Tru Master - Pete Rock Live @ Jazz Cafe, London

After months of eager anticipation and an all day battle with the London Underground (a reminder of the perils of living in our nation's capital), last Saturday night heralded my first experience of Pete Rock live. The scope for disappointment in this particular case was massive: The Chocolate Boy Wonder is without a doubt one of my favourite recording artists of all time, and I have rarely, if ever, felt as excited about a gig. Would it live up to expectation, or would I walk away feel cheated? Let's find out...

Rather expectedly, there's a hell of a lot of good things to report. With doors opening at 11pm, it was a pleasure to see Pete grace the wheels of steel almost immediately as we got in, and with a set that lasted for just over two hours, there could never be any complaints that the performance was too brief. The set ran thematically, with the crowd being initially treated to a slew of late '80s classics before the transition into early '90s bangers and several sections covering key artists of the genre. These sections were particularly enjoyable: I mean, you can't go far wrong with a generous helping of Tribe, EPMD and the mighty Wu, and it was clear that Pete had read the crowd correctly as much lip-syncing and vibrant movements ensued (particularly from me). Finishing up with a half hour section of his own material was always going to get the Jazz Cafe rockin', and it did just that in fine style. Clearly a DJ of the true school persuasion, it was also great to see Mt. Vernon's finest make sure he made his presence felt on the mic as well with traditional call and response shouts going down a treat given the nature of the night. With a few beat juggles thrown in just to increase the flava, Pete's set was killer throughout. Phew, all good so far.

Inevitably, there were a few elements to the night that griped. First of all, it had been publicised as a DJ/MC set, so in all honesty I was expecting Pete to kick a few verses over instrumentals, but this never happened. No big deal, but the event would have felt all the more complete with some live rhymes, particularly over the classics like 'T.R.O.Y.'. However, the definitive low point of the event was rather frustratingly in the gig's dying phases, where Pete showcased some of his new material. Now I've already highlighted the fact that I really like the recent a-side '914', and it did go down well with the crowd, but unfortunately the remainder of the new joints were simply not uptempo enough to keep the high energy levels of the evening going effectively. I'm also sorry to admit it, but my first impressions of the three or four songs he played were not good, as they lacked the immediate punch that characterises so much of his extensive back catalogue. Bottom line? They didn't work in a club. I sincerely hope that this was a result of circumstance rather than a true indication of my feelings of the songs themselves: here's hoping they leave a more distinct impression on me when absorbed for a while at home after I cop the album in January.

Despite these factors, there is absolutely no taking away from Pete's skill as a true party rocker. The songs played and the way in which they were sequenced was masterful, clearly the result of years of perfecting the craft. The vibe of the crowd and Pete's astute DJing abilities made for something truly special: myself and crew had a sensational time. I even managed the obligatory end of night photo with the man himself after muttering something to the tune of 'your music has really made a difference to my life', but the smile on Pete's face alleviates my worry that I made a total dick of myself. However, I am vaguely concerned that I may have an abnormally small head given the proportions displayed below.

















It goes without saying that if Pete Rock rolls through your town then you'd be a fool to miss it: I have rarely seen a set put together with such an confident sense of style and finesse. The obsession with all things Chocolate Boy Wonder lives on... rejoice!

Y'All Know The Name - Pharoahe Monch Live

Pharoahe Monch - Desire feat. Showtyme & Push feat. Showtyme, Mela Machinko & Tower Of Power
taken from Desire (Street Records, 2007)

Given that my attitude towards hip hop in general has become increasingly cynical over the years, there is no disguising the fact that these forces are most at play when I attend live events. Perhaps it's the immediacy of the occasion that is the root of this issue: if I buy a record and don't like something about it I can push it to one side and pretend it doesn't exist, but if I've splashed out some of my hard earned cash on a concert I am committed to stand there for the duration come what may. Despite only being 25, there is also the creeping and unsettling sensation that I am one of the oldest members of the crowd which manifests itself in two very different ways:

1. Arrogant self-aggrandisation:

'I know a lot more about hip hop than any of you and appreciate what we are currently seeing in more ways than you can possibly comprehend. You may think you understand this music but I would be willing to bet my life on the fact that you don't. This is a phase for you: you're jumping on a bandwagon in an attempt to feel cool and my overwhelming feeling towards you is one of hatred. You're pathetic.'

