Kanye breaks plenty of rules on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The album is composed of nine-minute rap epics that don’t adhere to traditional verse-chorus-verse guidelines. False endings give way to noodling instrumental outros. But perhaps the rule Kanye violates the most flagrantly is also the biggest recipe for disaster: Don’t sound like you are setting out to make the greatest album of all time. This is the most certain way to start ringing the “realness” alarm bells. Yet he somehow pulls it off, and he does it by backing up all the swagger and hype with an album that may actually be that good.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is hands-down the most ambitious mainstream rap album ever made. It also may be the best produced. Everything here sparkles and nothing is out of place. It probably wasn’t by design, but the very title of the album spits in the face of the goofy “real” concept. Album opener “Dark Fantasy” kicks off with a spoken word intro from Nicki Minaj, whose talking voice is almost as interesting as her rapping voice. As soon as her voice dies down it gives way to a maelstrom of strings, horns, synths and percussion that does not give way until the final moments of Gil Scott-Heron’s outraged rant on “Who Will Survive in America”.

“Runaway”, the album’s emotional center, debuted at this year’s VMA’s, where it served as a subtle retort to Taylor Swift’s condescending and much hyped “I-Forgive-Kanye” moment. Kanye is one of the great innovators of the sung-rap-song movement that has dominated urban radio the last few years, but here he takes it to new extremes. Built on a heartbreakingly lonely piano loop, the song finds Kanye bemoaning his personality flaws and features a tight verse from Clipse MC Pusha T. But what sets it apart is the false ending. Well past the five minute mark the music gives way, only to return with that same piano loop and Kanye West going bananas with his vocoder for about four minutes.

Just as ambitious is “All of the Lights”. Kanye turns the posse track formula on its head by bringing together (deep breath) Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Elton John, John Legend, The-Dream, Fergie, Kid Cudi, Ryan Leslie, Charlie Wilson, Tony Williams, and Elly Jackson over an epic horn-driven track, creating a “Where’s Waldo” for music nerds. But instead of devolving into a bloated mess or a cheesy celebrity sing-along, Kanye’s production turns it into an epic sing-along, more arena-rock than hip-hop.

But “All of the Lights” is just the tip of the guest artist iceberg. The album could be fairly credited to Kanye and Friends, with the star of the show finding the most flattering use for all of them. You’ve already heard it a thousand times, but it bears repeating that Nicki Minaj delivers the best verse of the year on “Monster”. A fuzzed-out Raekwon verse is one of the highlights of  “Gorgeous” and nobody can bellow the words “fucking ridiculous” in quite the same way as his Wu-Tang brother RZA on “So Appalled”.  John Legend’s soulful vocals and piano set a nice backdrop to Chris Rock’s jokes on “Blame Game”. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver lends his voice to both “Monster” and the frantic album closer “Lost in the World”.

West’s emotion is yet another factor that has set him apart from so many of his peers. In a genre obsessed with being hard and keeping your feelings inside, he has shown that it is ok to let them out once in a while and his example has been followed throughout the genre, most notably by Drake. Tracks such as “Blame Game” and “So Appalled” find an introspective Kanye  reflecting on the same subject matter that defined 808’s and Hearbreak: the trappings of fame and fortune and how they relate to his humanity.

It is almost incomprehensible how Kanye West is able to pull off such an ambitious project to such near-perfect results. Every point that seems set up for failure is another opportunity for Kanye to prove his mastery. The track order is flawless. The biggest hurdle West faces here is following up the emotionally draining “Runaway”, and once again he is up to the task with “Hell of a Life”, an upbeat head banger with an “Iron Man” inspired hook and a good helping of that Kanye wit.

With the staggering production it’s easy to forget that Kanye is also a pretty decent rapper. Perhaps the only thing that keeps him out of those redundant “greatest rapper” discussions is the fact that, well, he’s never been a great rapper. He has always possessed sharp wit and complex lyrical themes, but even his biggest fans are not going to argue that he has a flow that deserves to be mentioned in the same paragraph with guys like Jay-Z and Rakim. While Kanye seems to have honed his skills a bit since the release of Graduation – his last rap album – it’s unlikely that anything here is going to change anyone’s mind on that matter.  Still, a thorough listen reveals that Kanye’s wordplay is often deceptively complex, such as on a creative double name-drop of Leona Lewis and Kings of Leon on “Dark Fantasy”.

There is no question that this album is a game changer. It’s Kanye West’s greatest work and not only does it prove that his name deserves to be in any greatest-of-all-time discussions, but it changes the way we have these conversations. Do the greatest rappers need to possess the flow of Rakim or the fury of Chuck D? In just over 30 years hip-hop has progressed from street corners to stadiums and while it has lost much of the rawness and joy of its earliest incarnations, it has become a worldwide cultural force, creating jobs, changing lives, and projecting urban realities to millions of people. Kanye West’s music and persona may not always ring true of the original concept of hip-hop, but he is the exemplary model of what it has become and where it is headed.

