Hip Hop at its best! The Science of Speech Tour

Manchester has seen a lot of great hip hop gigs recently, and many of my favourite MCs have rolled through our city. The crowning glory to this occured on Wednesday May 11th when the 'Science of Speech Tour' came to the Academy.

Originally billed as Black Star, De La Soul and Rakim- when I first read about this gig I couldn't believe it- unfortunately, on the night we discovered the De La Soul had been dropped from the bill. I was a bit gutted, but then I still got to see Rakim, Talib Kweli and Mos Def, so to complain would be a bit rich!

Local collective Murkage kicked things off, raising the energy levels from 0 to Party in a full on set. Although they have just started out I see a lot of promise in these guys- watch this space!

Rakim was next up, and, as expected, did not fail to deliver! Dropping classic hits, new material, a story about his boat trip to the UK and a huge crowd participation bit which overran his set (but no-one cared).

Finally, after what seemed like forever- the icing on the cake. I have seen both Mos Def & Talib Kweli separately but together they become an unstoppable force and a massive crowd pleaser. The way they bounce off each other is perfect and hearing all those collab tracks live was something special. We're even treated so a couple of solo efforts from both guys.

 This gig should have been attended by anyone with an interest in hip hop- a clear demonstration of what this genre is all about. The only downer was that it pointed out how much American hip hop has lost its way recently. I'm still praying for a return to form, but for now I'll stick with my old Mos, Kweli, The Roots & Common albums.

Check out more pictures & full review soon at Example Magazine

Chromeo- Manchester Academy- 13/11/10

With the tragic passing of James Brown a few years ago, the world lost a significant proportion of its funk, but it would seem that part of the Godfathers mojo has been reincarnated in the guise of Chromeo. The duo, from Montreal, Canada, have ventured to the UK to promote their second Album release. They have developed quite the following on these shores through a combination of underground and mainstream exposure (their tune Fancy Footwork featured in a big hair product commercial) and we are informed that Manchester was their first sell-out date on this tour- to a rapturous reception.

The performance is nothing short of astounding and I would challenge anyone to watch them without bopping about. From start to finish the audience sings along to every word with adulation and the band clearly appreciates their efforts, encouraging sing- and clap-alongs throughout. P-Thugg gives us a lesson in how to rock out a vocoder (none af that lame T-Pain style business here!) and Dave 1 keeps the crowd interaction to a maximum as the band cruise through hits, old and new. The well publicised 'Fancy Footwork' gets the largest reaction, although the eclectic audience are clearly into them way beyond one 'commercial' hit, and the dancing doesn't stop until the lights come on...

James Brown would be proud.