Rocking The Bells…

We are leaving Babylon...

Going to a farther land...

Here's a random DP thought otherwise known as a TWit. Maybe Rock The Bells should go to Palestine and help those people work out their issues.

I've been on a mean grind lately internets. I'm getting too old to still be doing this shit. I've got to decide if I quit this shit and go back to managing construction projects as a religion instead of only as vocation. The Rock The Bells concert is as good as anyplace you might want to start.

The Rock The Bells concert is rap music's Woodstock. The rappers here are working their asses off. All those long hours in the studio are for this afternoon event. Everyone shows out too. I see rappers jumping around on stage and even doing backspins. Is there still a space in rap music for the dancers? I meant breakers? Answer that later.

There are so many people to cut a check for at this event. The talent (natch) but there are tons of folk that put this whole shit together who need, ne, deserve some extra payment. How about the police? They were called in to make sure that Black males kept their hands off one another. I'm starting to think that one of you rap phags might be the ghey rapper. Not you Pierzy. All these OTHER niggas. Memo to rap phags: Keep your hands off one another.

Anyhoo...

So I got to go to the Rock The Bells concert for their New York City leg. I wish XXL had sent me in with some press credentials (no shots). Instead it was my homegirl from Complex mag hooking me up with her extra swag. No press credentials meant that I got my dSLR camera with the monster zoom confiscated by the undercover cops, er, event security personnel. *FUGAZI!!!* Where were these cops when planes in Boston were being hijacked with plastic cutlery?

Now that I have been stripped of my hi-def dSLR camera I switched up to me low-def snapshot digital joint (as Popeye might say). Boo-Yah! The pics aren't the greatest but they never are with me. Study the movement of the subjects. Don't forget that the second half of the word Hip-Hop is for you to move your body to. Don't just hop though. Because that would be corny. Eli Porter does that.

Here's what I think would be fun. Let's take a lot at some of my pics from the day...

High heels were definitely in the building. That's actually some pics of rappers feet though.

My favorite throwback jersey is the white wearing the 40 Acres and A Mule joint. You know shit is in a recession when white starts taking back our 40 Acres and A Mule. LOL!

More LULz went out to this, er, "wardrobe malfunction".

Here are some random crowd shots. White Boy Weed was definitely in the building as it should be. That's the homey from Complex mag Young Sue. Asian folks get it in for Hip-Hop culture worldwide. Sue is from Paris. By way of San Francisco. Yeah, I know the cliche.

There was a good number of Black people at the event which is strange for outdoor shows. I'm sure half of them were comped. Snowflake swirl was also in the building heavy. Rock The Bells concerts might be the only place that no one looks twice at inter-racial couples. FTW.

The Buckshot KRS-1 Duck Down (Ruck Down) set was dope. Buckshot had the flow and the energy while up on stage. Masta Ace came through and so did the Kidz In The Hall band.

Sometimes I forget that Double-O is an entertainer because I see him out and about so much. One day he will be too huge to connect with the folks on my side of the gate, but until then I fux with dude [ll].

KRS-1 remains possibly the single greatest influential icon still performing to this day. So many emcees should say that they are from his DNA. Rappers? Not so much. KRS-1 is quick to point out the truism that emcee >>> rapper, and Hip-Hop isn't just rap. Peep how shorty standing behind the promo poster gets scared when KRS-1 speaks. She might need to duck down.

The Paid Dues stage was where they had sequestered the Brooklyn boom bap contingent. The god Primo was on stage with the Mash Out Posse and finally we see people outside of the rap nerd fanbase giving Premier his justified legendary props. Shouts to whoever it was from M.O.P.'s entourage that brought his pitbull to the show. You can take these fools out the 'hood but you can't take the 'hood out these fools.

You know the moment we are all waiting for was the entrance of SlaughterHouse. This is the buzz in rap right now. Everyone has heard the tracks but how they perform as a group is the one thing I thought that needed to improve upon since I first saw them together in February for Joe Budden's release party.

SlaughterHouse was exciting and they were nimble on stage. They weren't stepping on each other's toes this time. Each member let their brother get time to shine.

SlaughterHouse is biggtime now. They even have the requisite rap music rockerchick to sing the hook for their smash single 'The One'.

There was a minor scuffle during the SlaughterHouse Wu-Tang reconciliation moment. I didn't get to catch any of that since I didn't have any access to the backstage areas. I'm sure those pics and video will be somewhere on the internets. The bonus for me was seeing the famous Tahiry in person. She is a beautiful chick, but as rap wives go CoCo > Tahiry for the simple fact that Ice-T strips her naked at Body Count shows. If Budden starts doing that to Tahiry I may have to change my opinion.

"You mad that your ass ain't famous? Too bad that your ass ain't famous" - Nickel Nine

All in all the Rock The Bells concert was the best show you will see this summer. The NaS Damien Marley set was where the final exclamation point was delivered to the crowd. 'One Love' is the flag that Hip-Hop needs to fly. Shouts to Dre from Nah'Right, MikeWaxx from illRoots, Homeboy Sandman, Joe Scudda, Statik Selektah, Double-O, DJ Premier, Billy Danze, Lil' Fame, Joe Budden, Royce da 5'9", Crooked I, Joell Ortiz and my homegirl @sooeypooey. Hit her up on the Twitter if you ain't an asshole.