I may not be the only person who actively celebrates Martin Luther King Day, but I am definitely the only one I know of. In fact, the only ones who seem to recognize it is a holiday at all are government institutions and the NBA. Barack Obama’s inauguration brought a little attention to the day last year, but this year there isn’t much to remind us. So I went ahead and composed a few thoughts.

Michael Eric Dyson is the de facto dean of hip hop intellectuals. He is also my personal favorite writer on Martin Luther King. Dyson, like myself, counts the leader among his heroes, and he has taken it on himself to rescue him from both his critics and his admirers. His work fights the common misconception that King’s dream has been fully realized in America. It is certainly true that we have come a long way and that particular elements of our society would make him proud, but there is definitely much work to be done.

Within the racial landscape of America, rap music has been a dominant but divisive force. Are rappers doing all they can to improve race relations or are they digging up dirt and using race as a crutch? How does hip hop culture reflect King’s dream of an equal society?

RAP AS REPORTING

Many rap fans divide artists into groups of good guys and bad guys. The good guys (Talib Kweli, Common, The Roots) are out to save hip hop and the world by rapping about all things positive. Meanwhile, the bad guys (Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy) are preoccupied with their personal wealth and are willing to maintain it at any cost, even through the glorification of the very things that plague poor communities. Such fans, commonly known as hip hop heads, are falling prey to the same literalist attitude that is displayed by most of the genre’s detractors.

As T.I. put it in “On Top of the World”, his feel good anthem off Paper Trail, “No way should reflection be mistaken for glorification.” If hip hop truly is the “Black CNN”, as Chuck D so famously put it, we cannot expect its top artists to simply sit back and talk about what life should be like. While blatantly conscious rap has its place, we must expect, and appreciate, a brand of hip hop designed to offend our sensibilities.

This does not mean that every gun-toting, streetwise rapper has the best intentions in mind. Many mainstream acts have mimicked the style of N.W.A. and Biggie Smalls without any of the biting social commentary present in the work of their role models. It would be fruitless to compose a list of rappers who “get it” and those who do not. Nor is it necessary. Even those who do not view rap as socially conscious protest music, who enter the art form for all the wrong reasons, are still reflecting their character, and by extension that of their community, through their music. There is something to be learned from even the emptiest rap lyrics.

RAP AS SOCIAL MOBILITY

Several months before the 2008 presidential election, Young Jeezy released a single called “My President”. While it was a song of celebration, rejoicing at the thought (and soon to be reality) of a Black president, it evoked controversy thanks to Jeezy’s linking of the historical moment with his personal wealth. The importance of Barack Obama’s skin color was equated with the decidedly less meaningful color of the rapper’s Lamborghini. What the critics missed was that Jeezy was simply reveling in the glories of his meteoric rise from abject poverty to seemingly countless wealth. With this in mind, it does not seem like such a large leap to link his personal success with that of a presidential candidate whose skin color would have had him drinking at segregated water fountains just a few decades earlier.

The flaunting and wasteful uses of wealth are by no means desirable character traits, but they are typical of people from any walk of life whose financial situation makes the type of dramatic turnaround most successful rappers see. This is just another way in which the naked humanity of hip hop artists is on display for the world to see. While we should not condone their wasteful and destructive behavior, we should love and learn from the humanity we see in them.

By far, the rapper who has exemplified the genre’s transformative power the greatest is Jay-Z. Like Young Jeezy, Jay-Z used his talents as a rapper to catapult himself from the gutter to national stardom.  But unlike most dime-a-dozen stars, Jay has managed his money and fame responsibly, turning his riches into cultural sway and funneling money back into the community. Unlike many others, he has achieved the ability to hob-knob with the elites while remaining true to the world from which he came. By doing so he has set a blueprint for youth who are able to escape poverty, either by rapping or by other means.

RAP AS EQUALIZER

Much to the chagrin of General Larry Pratt, there was a brief moment in the mid-90s when seemingly everyone in my high school, regardless of race, was wearing their pants on the ground. We could go into great depth about the ethics of the widespread adoption of prison fashion, but that is not important to this conversation.  What is important is that society at large has come to take its cues from hip hop culture.   This trend goes far beyond suburban kids imitating hood fashion. Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Andre 3000 are just a few of the names that have helped revolutionize fashion over the past several years. Meanwhile, hip hop music, language, and style is used to market everything from Big Macs to basketball tickets.

It’s no secret that our younger generations have a more open-minded and tolerant attitude across racial boundaries. This is due to a number of factors, of which hip hop ranks fairly low, but it would be naïve to suggest that the admiration and curiosity of the culture that the music has instilled plays no part.

CONCLUSION

While celebrating how far America has come we should not lose sight of how far we have left to go. The greatest way for us to honor Dr. King’s memory is to continue to wage war on the poverty and inequality he fought. While doing so it may be helpful to give more thoughtful consideration to the artists who draw our attention to it.

