Unlucky for some? Das Racist & Just Skank w/ DMZ - 13/5/11

I'm not really one for superstition, in fact, I completely forgot about the unlucky connotations of the day the 13th May fell on, an it took until the following week for me to think back and decide that, I had an awesome Friday 13th!

I got to watch Das Racist at the Roadhouse- an American hip-hop collective who, through one Youtube video viral, have carved themselves a niche in the comedy-hip-hop market, which isn't easy to do well! They also had the inspired idea of playing their first UK gig in Manchester, so I could take pictures- nice one!

After the gig I rolled over to Moho's for another Just Skank epic. This time it was their 1st Birthday Bash and they pulled out all the stops- booking Mala & Coki, b2b for what seemed like forever.

With SGT Pokes rocking the mic, the DMZ crew were in full force and absolutely smashed it! The night was finished off by some other guy named Pinch- he's alright too (please read into the intended sarcasm there if you don't know Pinch- incredible artist & DJ!). Nice work and if thats what all Friday 13ths are like, I'll continue not to worry.







Das Racist played as part of Future Everything Festival- my full review of that, along with more shots from both these gigs, will be online soon on Example Magazine

Del, Possibly the Funkiest Homosapien

A 200 capacity basement on a rainy november evening in Manchester. Not where you may expect to see a once-in-a-lifetime Hip Hop event but thats what this capacity crowd will get.

Thanks to the 'Taste the Difference' Crew and one promotors insistence on booking his favourite MC for his birthday, we get a truly unique spectacle, for a fiver! Tonight, Teren Delvon Jones, a man you may know better as Del The Funky Homosapien, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Deltron, Deltron Zero, Sir Dzl, Del Diablo Diabolique or 'That rapper from that 'Clint Eastwood' tune', makes an appearance at the Manchester Roadhouse. Venues of this size are usually suited to amateur and up and coming bands and low key club nights, not Hip Hop royalty such as Del. The crowd all seem to know how special an event this is. I've tried to find a record of any previous UK appearance from Del and couldn't find anything. If he has ever played a UK show I'll bet it wasn't half as intimate.



Support for the show is provided by Californian compatriot Bukue One and DJ Zac Hendrix. Bukue One bucks the crowd up well. An MC who is clearly not afraid to show that he's having fun- a welcome change from the 'badboy MC' image! Once a suitable amount of hype has been imbued to the crowd, Del appears without further ado.



Arms fly up into the air and the crowd goes wild. Del launches into a set comprising of a huge mixture of material, old and new. We get hits from his early days, when he turned up on the scene as 'Ice Cube's Cousin', new material from last year's free download release 'Funk Man' and a host of the inbetween. A pleasant amount of 'Heiroglyphics' material and some impromptu freestyling prove a welcome treat, and the while thing is topped off with a re-worked version of his Gorillaz collaboration 'Clint Eastwood'. This truly was a show that won't be repeated and unlike anything Manchester is likely to see again.

Glad to be a part of it!