘nother thing!”

The Red is for the blood in his arm, the Black is for the mic in his palm, the Green is for the charm, it grows natural. M-1 and Umi were fantastic, passionate performers; I could hear every word quite clearly and was thrilled as they ran through some older gems and some tracks from the newer mixtapes and albums.

“This is not a concert. It is so much more”

Both guys appreciated being given the chance to perform at this event and they put on such a show. Topics were discussed before songs were performed, I could write a track list but if you know Dead Prez you can as easily imagine it. I hadn’t expected Michael Jackson to be quoted but he was right: “You can make a change”.
There was of course one song that was guaranteed, though M-1 still had a little tease “I’ll do that one, but you better know how to act. If you don’t go crazy I’m leaving”.

“We’ve talked a lot about the amount of bullshit that is out there but is anyone else fed up of these bullshit rappers?!”

When this track dropped it was an explicit demonstration of what I had been feeling all night, of course I’m talking ‘bout Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop.

I thought I was less familiar with Pharoahe Monch’s songs and I couldn’t see how he was going to top this performance, I needn’t have worried. The Mighty Monch was accompanied by two excellent singers who perfectly complemented his raps and really added feeling to the performance. Backing him on the decks is a member of the Executioners who does his own crazy mini-set. Each and every song is lyrical to the end and the opening line of Agent Orange is sublime:

“Pissed on the motherfucking White House Lawn, threw (a rock/Iraq) and I-ran”

The anthems are all present and correct including ‘Oh No!’ and ‘Fuck You’. Before the grand finale we are treated to a few bars of a cappella, unfortunately the crowd seems non-plussed (my guess is they were blown away) with the crazy lyrics and the punch line flies over heads: “They ain’t ready for that”.

“What we have here tonight is Hip-Hop. We have people from all over the world here, in one place, representing themselves and demonstrating their cultures, bringing their message. We are Hip-Hop”

Pharoahe’s words, my sentiments exactly. Where you at? Right Here! Where you at?! Right Here!!
Needless to say, not one person in the building failed to do what ‘Simon Says’.

With the help of Abiodun we coax Pharoahe back out for an encore and then it really is over. My knees hurt, so does my back, but I could carry on right here ‘till I collapse.

It has been mentioned that, great as all this is, we are preaching to the converted. Because of the very nature of the event I agree with this statement but that is not to say that this evening did not have a positive impact.

The positive energy is carried through into the night – Tes and I manage to bag the last bits of chicken in the shop, and they tasted damn good. Almost as good as the taste left in my mouth by this show.

(Song titles do not appear in order)

Date: 5th July 2007
Venue: Hammersmith Apollo
In Attendance: Wu-Tang Killa Beys T. Wise and Edson G.Rant
Occasion: Wu-Tang Clan comin’ atcha!

I had been waiting for this show since long before the tickets arrived or the tour dates were announced, even before I knew so myself. In fact I’d been waiting for this show for a decade – ever since I got home and turned up the volume of Wu-Tang Forever in 1997.

My usual running mate Tes couldn’t make it at the last minute so I called around everyone I knew saying “do you want to see Wu-Tang tonight?!”, Grant was the first person to get back with the correct answer – “yes!” I made a beeline to his workplace and we were jumping on a bus soon after.

We make our way inside the Apollo after refreshing ourselves at a local hostelry and joined the Wuniform sporting masses that came to pay respects to the Wu-Tang Clan. The wait at the beginning is always rather tedious but tonight it is ridiculous – not a DJ in sight, just a Kanye West mixtape playing really quietly…on repeat…so lame. I feel like throwing something but it is not “some Ds on a chick” (on a side note: is this really the same Kanye who made All Falls Down!? What a dickhead). Two guys from Manchester come out and break the monotony with a couple of decent songs, I’m not sure who they are but I think I have seen them before and after their act the waiting game doesn’t last too much longer.

“Tiger Style!”

Enter the 36 Chambers – 9 hearts pumping to the beat of a RZA snare, plus four more chambers on the 1s and 2s (you do the Mathematics). The crowd becomes one huge wave of jumping energy as, with RZA in the lead, the Clan emerge onto the stage spraying water and champagne everywhere - if you want beef then bring the ruckus…Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthin’ To Fuck With!!