Rap albums are more or less the same now as they have always been. The only difference is that rappers now try and convince the public that they are different. According to rappers, their albums have concepts.  Jay-Z’s American Gangster was an entire record inspired by the movie. Lupe Fiasco’s albums are supposedly following the storyline of some kids but none of this is going to make any sense till the inevitable comic book is released. To an extent all of this makes sense. Who doesn’t love a great concept album? On the other hand, the only reason we know that these are concept albums is because the artist always tells us that they are. But beyond these pseudo-concept albums lie a bunch of regular old records that rappers insist follow some particular theme. And that’s where 50 Cent (finally) comes in.

The back-story on 50 Cent’s fourth studio album, Before I Self Destruct, is predictably ridiculous. It was originally scheduled to be released in 2007. But then it wasn’t because instead of releasing the album, 50 decided to, umm, release a different album. This only makes sense within rap’s world of fake concept albums. Self Destruct was meant to be 50′s return to hardcore sorta-gangsta rap. He wasn’t ready to do that yet so he instead released whatever the hell Curtis was supposed to be. Then he went around saying a bunch of weird things about the way Self Destruct was going to be easily the best thing around at the particular time it would be released.

So now 50 has put out Before I Self Destruct, an album thematically geared toward the streets, with the artist returning to his roots to prove himself to be the realest rapper out. I’m not sure there is a word in the English language to accurately portray this particular brand of stupid. I’m not saying that a rapper needs to be personally running the streets to present an accurate and gripping gangsta narrative. But when you make it part of your persona that you are “real” and all these other rappers are “fake” you should probably try and stick with the realness thing a little more and rap about your shark tank mini-bar or some shit like that.

Self Destruct 50 is more interested in killing you than having sex with you. That said, he wants to have sex with you too, as evidenced by a handful of tracks on the back half of the album, most notably the notorious first single, “Baby by Me”. The front half of the album is packed with bangers that don’t offer a whole lot intellectually but will probably sound okay if you have a good stereo system in your car. You know… typical 50.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Before I Self Destruct is that once you get past all the goofiness that has come to define 50 Cent (and post-gangsta rap as a whole) it’s actually one of the most purely enjoyable albums of the year (and yes, I realize that is not saying a whole lot this year.) This isn’t all that surprising as 50 Cent is a big enough name to get great beats from some of the best around. Dr. Dre lends three beats (which apparently weren’t good enough for the mythical Detox), including “Death to My Enemies”, one of those generic beef tracks (is he dissing Lil Wayne or just everyone who isn’t “real”?). The concept is ludicrous but the song is actually pretty good.

Then there is “Gangsta’s Delight”, 50′s hardcore answer to rap’s first commercial hit. The song is impossible to take seriously, and since laughing off everything the man does is the best way to enjoy 50 Cent I find it nearly impossible to actively dislike it.

Before I Self Destruct fulfils 50′s contract with Interscope. It remains unclear where he will go next. It seems doubtful that this will really be the end of his musical career, but if it is Self Destruct is a resounding “MEH” of a swan song, putting it about on par with the rest of 50′s post-Get Rich Or Die Tryin‘ career. That’s okay…there will always be a place for his brand of offensive hip hop that doesn’t really offend anyone.

Buy:
Before I Self Destruct

Jay-Z’s celebrity has completely eclipsed his personality. It has become nearly impossible to see Sean Carter the person without first seeing him as Jay-Z the rapper. But unlike other iconic figures –- Bono, Elvis, Paul McCartney –- Jay has always worn his heart on his sleeve, so there may not actually be that big a difference between the rapper and the person. He’s sold crack and a billion records, hobnobbed with world leaders, and married Beyonce. The most logical career move at any point from now on is for Jay to do…. whatever the hell he feels like. The only given is that he will tell us all about it.

Let’s be honest. Jay-Z is in uncharted territory with The Blueprint 3. Never before has a rapper reached middle age with his game intact. It may not be a cutting edge album musically, but it is significant in that he is setting the precedent for aging rap stars who can still sell out arenas. If The Blueprint was the formula for raising one’s social status through the music industry, The Blueprint 3 is the model for aging gracefully once stardom has been obtained.

Make no mistake; The Blueprint 3 is a soft album. Die-hard fans don’t like hearing this, but that’s only because they have been so programmed to believe that “soft” is synonymous with “lousy.” The 39-year-old Jigga is not all that concerned with guns and crack. He is preoccupied with what the majority of us consider everyday issues, albeit from the perspective of enormous wealth and fame: civic pride on “Empire State of Mind”, the differences between men and women on “Venus vs. Mars”, cherishing every moment on “Young Forever”. Unfortunately, Jay-Z still seems to be suffering from that on-again off-again passion thing, sounding always adequate but rarely convincing.

It is almost as if Jay-Z was pre-destined to be the biggest rapper of all time. His seminal debut, Reasonable Doubt, is still renowned for its gritty depiction of street life. It deserves every bit of credit it has been given, but the truth is it is about as sleek a debut as anyone has ever released. Just ten minutes into the album we’ve already heard Jay play off a soulful Mary J. Blige hook and hang bar-for-bar with one of the biggest rappers in the game, The Notorious B.I.G.  No doubt Jay-Z’s star shone bright before it had even risen.

