Take one part DJ, one part MC, a dash of graffiti and shake well with breakdance. What do you get? The essence of hip-hop. And no one cooks it up better than KRS-One.
KRS-One brought his Temple of Hip-Hop/Spiritual Minded Tour to a capacity crowd at the Middle East last Thursday. The tour couldn’t be labeled any better — not only did KRS-One bring with him his lyrical prowess, but some friends from the south Bronx too, including DJ Tiny Tim and the world famous breakdancing crew “The Freeze Team.”
From the minute the local opener, Insight, hit the stage, the show was non-stop energy. His set was combined with a 617 MC dream team of sorts, The Electric Company. After an hour of Boston’s finest underground, KRS-One rushed the stage. He immediately ripped into some classic material, asking the crowd to “clap your hands — everybody — if you got what it takes.”
Following his rendition of the anthemic “MCs Act Like They Don’t Know,” KRS broke into one of the many freestyles he sprinkled throughout the show.
Following his crowd-revving freestyle, KRS asked, “Where’s the hip-hop?” with the crowd responding “Over here!” — a thematic question that wouldprevail throughout the entire night.
KRS-One had no need for the typical directional antics most MCs employ. Instead of having to single out the left or right side of the crowd, KRS-One had the rapt attention of every audience member. He was constantly prodding the crowd with questions concerning their hip-hop vitality only to be answered by 600 shrill screams of adoration. The crowd hung on every word that flew out of KRS-One’s mouth.
As he began another of his endless classics, “South Bronx,” the crowd yelled the chorus — “South Bronx, the south, south Bronx” — in perfect timing with DJ Tiny Tim’s cuts. The energy level KRS-One and the crew had on stage is comparable only to the ecstasy fueled force of a rave.
Every person in the house was rocking and bopping to the hip-hop synergy that DJ Tiny Tim and KRS-One provided them with. Tim provided endless loops and scratches to chaperone the three song run of “Sound of da Police,” “Black Cop” and “Step into a World (Rapture’s Delight),” all accompanied by perfect delivery of the choruses by the crowd.
At this point, KRS-One had to take a break and the audience was treated to the amazing acrobatic break-dancing of the “World Famous Freeze Team.” Along with the visual delight,s the crowd got an auditory treat in the form of DJTiny Tim’s flawless beat juggling.
KRS-One returned to the stage revitalized yet subdued, whispering to the crowd, “Where’s the hip-hop?” only to be answered by another resounding cheer. He followed his query with a sermon in the form of freestyle, touching on the dangers of the World Trade Organization, the commercialization of mainstream rap and accountability for police, which probably explains why he’s nicknamed “The Teacher.” KRS-One followed his spontaneous lecture with another bass-punctuated run of “Hot,” “Get Your Self Up,” and the Boogie Down Productions classic, “9mm Goes Bang.”
After “9mm,” KRS-One invited any MC in the crowd to hit the stage and represent their skills. This is where the show got interesting. While most of the MC’s couldn’t rhyme, one MC, 14-year-old LT from Dorchester, really brought some heat. LT brought a tight flow combined with intelligent lyrics to cap an already great show with some amazing underground local talent.
However, LT was a ringer of sorts, as he has an album, Proof of Life, coming out on 1000 Gramz Entertainment.
When KRS-One performs, it is guaranteed to be a flawless rendition of classic material. The man just has too much hip-hop history in him to choke.
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