U Street Music Hall for the third time welcomed hip hop into its Temple of Boom on Wednesday evening as local standouts Diamond District and Tabi Bonney performed for a crowd that while waning showed support for the city’s most major national success stories of 2010.
U Street Music Hall is the most atypical hip hop venue in the city. By relation to Asylum, the home of local promoter and emcee Tyrone Norris’ “Cake and Kisses” event, or bottle service clubs like Ibiza, home to DJ Quicksilva’s vaunted Friday night hip hop glamfest, putting hip hop in the U Hall is like playing the Super Bowl in Madison Square Garden. Sure people will come, and certainly people will appreciate what they’re seeing, but the venue just isn’t the proper fit for the event. U Hall was made for dancing. The posing, posturing, Hennesey sipping and head nodding crowd really is a waste of the venue. Cmonwealth’s event with Hip Hop Dan and Harry Hotter, or DJ Dredd’s old school hip hop explosion may be a better look for hip hop at the U Hall, as the nature of JUST having a DJ lends itself better to the notion of dancing than the idea of a full fledged hip hop concert. However, as the venue figures out it’s place in the spectrum of housing all forms of music, I’m certain this will be addressed.
The night’s biggest winners were the Diamond District crew of XO, YU and Oddisee. Having just had a successful tour of Europe, the trio returned to the US for their first official show in Washington, DC. True to form for the District of Columbia, it was a 1993 backpacker special, the type of show that could’ve been headlined by Freestyle Fellowship or the Souls of Mischief. DC’s major issue is that insofar as moving into a hip hop era defined more by flash and production than by nuts and bolts emceeing, the city refuses to embrace the notion. A well marketed, poised and polished emcee is a pariah in this city, as the denizens of the hip hop community here err towards skills over style. XO, YU and especially overseas superstar Oddisee certainly have developing skills, as their performance, honed over the northern European countryside would attest. Performing tracks from In the Ruff was a massive success. The dusty, RZA esque productions sounded phenomenal on the deep U Hall soundsystem, and the crew is more than comfortable with the material on their 2009 giant splash of a release. However, in the freestyle portion of their set is where the crew lacks. XO and YU sounded out of breath and like the novice emcees that they are not, whether a case of nerves, lights or something else, it was not the best of displays for their talents. However, Oddisee, the most seasoned touring professional of the trio shone brightly, standing and delivering a freestyle that wowed the crowd and earned deserved plaudits.
Tabi Bonney, the golden child of DC hip hop was up next, and delivered a performance that was fine on the surface, but to this journalist showed an artist possibly needing a new push or challenge on the lyrical side to reach another level of excellence. I’ve seen Tabi perform four times in the last eight months. His set is on point and moves crowds everywhere. People that didn’t know Tabi Bonney from A bottle of Tab or the Easter Bunny have become instantaneous fans because of his very ingratiating, laid back and mainstream friendly style. However, maybe it’s my familiarity with the material or maybe something deeper, but it felt like “just another performance.” “The Pocket,” “Syce It” and “Rich Kids” are all hit singles. Fun, easy listening, hooky and accessible. For any other artist this wouldn’t be a problem. But for Bonney, easily the most acclaimed underground video director in hip hop, as well as a budding fashionista, the drive to excellence seems to be an expectation that not just we, but he shares, which led to a performance that didn’t work as a headlining, “tear the show down” set, but rather another appreciated performance from a very appreciated emcee.
The KIDS DJs played as well as could be expected between sets. Maybe not the best booking for the crowd at the event, KIDS is a dance happy college frat night of hip hop celebration, not the home of real heads looking for “real sounds.” KIDS for the most part celebrates the MTV Party To Go generation with forays into gangsta and backpacker excellence. Most of the heads present on Thursday night appreciate Puffy’s contributions as a man, but as an emcee would hang him in joking effigy. For the nature of what was expected, it was a job well done, but not necessarily the most congruous fit. No disrespect to Nacey, Steve Starks, Lil Elle or Jackie O, but I would’ve loved to see consideration given to the rest of Diamond District DJ Quartermaine’s “Low Budget” crew, namely someone like a DJ Roddy Rod to give the event an even more authentic feel and to liven up the vibe even more. Familiarity in this case could have brought a few more heads through the door as well.
U Street Music Hall is a wonderful venue for music that has depth, scope, color, verve, excitement, emotion and range. The hip hop artists booked, while excellent, perform music that is wonderful in that it is basic, appreciable, and trending towards excellent, but from a production level has no move towards grandiose displays of emotion. On a performance level, the show was on point. DC hip hop is in safe and developing hands learning how to have long, sustainable and successful careers. However, on a level of vibe, the ambiance was flat and uninspired. U Hall, as well as DC hip hop, are works in progress. This is a venue for big bass, slap you in the mouth party rap, top 40 leaning, big sounding production values with depth and range. This is not the most ideal place to see lyricists. This is not the ideal place for “real hip hop.” U Hall is about a party. Last night was not a party, but a concert. Two VERY different things. Washington, DC is a fantastic study of a musical wunderkind of a city that is presently a work in progress. When all is said and done, three stars and two bars will be on top. Life is won by the marathon, not the sprint.
elivindotorg 