Headed out deep into the 909 yesterday to check out the 6th Annual Paid Dues Festival, put together again by MURS and the folks at Guerilla Union. The festival has continued to grow since its beginning in ‘06, expanding from its independent hip-hop roots by bringing together artists with different styles from all over. There’s few things better than everyone coming together to enjoy the sunshine, thumping bass, and good vibes so I knew it was gonna be a good day.
Got there a little later than we had planned, so we unfortunately missed Casey Veggies and Dom Kennedy, among others (although Dom is performing in LA and the OC on back to back nights this week so I got over that pretty quickly). We made it in time to catch Black Hippy, the group consisting of Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and Schoolboy Q. The four had the crowd up, each performing some solo stuff before coming together as a group. Kendrick Lamar had a special buzz going after performing “Pussy and Patron” and “Michael Jordan.” Look for him to have a bigger spot in the show if he returns next year.
Asher Roth and Nottz, as Rawth, delivered my favorite performance of the night as it started getting dark. The thirty minute set was all you could’ve wanted from the two. Asher played some old and new and guided a quick tour through the game-changing work Nottz has accomplished, w/ DJ Recognize showing how a hip-hop DJ can get a crowd hyped in between songs.
The Grindtime Now stage had MCs battling and performing inside a UFC cage, the “hip-hoptagon.” The novelty was pretty cool at first but it was just in the way after a little while. Slaughterhouse headlined, showing up late but bringing the heat once they made their way to the stage. Unfortunately missed MURS due to set times being switched around, but caught him covering Rage Against the Machine’s “Bulls on Parade” at the end, which was dope. Natural entertainer, MURS has never disappointed with his live act. Immortal Technique killed his set, bringing his inspiring revolutionary message with him. One of the homies cracked some joke about “Che Technique.” Mos Def and Talib Kweli’s re-union as Black Star was the main headliner. I’m a big fan but as a headliner I think they could’ve played more of their popular shit, especially with all the anticipation. Mos Def’s red old school microphone was full of swag though. Sorry for the lack of media, my phone’s been dropped too many times to take clear pictures or videos with clear sound… working on getting that fixed.
Another solid Paid Dues, especially considering the ticket included the price of second-hand smoke. My only complaint (I can’t be the only one who thinks this) is the over-use of the hype man in so many acts. I’d rather hear the artist performing the track than have someone yelling random lines. It’s like when you don’t know all the lyrics to a song and you’re trying to sing along. Sounds so much better without it. Got some good shows comin’ up in the next month, check the Upcoming Events to see where you’ll find us!
+Jangbar
BONUS
Asher dropped the video for “Gotta Get Up” today, pretty interesting visuals… we’ve all been there.