The artist on Reasonable Doubt was young and hungry and ready to take on the world. The Jay-Z we hear on The Blueprint 3 is middle-aged, well fed, but still looking for new ways to take on the world. On “What We Talkin’ About”, the album’s intro, he claims, “I don’t run rap no more / I run the map.” He goes on to chastise critics and fans that pine for a return to the street-hardened lyrics of his youth, asking why he would want to revisit the trauma of that lifestyle when he is doing so well without it. From the very beginning it is plain to see how much Jay-Z has matured within the rap game.

Musically, Jay continues to exert his authority over the rap scene, attacking rappers who use voice modulation as a crutch on the summer single, “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune”, a song that’s most enjoyable moment comes when producer Kanye West is heard yelling, “You went too far!”

Hip hop heads are quick to tell you that Reasonable Doubt is Jay-Z’s greatest work. They are quite possibly right, but it is not his crowning moment. The first five years of Jay’s recording career saw his star rise as single after single dominated the radio. September 11, 2001 saw the release of The Blueprint. It was Jay-Z’s culminating achievement; a message to the world that not only was he in a different class from the DMX’s and Ja Rules of the world, he was going to tell you exactly how and why.

Part of what set The Blueprint apart from previous Jay-Z records is its lack of guests. Aside from a jaw-dropping performance from Eminem, the star of the show raps every verse of every song. This was Jay’s declaration of independence, his proof that he was the best rap had to offer. If nobody is better than you, shouldn’t you be able to put out a masterpiece on your own?

With his ability to hold down a hit record single-handedly no longer in doubt, Jay was quick to return to bringing his friends along. The Blueprint 2 is riddled with guest artists ranging from uninspiring to phenomenal. The same can be said about The Blueprint 3. Rihanna’s sing-along “hey hey” livens up the hit single “Run This Town”. Kanye guests on two tracks and produces a bunch. He fares better than Young Jeezy, who trades a few boring verses with Jay on “Real As It Gets”, a song dominated by Jigga’s claim to be “the rap equivalent of Braille”, whatever the hell that means. Elsewhere he gives up-and-comers J. Cole, Kid Cudi and Drake a chance to shine with varying results.

Thanks in part to geography and iconography, but mostly to sheer chance, Jay-Z will forever be linked to the 9-11 terrorist attacks.  His coronation as the world’s greatest rapper just happened to sync up with the falling of the towers, and the New York connection tied it all together in a poetic bundle.

Just as every New Yorker, Jay-Z was profoundly affected by the events of 9-11, and not surprisingly it often comes out in his art.  The most notable example on The Blueprint 3 is found on “Thank You” when he uses the metaphor of the attack on The World Trade Center to describe the vanquish of his rap foes.  The illustration is crass, but creative, and a good example of how ingrained that day has become in the consciousness of America.

But it’s “Empire State of Mind” that will grab the headlines.  Jay’s duet with Alicia Keys honors the cultural elements of his hometown.  It’s part of a new wave of geographically biased rap songs that celebrate more than just hardness of a town; more “Homecoming” than “Straight Outta Compton”. Still, for all the song’s positivity, Jay can’t avoid a bit of a downer of a final verse leaving it on a bittersweet note.

It’s become a cliché to say that Jay-Z’s boasts aren’t as much pompous as they are simple statements of fact. Still, it bears repeating because it is so remarkably true. If rap’s strength is found in its reflection of reality, Jay reflects his personal reality about as accurately as he can. Just as Reasonable Doubt earned such high praise for the realism of the hustler life, so The Blueprint deserves credit for its depiction of what Jay-Z had become.  In his own words, “I do this for my culture / To let’em know what a nigga looks like when a nigga’s in a roaster.” Never has an album seemingly about so little been about so much.

Jay-Z has not lost any of the self-confidence and swagger that has marked his career. But at this stage of his career it is hard to imagine anyone being terribly offended by his cockiness. In contrast to his much-maligned protégé Kanye West, there is an air of sophistication that seems to go along with Jay’s boasts.

So now we need to talk about what may sound on the surface like Jay-Z’s most absurd boast to date. Right off the bat he lets us know that he considers himself a “small part of the reason the president’s black.” But is this really such a crazy claim? Obviously Barack Obama won the election convincingly enough that he would have taken it with or without Jay’s help, but it’s hard to argue that the rapper’s respected status doesn’t carry any political weight.

The biggest mistake critics and fans make regarding Jay-Z is to judge him based strictly on his music. To do so ignores the artist’s incredible impact on pop culture, his importance to the genre of hip hop, and his ability to positively impact his community through the name he has made for himself. No, Jay-Z’s endorsement did not directly lead to Obama’s election, but the success of both men is evidence of positive racial change in America. At the very least, the relationship between Jay’s black president and his blue diamonds is a little more tangible than it would appear to the naked eye.

When the curtain finally went up at the House of Blues any question of “why” dissipated as Jay-Z took the stage and tore through an hour’s worth of hits. On top of everything else, he is an excellent live performer and the energy he brings is proof of the real reason he is still doing this. Jay-Z still loves rap and we love him. His new album may not be his best, but it is another window into the fascinating life of rap’s greatest of all time.

