Well another year has come and gone – We end 2014 with the return of one of the greatest Hip-Hop groups in history, more Holiday magic, good times with some old friends and new times with some new ones. Happy New Year everyone, here’s to continued good health & prosperity in 2015, I hope you enjoy yourself and the post below.
Blackalicious – December 6th – Granada Theater – Dallas, TX
I had just flown in to DFW that afternoon from NYC to spend the holidays with my family in Texas. Just a few short hours later I was at a family annual Christmas tradition that was part one of why I chose today to fly in.
Part One was the local community tree lighting held at local water park NRH20 in a big Christmas party that officially starts the holiday season in these parts called
A Night of Holiday Magic – We look forward to it every year and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything and this year was great as always.
Part Two was the return of one of my fave groups of any genre Blackalicious.
Keep in mind I had already flown that day, spent hours outside in the cold at a holiday event was home with my family, so it would have required something of the utmost importance to tear me away and drive all the way out to Dallas to see a show but we did it because that’s the kinda importance I put on this group.
We got there right in time, grabbed some fresh brisket tacos they serve there and got turned on to one of the best beers I’ve ever had – a local offering from Revolver Brewing called Blood & Honey, amazing stuff.
Back into the tour mode on the cusp of releasing Emoni (which is Swahili for Faith) – their first LP in ten years, they’ve also been riding a sudden surge of popularity from the most unlikely of sources – Daniel Radcliffe.
First of all, Hip-Hop (especially deeply social conscious groups like Blackalicious) are far more popular in the U.K, than they are in the States and if you haven’t seen it, good ‘ol Harry Potter himself was recently on the Jimmy Fallon show proving that love by successfully pulling off Alphabet Aerobics one of the most challenging raps ever conceived, to a stunned audience, largely hearing the 15 year old track for the first time.
I think they suspected as much because when they came out, they started with it and got it out of the way early.
Gift of Gab has a very demanding voice that borders between authoritative and comforting at the same time. And when he enters his spitfire speed rapping, there simply is no comparison and he hasn’t lost much vocal stamina over the years. Rounding out the quartet of was Lifesavas’ Vursatyl & Latyrx member & long-time live MC Lateef the TruthSpeaker and if your wondering what this dude has been up to over the years, check your local gym – this once scrawny little wiry dude with bad dreads is now this buff brick shit-house looking healthy & awesome.
And of course DJ Chief Xcel. While he may have pulled back on a lot of the normal DJ scratching and cutting cuisine, he’s still a force to be reckoned with. Even with the untrained eye, you would still be quick to note that there is a stark contrast between his DJ work & really anyone else. His style and flow is vastly different and it works well for what Blackalicious does & he’s the core producer of almost all of their material.
Sadly and to no fault of their own, this criticism lies soley on the shoulders of the venue, the sound was GARBAGE – I mean fucking TERRIBLE – As in like if I hadn’t been on the guest list I would have asked for my money back. The guys on stage had no idea this was going on and I felt bad for them as I know how they feel about integrity & putting on a good show. The sound was so bad when the show ended I felt like I was still waiting for it to start – It sounded like if someone was holding up a phone at a concert & you were listening on the other end.
You owe us one Granada, I didn’t ditch my family after landing in for Christmas for amateur shit like this and this is not an isolated incident at your venue.
Setlist –
Alphabet Aerobics
Blazing Arrow
Apache
Shine Language
Blacka
Deception
Paragraph President
Rhythm Sticks
First in Flight
Freestyle
Rock the Spot
Chemical Calisthenics
Photos –
Roy Turner
James Bertsch