“When the MCs caaame…!”

Early songs come from Liquid Swords and Only Built For Cuban Linx…with Raekwon and Ghostface tearing through Criminology and Glaciers of Ice. The Clan are all lively and energetic bouncing off of each other and filling in each others lines seamlessly. GZA, Deck and RZA let loose before Ghostface’s stand out verse on 4th Chamber:

“Why is the sky blue? Why is water wet?”

With these words Rae comes up behind Ghost and splashes water all over him, leaving Masta Killa to comically towel him off whilst he keeps spitting; it is apparent that Raekwon is in high spirits and mischievous mood.
Method Man comes with the hook on the anthem Ice Cream and Ghost is clearly enjoying himself as he helps out.

Some fool gets up and runs across stage, U-God wastes no time launching a water bottle hard and fast in his direction.

“Clan In Da Front”

Next comes more from 36 Chambers, Tearz is a stand out and after we all put our pounds in the air for C.R.E.A.M Deck’s verse gets the attention it deserves. Wu-Tang’s songs work perfectly for a live show – with so many MCs to accommodate it is uncommon for songs to be performed in their entirety. Instead different members jump in and out and although the order of MCs on the record is meticulously thought out it is refreshing to have different combos and pairings thrown up on stage. The sound is as loud as it gets, snares cracking and lyrics ripping through the track. Sometimes the vocals are muddied but they are at their clearest when everyone speaks together, plus everyone in the crowd knows every word anyway!

“Roll that shit, light that shit, smoke it!”

I had feared that the concert hall was going to be the one place I would not be enjoying the smoking ban – after all, the countless cigarettes did quite literally provide a smokescreen for puffing the funky stuff. As it turns out people with weed are now the only ones smoking! Better than I could have hoped for! I suppose nothing has changed – it is illegal to smoke it anywhere so right here is as good as anyplace!

“It’s the M.E.T.H.O.D Man!”

Showing his approval by ripping his solo tracks Method Man busies himself stage diving and crowd surfing – at one point he does a full front flip into the crowd!!

Meth, with so much charisma, clarity and energy is the natural centre piece of the live show; even if Rae is intent on interrupting him as he does some shout outs…he quickly gets his own back though:

“When I say Raekwon, you say: That n!gga is fucked up!”

He is not the only one; U-God is pouring Hennessy down Cappadonna’s throat and RZA has presented Meth with a bottle of Grey Goose, Meth declines but Rae is still goading him: “Drink all of it! Drink it all!”

RZA has been quiet, often standing off to the side watching his brothers at work; my guess is he’s savouring the moment. A huge grin spreads across his face at the roars and cheers he receives after Meth announces that today is RZA and Deck’s birthday. For the record RZA is 38 and Deck 37 but none of the Clan looks a day over 30.

The born days are not the only celebration of the night – we are all here to celebrate the life of the one and only Ol’ Dirty Bastard…Shimmy Shimmy Ya!

“Ol’ Dirty had a lot of love – he loved his Clan, he loved his brothers, he loved his family…and, he loved pussy!”

The girls are up on stage whilst Ghost sings Cherchez La Ghost, but they’ve been warned: Stop! Shake your body body - or get the hell off!

“1 dime and 12 fucking pennies” – Raekwon is still talking shit!

Unfortunately for the ladies everyone agrees – “this is the Apollo so you can get booed the hell off stage!”

“Wu-Tang Forever”

With the Clan Reunited the night is an unforgettable Triumph, the crowd has been fantastic – at times deafening as we have yelled and chanted and jumped and rocked and rolled.

“The energy you give to us, we give right back to you”

Love is heavy in the air, It’s Yourz, it’s ours, its one love and One Blood Under W.

Deck kicks off Triumph standing up front, cool in shades and they all proceed to rip it…until it gets to Raekwon’s verse and he just stands at the back saying nothing – the Clan turn to look at him as they fill in and it is obvious he is playing around for the sheer hell of it before he flexes the white gold tarantula on the last few lines.

