The Definitive Jux label's "Revenge of the Robots" tour ended their American stint on Oct. 19 in New York. But us Baltimore folk got a taste of this intelligent, underground hip-hop on Oct. 17 at the Heritage Cinema House. El-P, Mr. Lif, RJD2, Cage and Copywrite, Fakts 1 -- they were all there kickin' out the jams for one of the best shows I've seen this year.
Def Jux is the up-and-coming hip-hop label started by Jaime Meline (a.k.a. El-Producto or El-P). After working with Company Flow on the Rawkus Records label, he decided to create his own family of envelope-pushing pioneers of hip-hop. The numerous eccentric artists on Def Jux rap about everything from politics and history to the condition of hip-hop today to tofu.
Before getting to the performers, a little about the venue. The Heritage Cinema House is located on North Ave. between Charles and St. Paul. It opened about 15 months ago as a venue to promote African American culture and heritage. Equipped with both a screening room for films and a large multipurpose room next door, the Heritage has had many interesting and diverse events over this past year. Past film screenings have included Oscar Micheaux's Body and Soul (with an introduction by Paul Robeson Jr.). Though this was the first concert held at the Heritage, the show went very smoothly.
DJ Fakts 1 started off the evening with some beats and spinning to warm up the crowd. And with little ventilation in the room, the crowd got warm very quickly. With a few one-liner catch phrases and clichZs, Fakts 1 communicated very little with the crowd; but everyone got into it.
Suddenly the mood was heightened as a balding white guy in a sweatshirt jumped on stage. You wouldn't recognize him without the suit, tie and all the blood, but it is RJD2. He immediately got into his set, laying down familiar beats from his new album, Dead Ringer. RJ is probably one of the best diggers out there (second only to DJ Shadow). He is not afraid the let the beat die for a moment and add in classic radio clips and other bits of dialogue. With a more upbeat and instrumental sound than your usual hip-hop, RJ's tunes could easily accompany any party scene. It is impossible not to start moving to the beat.
Then two more heads were on stage as Cage and Copywrite took the mics. With amazing stage presence and RJD2 on the beats, the concert had fully taken flight. While getting the crowd riled up with their quick rapping style, Cage and Copywrite didn't seem to have the overly ambitious political leanings as some other Def Jux members. More for comedic value than any other purpose, the duo ended their set with, "Everyone say, OFuck the sniper!'"
As the two got off stage, a slow dark figure approached. With a head of dreads that looked more like a hood than hair, Mr. Lif was front and center. With no breaks or pauses, the energy had not died down one bit. After only one tune the man himself, El-P, took the stage with Lif for some of the most obstinate and progressive hip-hop out there. Combining lo-fi O80s aesthetic with distortion and interesting beats, El-P makes his mark pursuing his own noncommercial leanings (check out the new album, Fantastic Damage).
At this point came the highlight of the show. Lif and just Lif. No beats, no screaming from the audience, just utter awe and silence as he rapped about Iraq, U.S. foreign policy and the big fool G. W. Bush. The crowd erupted in applause and support of his views.
Most concerts you go to, there is a similar trend throughout the bands as they each come on separately doing their own thing. But here was a whole label going out together. It was more like a family than a group of musicians. Everyone and anyone could be on stage at a given moment, and it just made it all the better. No one was there to take the lime light.
I'll end the article the way El-P ended the show. "Let's all have a little happy moment before we burn up in the apocalyptic flames of George Bush's ignorance." I'd have to say he has succeeded on all fronts. He made a fantastic label that spits in the face of corporate hip-hop and gave us one of the best shows of the year.