The idea, as best as I can tell, is that just as Hennessy mixes well with other drinks, so too can artists from a wide variety of genres (but mostly hip hop) come together to create beautiful music. It’s a pretty dopey sales pitch, but one that makes for an entertaining event. So who better to curate a diverse lineup of rap-related talent than The Roots?  ?uestlove’s crew seems to have a personal relationship with just about everyone in the music industry. At The Shrine they were teamed up with hometown hero Common and a couple lesser known acts, Elevator Fight and Colin Munroe.

The big question, of course, was whether or not The Roots would find room on The Shrine’s small stage for that Sousaphone. The answer was a very welcome, “YES!”  There was also room for the full band, DJ Dummy (Common’s tour DJ), a female backup singer, and some dude in a suit. The Roots opened with “How I Got Over”, the lead single from their upcoming album, before going into that thing where they just sort of screw around on stage for several minutes. This is sometimes fun at a typical 2-3 hour Roots show, but when they are only allotted 20 minutes to play their own songs it would be sort of nice if they would play their own songs.

While The Roots are generally considered one of the best live hip hop acts around, when Common ran out on stage it was clear that most of those in attendance were there primarily for the local guy.  Common opened with “The People”, before whipping the crowd into a frenzied sing-along on “The Light”.  Unfortunately, the energy generated by the first couple songs did not last long as Common faded into a medley of slow jams that included “Come Close” and a tease of “Love Is…”

By far the most talked about aspect of the show was the promise of “special guests.” This, of course, produced all the usual rumors about Kanye West and the like. But all exaggerated predictions aside, nobody could have foreseen the underwhelming moment when Black Thought introduced Chicago’s own Jeremih. The “Birthday Sex” singer came out, performed his two singles, and commented on how long it has been since he got to come to Chicago (an odd thing to say considering I personally watched him perform here two weeks ago.) But then came the redeeming moment when Heavy D took the stage. He sounded fresh and energetic — at least more so than Common did for most of the night — performing three of his classics: “Overweight Lovers”, “Nuttin’ But Love”, and “Now That We’ve Found Love.” He received an enthusiastic response, even when he dipped into his new reggae album for a couple tracks.

Concert attendees were also introduced to a couple new names on Saturday night. Elevator Fight, a Philadelphia band fronted by Zoe Kravitz, the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, opened the show with an upbeat 20-minute set. Canadian singer/songwriter Colin Munroe later appeared and performed two songs with the Roots as his backing band.

It was an up and down evening — more a musical variety show than a concert — but the end result was a satisfying mix of styles, which I suppose is what Hennessy had in mind. The last segment of the evening was by far the most enjoyable.  After a performance of “Universal Mind Control” (which is still just as silly as when it was released), Common and The Roots broke into a closing trifecta of “I Used to Lover H.E.R.”, “Act Too…Love of My Life”, and “The Next Movement”.  It was an excellent demonstration of hip hop collaboration at its best.

McFest is the brainchild of Lauren McClusky, the 19-year-old daughter of music industry executive, Jeff McClusky. The younger McClusky is following in her father’s footsteps, handling the organization of McFest for the third consecutive year. She is also following her family’s passion for the Special Olympics, the event’s benefactor. This year’s event included the usual cavalcade of high school and college bands, along with the headliners, established DJ duo Flosstradamus.

There are those within the ivory tower of disability studies (shout out to my former grad school professors) who vehemently disapprove of the Special Olympics. While they make a nice philosophical case and provoke a lively discussion, I choose to take my cue directly from the children I work with. Yes, the program has its flaws, but it also provides a social outlet for individuals who are often desperately in need of one. The joy of the participants is more important to me than the ruffled feathers of a few university professors.

It’s hard to judge exactly how many people passed through the Metro’s front door Sunday night. At no time was the venue anywhere approaching crowded. But the sparse crowd may not be indicative of the true numbers as a good percentage of the audience showed up for one band, usually to support friends or family. Perhaps the largest surprise was that the crowd for the headliners was composed mostly of kids who were there to watch, or play in, other bands. Flosstradamus did not appear to have brought out a large number of their own fans.

As usual, Flosstradamus put on a predictable, but thoroughly enjoyable set. The atmosphere felt far less like a club than it did a slightly out of control high school dance, but it was nice seeing the kids blow off a little steam. The DJs kept making reference to how crazy Chicago is, showing up and partying like this on a Sunday night, seemingly oblivious to the fact that this was of little consequence to the still vacationing school kids.

But while Flosstradamus was the most enjoyable set to me personally, this night was really about the up-and-coming (or, more likely, peaking) young musicians. Par Avion, a three-piece dance rock outfit opened the show for a couple dozen fans. The group covered Britney Spears and Daft Punk, alongside a track that “you may have heard on Q101.” Hip hop trio Team One split a set with rockers Fishing With Spoons. But the night’s most promising act was probably Breakers Broken, an electronic-influenced rock band with an enthralling live show.

