Reported By: J-23, Slava Kuperstein, Autumn Marie, David Goodson & Andreas Hale
Anyone who came up through hip hop in the 80’s and early 90’s have had a really hard time dealing with the current climate of hip hop. I know you younguns out there are quick to dismiss it as being old, bitter and living in the past but truly, you just can’t understand what it used to be like and how frustrating it is today. So the idea of hip hop being “dead” is a sentiment we can understand, even if we don’t fully agree with it. Whether you believe it’s dead or alive, hip hop was alive and kicking this weekend in New York. Even if it was just for this weekend, it was a beautiful thing.
In case you’ve been living in a cave, Rock The Bells was on Saturday and Sunday on Randall’s island in NYC. The line-up was nearly identical for both shows, featuring one of the craziest rosters of all-time; Rage Against The Machine, Wu-Tang Clan, Rakim, Public Enemy, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Cypress Hill, David Banner, Pharoahe Monch, Boot Camp Clik, Immortal Technique, Slug, Murs, Sage Francis, MF DOOM, Jedi Mind Tricks, Living Legends, Cage, Blueprint and more. Despite a line-up of artists who get virtually no airplay today or haven’t been on the radio in almost a decade, the weekend drew some 80,000 people who spent 12 hours in the heat on Saturday and 12 hours in the pissing rain on Sunday. Anyone at the show would have seen hundreds of kids wearing a HipHopDX t-shirt bearing a message that could not have been more true this weekend; Hip Hop is not dead.
“Rock The Bells represents that grit. It epitomizes what WAS real in hip hop and we need to get that back,” Slick Rick stated from backstage. “We need to be fed musically today and shows like this are like porridge.” The history is definitely something many believe that today’s genre of Hip Hop lacks. With such a diverse crowd of teens and oldies, multiple ethnic backgrounds and more in attendance, RTB was an opportunity to re-introduce the kids to those that influenced some of today’s top stars. “It keeps the history and culture intact and it’s needed for our kids to continue to learn and enjoy the culture,” says Michael K. Williams (“Omar” from The Wire).
Keeping in tune with those that influence, Public Enemy and Immortal Technique shared the same stage in NY and was a past and present representation of political power and revolutionary minds in Hip Hop. “I think it’s a beautiful thing to have this much hip hop with such a diverse message,” Immortal Technique stated as he hung out at the HipHopDX booth before taking pictures with children and signing autographs at his own booth. Tech did notice a void at RTB and addressed the issue…
“I wish there were more aspects of the culture represented and I think they’re working on expanding it right now. But for a big festival that has so many commercial sponsors and so much shit going on remarkably they are able to pull it off and have people on stage that are able to give a real strong message and are representing the culture correctly. So I think it’s a step in the right direction.”
Fellow independent artist Mr. Lif was very pleased with the turnout. “Crowd was savage, know what I’m sayin? Rock the Bells is a great event, getting legendary emcees and up-and-comers to share the same venue,” said Lif. “It was just a great experience, people really get to hear and know the lyrics. I was over at the Wu-Tang joint, people know all the lyrics! 4th Chamber, they know the lyrics to ‘Protect Ya Neck’…it’s an era that I think commercial radio tried to sweep under the rug. There’s so many people here, it’s still strong.”
Being swept under the rug is something that has happened to many artists with great music over the past few years. Today’s video and radio shows fail to remember that Hip Hop isn’t just about big jewelery and scantly clad women. Hip Hop is also about complex lyricism, head snapping beats and balance. But many of the artists on the independent scene took matters in their own hands to create a festival that is reminiscent of the mantra they live through: Paid Dues.
Mr. Lif was part of the Paid Dues stage that was brought forth by Murs of the Living Legends crew. By collecting the finest of the Indy scene and placing them on a second stage, the crowd got the best of both worlds. “Man, it’s a beautiful thing!” Murs said. “To keep something like this going is important and it’s great to see that there are fans that appreciate what we do without us being on radio.”