It is pandemonium as the show closes and the house is brought down with Gravel Pit.

“Who wants to hear another Wu-Tang album?! Well, you’ll have to ask RZA about that!”

With all eyes on him RZA remains tight lipped: “BZZZZZZZZZ” is all he is saying! Well, the buzz is definitely growing and I for one am still buzzing from the showing live at the Apollo on this night.

“As we go…”

As they leave the stage the crowd stands, Ws raised, chanting the name; there is to be no encore but the love and appreciation is so strong that the Clan come out and take a bow (well, Meth does a back flip and flings water bottles to the balcony but you get the idea) before breaking out to the after/birthday party that we aren’t invited to.

It is a beautiful thing to see a sea of thousands of people who have spent the last 2 hours jumping, climbing and treading all over each other turn and shuffle out quietly and peacefully, gradually dispersing into the night.

“The Saga continues, Wu-Tang…Wu-Tang…”

Date: 20th June 2007.
Venue: Sazka Arena, Prague.
In Attendance: “Guy can’t dance”, “In the air T. Wise”, “Joe son of mine”, “throwing it Paul away”.
Occasion: Genesis Turn It On Again.

“In the beginning…”

As I awake at dawn I am wondering whether it wouldn’t be easier to catch a Hercules from nearby Brize Norton rather than spend the first few hours of the day getting to Birmingham airport – heaven knows they waste enough fuel circling their war birds over my house all day, and this way we could parachute into the Sazka Arena later that night!

Instead it is bright and early at Oxford station and a little way down the line we are in B to the Ham. We pass through security in readiness to board Flight 1984; knowing that terrorists like to keep it funky they confiscate my deodorant, luckily they let me keep my toothpaste otherwise I would have smelt worse than Cap’n Jack Sparrow scourge of the high… altitudes… then it’s past the Pigs and through to Animal Farm with the Stags and the Hens, straight to Bates Wine Bar for 2nd breakfast (me: Guinness. Brother Guy: Guinness, swine sandwich.)

“Prague Rock”

Having landed safely on the continent and passed through immigration (not without an appraising look at my Community League tee by the official) we step out into the blazing sunshine and make straight for the arena where we are to exchange our Budapest tickets. This done it is to the city centre we must go; luckily nearly every underground train system in the world is completely fool-proof so despite the language barrier it is plain sailing.

At the foot of St. Wenceslas’s statue we meet our gracious host Joe – a friend of a friend’s friend – and we are whisked away to his awesome apartment. After we freshen up the evening can truly begin and it does so in great style – some beers in a park full of pretty girls perched high on the hill overlooking the equally pretty city. Paul joins us soon after and quickly catches up on the beers before we head to the tram.

At the tram stop BG sets off an incredible chain of events, not content with leaving the tickets in the flat first time out he now leaves them on the counter of a newsagent as we purchase a beverage for the journey. One stop later a look of horror crosses his face – as the doors open he and Joe are out of the blocks and sprinting back up the street!

Well, if they hadn’t have got the tickets back safely I probably wouldn’t be writing this, as it is they were right where he left them and so we continue the journey just slightly sweatier and slightly more out of breath.

The concert is actually to take place not inside the arena itself but in a temporary arena constructed in the parking lot. It is surely a much more incredible atmosphere here out in the open at sunset with thousands of Genesis fans milling around. We have other things to take care of however; remember the run for the tickets? Well BG is still out of breath and on the verge of an asthma attack so we quickly locate the medics! As the event hasn’t even started yet they are all happy to accommodate him, the girls especially seem keen to make sure he gets the utmost care…

The medic area is situated behind the main stage and as we come out BG turns to the right and casually meanders through a hoard of florescent jacketed officials straight into the VIP area! It is only the confused and bemused looks of his brother and Joe that stop his carelessness with the tickets ending with a spot in the front row – unbelievable!!

As soon as we are all back together a drum roll sounds – BG loses his head and runs skipping with delight headfirst into the crowd and disappears from sight as Genesis announce their arrival onstage.