Aside from Flosstradamus, the night’s most notable act was Powerspace. Signed to Fueled by Ramen, home of bands like Panic! At the Disco and Fall Out Boy, I was all prepared to dislike the band whose name combines some of the more abrasive elements of today’s culture. But as it turned out, the band was infectious and hard to dislike (which, when we’re being honest, is how most of us feel about Fall Out Boy).  And that’s a pretty good theme for the evening. On paper it sounds awful. Four and a half hours alone on a Sunday night, on the eve of one of the most important weeks of my professional career, listening to bands I’ve never heard of wasn’t exactly appealing. But in the end, it’s hard not to smile about the money that was raised and the kids who got their chance on a big stage.

As I pointed out in last week’s review, Mos Def has a knack for broadening the horizons of the often insulated hip-hop world, be it through exploring the rock ‘n’ roll roots of the movement, as he did on his first album, or through showcasing the globalization that is about to take the genre by storm, as he did on The Ecstatic. Last week’s commenter proves that Mos can be equally effective at the reverse, introducing hip-hop to a general populace that is often unresponsive to an art form it sees as immoral or crass. He points out that there is more to this genre than a quick scan of Top 40 radio would lead a listener to believe.

The show Mos Def put on at Chicago’s House of Blues on Sunday night almost felt more like a hip-hop history lesson than a concert. While most rap songs are built on samples and elements of a variety of musical genres, Mos took the concept to the next level, letting the original soul and R&B tracks ride out while he sang along or just danced around the stage. At one point he fiddled around with Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” (one of several MJ songs that played over the course of the evening) for what seemed like twenty minutes, transitioning from the line, “She’s just a girl who claims that I am the one”, into “U R the One”, his own high school-poetry sounding track from 2006′s dismal career misstep, Tru3 Magic, before meandering back into “Billie Jean”.

This tour is being billed as The Ecstatic tour, and, true to its name, Mos performed the majority of the album. The songs, challenging as they may be at times, translated well to the live environment. The notably easy-going audience responded positively, even though Mos shied away from most of the older stuff.  Still, he found the time to touch on a couple Black Star songs, “Definition” (see below) and “Respiration”, rapping Talib Kweli’s lines along with his own.

But while the set was intriguing and showcased the artist’s respect for the history of the culture, it also suffered from some very questionable flaws. Mos’ jukebox routine brought to mind another legendary live act, The Roots. But where the latter put on full band jam sessions, Mos elected to simply go with two DJ’s. This is certainly an acceptable format, and is indeed the basis of the genre, but when the artist on stage only works a few of his own songs into the second half of his nearly two hour set — a marathon by rap standards — the audience starts to wonder who exactly they paid to see perform. After what could best be described as an aimless wandering through his diverse record collection — which I feel obligated to report included John Denver’s “Leaving On A Jet Plane” — he kicked it up a notch with fan favorite “Umi Says” off his excellent debut, Black On Both Sides. Unfortunately, this would turn out to be the only time he ventured into that album.  After rambling around for a few more minutes he left without playing staples like “Hip Hop” and “Ms. Fat Booty”.

While his performance was anything but a typical hip-hop show, in an odd sort of way it was one of the more traditional shows I’ve ever seen. Mos Def’s performance recalled a day when the show was about the DJ and the emcee served primarily as a hype man. But what would be fitting in a city park or on a street corner, or even in a modern day club, falls apart a little bit at an expensive concert where the artist holding the microphone, at least judging by what it says on my ticket stub, is the main event. Still, the sold out crowd at the House of Blues didn’t seem to mind, eating up the routine and setting the floor on fire. So who am I to judge?

New Orleans rapper/producer Jay Electronica opened. He talked nearly as much as he rapped, which was okay because he had some of the more entertaining stage banter I’ve heard this summer, from referring to North Siders as suburbanites to the ludicrous claim (that he’ll never have to back up) that he would take Jay-Z and Lil Wayne in a rap battle. I’m starting to see what Erykah Badu sees in the charismatic rapper.

All in all it was an interesting evening. Mos was equal parts enchanting, weird and funny. He was at times brilliant, more often irritating. He carried himself with the swagger of a rapper, the soul of a musician, and the eccentricity of an actor. It was a strange show, but in the end it was not an unpleasant one. If nothing else, rap could use more artists willing to break the mold of a typical rap concert.

Mos Def – “What It Is” (Live @ the House of Blues)

This bit of Mos Def stage banter was my favorite moment of a show I saw a couple years ago. In retrospect, it is quite possible that he actually called us “live”, but I choose to believe I got the quote right. The idea of celebrating the act of being alive seems so in line with the vibe of a classic hip-hop show, and Mos Def embodies the joy of the genre as well as anyone.

For a while there it appeared Mos was done with hip-hop forever. His last album, Tru3 Magic, was a complete flop.  It wasn’t just that the music was bad (though it certainly was). Everything about the album gave the impression of an artist who could not care less about his music career, from the lazy beats and rhymes to the complete lack of any form of album art.