2. The truth:

'Everybody here looks younger and better than me. They also look like they are genuinely enjoying themselves which is more than can be said for my grumpy arse. I remember when I was like them, fresh with a love for hip hop, and there is no doubting that it was a great time in my life which I would happily revisit if given the chance. I am rapidly becoming a sad, pompous, self-inflated and twisted individual who believes only his opinions on this music matter and who is simultaneously losing the ability to have fun in a spontaneous, carefree and upbeat way. I'm pathetic.'

Needless to say, the complexity of these two opposing viewpoints often keeps me away from live events nowadays. However, every now and again something pops up that I know I'll kick myself if I don't see, and last week, Pharoahe Monch came to town. With a couple of beers in my belly and an internal mantra set on repeat ('you are not sad and old, everybody there has just as much right to be there as you do') I was ready for one of the first gigs in a while where I felt genuinely excited and up for a good time. Bring it on...

The evening started off well with the DJ spinning some decent beats and allowing me to get my geek on with my mates who had joined me (this is the drum loop off Lee Dorsey's 'Get Out My Life Now Woman', blah, blah, blah...), but proceedings were brought to a grinding halt by one of the most uninspiring warm up performances I have ever seen. In their one hour set, British Intelligence came to represent everything that I hate about the UK scene, with pedestrian flows and the constant need to try and get the crowd hyped with little to no success. Whereas the boys from B.I. clearly interpreted our lacklustre response to shouts of 'are you ready for Pharoahe?!' as a lack of excitement for the mic legend whom we had paid to see, what they failed to realise was that the majority of the crowd had drifted into a state of near comatose as a result of their performance which prevented us from responding with anything beyond a dull groan, stunned into near silence. Honestly, this was some of the most yawn-inducing music that I had seen in a while and only confirmed some of my fears about venturing out of the house on a weeknight to see live hip hop. Still, the main event was yet to come.

And it didn't disappoint. With a full live band in tow (drums, bass, DJ, two backing singers and guitar), the show that ensued was full of energy and genuinely exceptional. Pharoahe catered to fans both new and old, with a slew of bangers from 'Internal Affairs' and 'Desire' as well as the odd Organized verse dropped in for good measure. I have been feeling a little lukewarm about his latest material up until this point, but tracks such as 'Desire' and 'Push' worked particularly well in this context, boosted by the in your face edge of a live performance, and the balance between these songs and older cuts was extremely well judged. As I expected, Pharoahe had a presence which was captivating, his delivery was sensational and the raw energy behind his performance was matched only by the enthusiasm and musical dexterity of his bandmates. All in, it was one of the best gigs that I have been to in a long time, and I left feeling energised rather than with the usual sinking sensation brought on by my frequently disappointing trips to live hip hop in recent times.

It's a shame that a culture built on live performance now seems to so rarely meet expectation on this front. Certainly for American artists visiting the UK, it seems all too easy to have a DJ spinning instrumentals whilst MCs recite the lyrics over the top for an hour and call it a gig. Pharoahe proved to me last Thursday night that hip hop can still be a vibrant and exciting form of musical expression in a live context, and I would strongly recommend that you see him if you get the chance over the coming months whilst he promotes the new album. 2007 is shaping up to be a pretty decent year for hip hop so far, and performances such as this only serve to make it better and dispel the myth that hip hop is dead. The true success of this gig can be measured by the fact that the two prevailing attitudes detailed at the beginning of this post were made redundant: I simply had a really good time. Pharoahe, I salute you!

World Renown LP released:

I noticed the other day that World Renown have now made the tracks from their long lost LP available for download on their MySpace. From the audio clips it sounds great (I mean it's K-Def for gawd's sake) although nothing is going to touch 'How Nice I Am' in my opinion. I feel a little peeved at the $1.50 price tag for each individual tune though, as with eleven tracks available that means you're spending over fifteen dollars with no physical product in sight, and it feels deliberately exploitative of hip hop nerds such as myself. I'd probably be willing to pay this if they actually released the CD, but as it stands I'll only be selecting the best few cuts and making do with that. Head over there and peep it.