The stage itself looks incredible, the band are elevated on a multi-layered platform whilst the huge backing screen juts up high into the balmy night air.

Genesis start with ‘Duke’s End’, then they ‘Turn It On Again’ to rumbustious cheers before transitioning into up-tempo classics ‘No Son of Mine’ and ‘Land of Confusion’. Before too long a drum solo played out on my shoulder is spilling beer on my shoes and I know before I even turn around that BG is back in the fold.

It has been 15 years since Genesis last turned it on for a tour, a long wait for some fans, and a near lifetime for others. Phil announces a medley of some of their earliest tunes, as they play old videos and images of the band pass across the screen behind them. Standing next to my younger brother who has grown up on Genesis music I can’t help but have a strong feeling of the passage of time, from Live Aid to those first holiday’s with the cassettes wearing out in the deck to the here and now.

The solar system gathers round to listen as it gets dark, with the bright quarter Moon and Venus later joined by Jupiter in the clear night sky.

Many years may have passed but Phil can still do his incredible Mr. Tambourine man dance to ‘I Know What You Like In Your Wardrobe’ and a light-hearted demonstration of the ‘Domino’ effect makes sure that the crowd is equally lively as we lend vociferous support to proceedings. It is through the crowd we go too, as we casually make our way to a better vantage point much nearer the front.

An emotional section of the show begins with ‘Mama’ and ‘Throwing It All Away’. The lights go down and Phil produces a torch for some insane Jack-o-Lantern stylings and spooky noises introduce one of their very best songs – ‘Home by the Sea’. As the long instrumental section plays out Phil sits at the kit like a king at home on his throne and I am wondering what more can be done to top this, I do not have to wonder long because Phil Collins and Chester Thompson have some tricks up their sleeve and no mistake!

What follows is simply one of the most amazing musical sights and sounds I have ever witnessed – a drum duet - a drum duet played on their drum stools before slowly moving to the drum kits themselves and with much intentional clashing of sticks in between at a blistering pace – simply awesome.

A wonderful feeling washes over me and I am taken to another plane as Mike Rutherford’s Guitar riffs and Tony Banks’ Piano solo draw out the fantastic ‘Ripples’, this is so rock and roll, I wish I had a girl to kiss right now.

Maybe I do, maybe she is here and she just seems to have that ‘Invisible Touch’ yeah! My very favourite song is the last of the set and it is performed with all the power and gusto that it ever was.

The band leave the stage to great applause, it has been an incredible night but as the stage hands make a quick adjustment to the set we know it is not quite over yet…the inclined platform can mean only one thing – I Can’t Dance, I can’t talk, the only thing about me is the waay that I walk!

The very last song is ‘Carpet Crawlers’ - “you’ve got to get in to get out” – that’s life.

The show is over and the crowd is dispersing into the night. Merchants surround the exit, they are just standing round selling everything and BG is buying, meanwhile I trail in his wake checking everything is in place…

As the night fades into bars and beers through the narrow old town streets the comrades are reduced to a trio once again. We return to the park and sit awhile under the light blue summer night sky with a great feeling of contentment and head to bed at the rise of the summer solstice sun…these are the days of our lives…

Barely 24 hours since our arrival we begin to make our way home via a pizza and a last stop in the park, then it’s back up into the sky until Airstrip One looms below and we descend back to the Land of Confusion.

Gangstarr was my first foray into the capital a few years ago and I’ve been a regular ever since, usually accompanied by my good friend Tes. From the very beggining I have written reviews of the shows and starting today I will be posting them on the blog here at Blunted Presents. The big names usually come around infrequently so from time to time I will dip into the archives for some classic shows. I have had a rocky relationship with the shows of our first star but I am happy to say that his latest was a belter!

Date: 22nd May 2007
Venue: Hammersmith Apollo
In Attendance: Tes & Myself
Occasion: Nas

Since I last saw Nas perform he appears to have found a lot of peace and tranquillity in his life both public and private, I was hopeful that the peace and unity would extend to this evening with no repeat of the gun play that shortened the show last time out.