But The Ecstatic is artistic, in a time when the genre needs it more than ever. I generally try and distance myself from the fatalism of the “hip-hop is dead” camp, opting for a much sunnier “hip-hop is different” stance. But the first half of 2009 has been undeniably brutal. Lil Wayne has been fiddling with a guitar, Kanye has been fiddling with his blog, T.I. is in jail and the underground is far too busy flooding the Internet with mixtapes to put together a proper LP. It is into this scene that Mos decided to reemerge as strong as ever.

Mos Def may be modern rap’s most loyal disciple of classic hip-hop. Here, four albums into his solo career, he is still channeling the street corners through the hand claps and “up-jump-the-boogie” chants of “Quiet Dog” and other tracks. Songs like album opener “Supermagic” prove that an artist can be socially conscious without blatantly political — or even sensical — lyrics. Simply conjuring up memories of a generation of Black and Hispanic youth spitting “Peace and Love and Unity and Having Fun!” in the face of one of America’s ugliest ghettos is a more powerful political statement than anything on that Street Sweeper Social Club record.

Nowhere is Mos Def’s reverence for the past clearer than on “History”, his reunion with fellow Black Star emcee Talib Kweli. Mos the album’s one Dilla beat for the occasion. Kweli’s verse is as good as anything we have heard from him in years and both rappers sound strong enough to have any fan praying that this Black Star 2 thing really happens.

But while Mos may be a poster child for hip-hop fans who spend too much time in the past, his true strength is in always finding a way to call attention to genre trends that should be glaringly obvious, yet somehow remain buried under all the “real hip hop” backslapping. On his solo debut Mos explored the Black roots of rock ‘n’ roll and its link to hip-hop on the aptly titled “Rock n Roll”, before expanding the formula into an entire album on The New Danger. Hip-hop has responded loud and clear, often to embarrassing results, as groups like Gym Class Heroes and N.E.R.D. have shot up the charts. The movement will reach its logical conclusion later this year with Lil Wayne’s long-awaited rock album. Now it is time for Mos Def to shine the spotlight on where rap will be headed in the next decade.

And where rap is headed is around the world. This is not a new phenomenon, but the advent of the Internet has brought international artists like K’Naan and M.I.A. into the public consciousness. Still, though they are respected, few in the hip-hop community seem to recognize them as hip-hop artists. K’Naan stuck out like a very enjoyable sore thumb on this summer’s Rock the Bells tour and the idea of M.I.A. sharing a stage with the likes of Talib Kweli and Pharoahe Monch still seems a bit awkward. Mos Def has proven himself to be a worthy liaison between the rigid world of underground rap and popular culture at large, and once again he is up to the challenge.

The international flavor of The Ecstatic is rooted in the beats. The result is one of the most instrumentally adventuresome albums the genre has seen in quite some time. Madlib produced four of the tracks, including an early one-two punch from his Beat Konducta in India album with “Auditorium” and “Wahid”. These flow nicely into the gradually building horns of Preservation’s “Priority”, before heading back to the BK on “Quiet Dog”.  And so it goes as Mos trots effortlessly around the globe, going so far as to rap an entire track in Spanish on “No Hay Nada Mas”. The aforementioned “Auditorium” even features Slick Rick — hip-hop’s original international superstar — in the album’s most noteworthy guest spot.

The Ecstatic opens with a Malcolm X quote: “I for one will join in with anyone, I don’t care what color you are, as long as you want to change this miserable condition that exists on this Earth.” Aside from being a fitting intro to a political album encompassing global beats and viewpoints, this quote juxtaposes well with the album’s heaviest hitting track, “Life in Marvelous Times”. The song is as good an anthem as any for a seemingly paradoxical age that routinely sees events such as a Black man being elected president of a nation wallowing in racial inequality. Mos sums up the these roller coaster times well:

We are alive in amazing times

Delicate hearts, diabolical minds

Revelations, hatred, love and war.

And more and more and more and more

And more of less than ever before

It’s just too much more for your mind to absorb

It’s scary like hell, but there’s no doubt

We can’t be alive in no time but now.

You can be concerned about the ecological and economic crises we face. You can be optimistic about the world’s increasing tolerance. But whatever you do, don’t blink — you don’t want to miss the ride. Congratulations…you’re alive!

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Rock the Bells evokes mixed feelings among many hip hop fans. On the one hand, the festival is notorious for delays, cancellations and shortened set times. On the other hand, you simply aren’t going to find this many great rap acts on one stage anywhere else. I attended the second show of the tour at the DTE Energy Music Theatre in the north suburbs of Detroit on Sunday. While I usually refrain from writing concert reviews in a chronological style, I feel this is the best way to capture the scope of this festival:

Pre-Show:
Concertgoers at the DTE Energy Theater were greeted at the entrance with signs announcing Busta Rhymes, scheduled to be one of the events headliners, had canceled his performance for the day. To the credit of the organizers and the venue, refunds were offered at the door, but it was still an ominous start to the day. As it turns out, Busta skipped the show to attend the BET Awards. This is a legitimate enough excuse, but one that seems could have been handled a little more in advance. At the very least it would have been nice if GU could have pulled Raekwon, GZA, or someone else off the Chicago lineup to take his place. As it was, they just started the show a little late.

