The A-Team, DJ DrEZ & Buku One

You wouldn’t know it by looking at the flier, but The Brick Works was playing host to a rather dope hip-hop performance this past Wednesday. And as is usual with good shows at The Brick, there was a disappointing turnout, which baffles me when I think about the sold out attendance at last week’s hip-hop fashion show in the new BMU (I’m talking about the Pharcyde / Souls of Mischief show, dummy). I don’t understand how people can pay almost twice as much to see washed up groups who haven’t put out a good record in over five years, out on tour without the best members of the group with them. It’s just too bad to think that Chico will always be at the bottom of the evolutionary chart when it comes to its live music scene, especially in regard to hip-hop.
Bitch, complain, moan, gripe, get on with it. Okay, so the opening DJ did what opening DJs do, and that is play dope music to kill time until enough people show up so the opening act doesn’t feel like they’re playing to no one. So at about an hour past start time, because it became obvious the show was a dud, they got the show on the road.
The first MCs onstage were Chico’s own Becky Sagers. Known for pissing off backpacker, crooked-hat wearing idiots of all creeds, the Sagers ripped a ten minute set of blatant white-boy-ness that included a couple of futuristic Shek Love freestyles containing absolutely no words. Word.
Buku One was up next, and as much as I haven’t felt him in the past I must say his charisma and non-stop effort to win over the crowd has grown on me. He gets better with age. My only complaint is that he lets the highlight moments of his set be overshadowed by stealing popular beats from top 40 rappers. Shining original moments were his tributes to skateboarding, the videogame “Tony Hawk 2,” an entire verse spit in Spanish, and of course Buku’s crowd favorite (especially G-pek) the song only known to me as the “Cheese and Butter Song.” At the end A-Teamer, Abstract Rude — joined Buku onstage and the Transition to headliners was made.
Abstract Rude was then joined by Freestyle Fellowship standout, Aceyalone, drawing more of a crowd to the floor. The A-Team gave a solid performance, not like has-beens riding on the wagons of past success. Aceyalone, Abstract Rude and DJ Dr EZ showed what years of experience holding down the West Coast underground is all about, making the small crowd move and make noise sounding three times bigger. Performing classics like “Me and My Main,” “Rally Round the Home Team,” “Los Dangerous,” as well as Aceyalone favorites like “Grandfather Clock,” “Arithimaticula,” and “Accepted Ecclectic.” Sorry if you wasted your money the week before, but I’m sure you’ll make the same mistake again.

– Thug E. Fresh

Bookmark:

Comments down for maintenance.