With doors scheduled to open at 7 it is with a little anxiety that we approach the Apollo around 9, no need to worry, tonight is strictly hip-hop time. With the queue stretching round the corner and down the street it is obvious that things haven’t kicked off yet, word is Nas will be on at 9:30 but the queue is making good progress. It is a warm, short sleeves kind of night in the capital and the police are dressed for the weather – they’ve got bare arms! If troubled history repeats itself tonight the police will be ready to bust back with their terror-fying arsenal… this does not make me feel safer. At least security are doing their job, it is a swift but thorough once over before entry.

Run up on stage and wreck the DJ…

Once inside we are packed in with Black, Latino and Anglo-Saxons whilst the DJ spins the waxes. All is well as we listen to classics made over a decade ago; the spirit of ‘94 is running strong. Somehow the DJ screws things up by playing Jay-Z (some fans haven’t got the make up memo yet and start booing) and completely ruins the vibe by dropping some 50 “motherfucking, bitch-ass” Cent. What is more perplexing is that neither DJ nor hype man realise why everybody is now booing and pelting them with flyers and plastic cups! The show wasn’t a sell out and we reckon that they are holding out, trying to sell the last few tickets as time ticks on.

Never on schedule, but always on time…

“Hip-Hop is Dead, welcome to the funeral” with these words the smiling, Jordan sportin’, fat gold rope with chunky pharaoh head piece gleaming, Timbs on his feet make his cipher complete, N the A to the Nasty Nas kick starts the show.

A quick ‘Money Over Bullshit’ gets the raps rolling before we see what the crowd is made of early on with a boisterous rendition of ‘Hip-Hop Is Dead’. Then we are straight into Ether, except with love for Jay. Don’t get it twisted, it is still “fuck a bum wack rapper making his career out of dissing” - sharp words for 50, followed by ‘Black Republican’. Somehow this, definitely one of the biggest songs in recent history, seems to lack a bit of impact without its other star and performed early on in the show.

There is nothing more Illmatic than a full medley of Nas’ debut album, kicked stood up on a speaker high above the sea of waving hands.

The Lost Tapes might actually be my favourite Nas album so I am excited to hear ‘No Ideas Original’ start a string of underground hits mixed in with a cappella raps including ‘2nd Childhood’ and other Stillmatic joints and ‘I Gave You Power’: “Guns up. Not to hurt a brother but to protect each other”

One of the classic sections of the show is the medley of ‘It Was Written’, ‘Street Dreams’ and ‘If I Ruled The World’ backed with wonderful singing by the crowd.

“If I ruled the world I would give everyone in here 40 billion pounds!”

Nas, you are not the Chancellor of the Exchequer! Still, it’s a nice sentiment, as is the idea of being handed “George Bush’s head on a fucking platter”. The next song is one of my favourites, I don’t even know the name of it but when the hook starts there is no mistaking it:

“I wanna talk to the May-or, to the Governor, to the motherfucking Congressmen!”

I want to talk to the mayor: Yo Ken, what’s up with the £2 bus fare these days?! People are getting taxed hard into signing up for the all seeing Oy’!

When I spit, you lose consciousness…

Firm favourites next with the Mob side of the MOB outlook complete with those flows so spookily reminiscent of Lex cooking ‘caine in the kitchen. Escobar season has returned, if you want to hate Nas now is a good time as he rolls out the still terrible ‘Owe You For Ice’. ‘I Can’ soon forgive God’s Son his sins when he gets down with ‘Get Down’ and I think I must be ‘Still Dreaming’ when the awesome ‘Nas Is Like…’ is rapped out in full.

With LES backing him on the decks this show really has been about one man and ‘One Mic’, from a seated Buddha position Nas performs this song until he jumps up with the crescendo of the verses and it is the crowning moment of the show.

“They shooting! Uh, made you look” we’ve been treated to the gems from his rhyme book and on that bombshell, the show is over. A great celebration of the life, the whole body of work was laid out in an open casket and even though he didn’t actually perform my current favourite there is no doubt that Nas Carried On Tradition. And hey, nobody came through to shoot up the funeral.

The N.