Murs has also signed to Warner to release his first album on a major label “Man I hope so,” he answered when asked if Indy artists will ever get spins on major radio stations. “Me signing to Warner was the first step and I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing so we’ll see.”
While everyone from EPMD and Rakim to MF DOOM and Slug delivered incredible shows there were two acts that brought both frat boys and gully hip hop heads together – Rage Against The Machine and Wu-Tang Clan.
In recent years, Wu-Tang has been known more for drama within the group and a lack of commercial success. However, all of that was forgotten when the eight members (R.I.P. ODB), along with Cappadonna and Street Life came on stage. As thousands of hand made “Ws” went into the air, the Wu-Tang Clan began their set with “Bring Da Ruckus”. As the crowd went wild, the appropriately-titled song rejuvenated those in the crowd tired from the heat, bringing damn near everyone to the forefront of the performance. As the Wu went through classics like “C.R.E.A.M.” and “Protect Ya Neck”, audience members spit the words to every song. Raekwon and the ever-reliable Method Man were definitely the livest. As Method Man’s segment went from “Method Man” to “Da Rockwilder”, fans were treated to a surprise as Redman came out on stage to perform his verse. The audience greeted the rap veteran with deafening roars, letting him know that although some of his fans may have abandoned him, they most assuredly had not. As Wu closed the set with “Triumph”, it was very clear that people from all over the world still had love for those Shaolin, NY brothers, whose greatest fans held their “Ws” long after they exited.
“It is Hip-Hop to see all of these people coming together to perform at one festival,” explains Raekwon as he explains the importance of participating in such events. “Festivals like these are so important to Hip-Hop. A lot of big performers go to The Garden (Madison Square) and other similar venues but they don’t come to festivals like this.”
Both Raekwon and Rakim stressed the importance that all artists, large heavy weights and independent underground, have the opportunity to perform. “It is great to see a concert with such a range of performers in front of an audience this size,” says Rakim and Raekwon gave his final seal of approval saying, “It is like they picked the best fruit from the basket and put it all in one place.”
After Wu-Tang got off the stage, the activity in the crowd came to a very brief lull. Soon after, the crowd became antsy, as numerous fans waiting for Rage Against The Machine began pushing their way to the front. Fans in the crowd discussed with excitement what song the newly reunited quartet would play, as the sun completely set. At approximately 9:20, a giant red star on a black background appeared, drawing immense cheers from the crowd. Soon after, Zach de La Rocha and co. entered the stage, signaling the start of the day’s finale. Starting early with crowd favorites like “People of the Sun”, it was clear that the group hadn’t lost a step, and could have easily passed as one that hadn’t been broken up for the past six years. Shouting out fellow acts Immortal Technique and the Wu-Tang Clan, de La Rocha made it clear that Rage not only had love for its fans, but their hip hop peers.
As the group closed their set with “Wake Up”, Zach took the time to clarify the speech he made at Coachella, chastising the “fascists at the Fox News Network” for “claiming that we said that the President should be assassinated.” de La Rocha continued, “No: he should be brought to trial as a war criminal and hung and shot. That’s what we said.” The brief speech drew cheers from the crowd, undoubtedly reminding everyone of hip hop’s strong political roots. Rage’s stirring performance, including an equally exhilarating encore, was one few will forget.
So what is there to say about whether hip hop is dead or not? On one hand, Saturday’s show brought a live crowd, some people from as far away as England, Canada and California. On the other hand, the rain turned many fans away from the concert on Sunday; the fans that did stay were in worse spirits than the ones on Saturday, barely cheering for the acts that went on. The only conclusion that can be drawn is this: hip hop, like so many other things, is what you make of it. If you let rain get in the way of seeing Cypress Hill and Rakim, hip hop may be dead to you. If you let $7 beers make you say “Fuck this shit!” and storm off in frustration, hip hop might be dead to you, too. But for the fans that weathered Saturday’s sweltering heat or Sunday’s downpour, managed to keep their cool with the overpriced food and just enjoy good music, hip hop very much thrives.
So to answer the question “Is Hip Hop REALLY Dead?” the answer is this…
Only if YOU let it!