The Knux:
I wasn’t a big fan of The Knux‘s instrument-driven, misogynistic debut, but it seemed logical that their music would translate well to the stage. But for whatever reason The Knux opted to play with just a DJ. The lack of a live band was a glaring omission at a festival that has seen live instrumentation added to a lot of acts who didn’t really need it (Wu-Tang comes to mind) over the years. Still, the New Orleans MC’s did a decent job holding down the stage, no small task for an early-day set in front of a nearly empty amphitheater.

K’Naan:
According to the listed set times (the updated listed set times at that), Chali 2na was to take the stage next.  Instead, K’Naan strode out to the opening chords of “In the Beginning”. The Somalian-born rapper continued to stroke his surprisingly large ego, claiming his music to be “the freshest sound you’ll hear all day.” And in a sense he was right. The Rock the Bell lineup is perpetually full of artists who were making great music last decade, or at the very least have a style that sounds like they should have been making great music last decade. K’Naan stands in opposition to this, representing hip hop’s transformation into a global genre. And the fans, most of whom did not appear to be familiar with his music, responded enthusiastically to his politically-charged lyrics, joining in the sing-along on set closer “Waving Flag”.

Slum Village:
Slum Village may have been an opening act, but the hometown fan base was clearly represented in Detroit. A large group of fans (relatively speaking) filled up the front and center of the venue, waving their hands and rapping along with the legendary J Dilla’s one-time group.

Slaughterhouse:

These guys are straight up rappers. In my Rock the Bells preview I called them the best MC collective since Wu-Tang Clan. After seeing them perform I stand by my claim, though their lyrical prowess did not exactly translate that well to a large stage, especially a large stage in a nearly empty venue. Perhaps they knew this and it explains why they spent probably ten minutes in an a cappella cipher. Or maybe ciphers are just their thing considering, you know, they are so damn good at it.  Regardless, it was easily the best part of their set. Slaughterhouse also gets bonus points for some of the most entertaining artist banter of the day, dropping gems like, “Give it up for Royce da 5’9″…holding it down for Detroit…if [he] ever grew an inch he’d be fucked,” and “Everyone put a peace sign in the air for Michael…I’m going to put a middle finger in the air for that lying little kid.”

Tech N9ne:

Here is a fun fact. Last year, Kansas City rapper Tech N9ne was the third highest grossing touring artist in hip hop, trailing only Jay-Z and Kanye West. I know, right? It’s not all that surprising when you consider his legions of fans. I can’t lie. I own none of the guy’s music and I don’t really see that changing anytime soon. But he put on a pretty entertaining set and he wore face paint and it turns out those are the two things I look for when I don’t know any of the songs. Also, I saw him a couple hours later in the deserted food area just having a bite to eat with a few people…and he was in full makeup!

Reflection Eternal:

Reunited with Hi-Tek, Talib Kweli put on a set that was a whole lot like the sets he puts on without Hi-Tek.  He was perhaps the first artist of the day to come across unmotivated, forgivable given the small crowd.  The set was obviously high on music from the duo’s aged debut album, including “Move Something” and “Too Late” among others. They also touched on new music from their upcoming second album. But like usual, the best crowd reaction was saved for “Definition”, “Get’em High”, and “Get By”. Still, even the latter, usually one of the best live hip hop songs, came across a bit flat, as Kweli half-heartedly sleepwalked through the whole false start routine.

The Roots:

Perhaps it is just me, but it seems that the Roots hour-long set was shockingly low on covers. Maybe with the late night gig and the decline in tour dates they are just welcoming the opportunity to perform songs they wrote themselves. And I have to say, as much fun as their trademark jam sessions are, it was really nice to hear them delve into their back catalog to play songs like “Respond/React” and “Proceed” along with live staples like “Star” and “The Seed”.

Big Boi:
The nice thing about rappers is that, for the most part, they know what the crowd wants to hear. Big Boi spent very little time previewing material from his upcoming Sir Luscious Leftfoot, electing instead to please the audience with just about every single OutKast ever recorded (aside from the strangely absent “B.O.B.”)  He even dug a little deeper on “Da Art of Storytellin’ (Part 1)”.  Still, as much fun it was to hear these songs live, the performance just increased desires to see an OutKast tour, or at least that new album Big Boi kept promising throughout the show.

Nas & Damian Marley:
I am continually amazed by Nas‘s stage presence. He seems to get better every time I see him, bringing a level of intensity and emotion that is nearly unmatched in the genre. The last three times I saw him he performed solo, with no hype man or band. It was just DJ Green Lantern, Nas and one mic. Queensbridge’s finest was able to hold down an empty stage better than anyone I have ever seen. But on Sunday he had a full band, along with what could be called the greatest hype man of all time in Damian Marley.

Nas went on first, bursting onto stage as the band played the opening notes of “Hip Hop is Dead”. He proceeded through his typical Illmatic medley, finally bringing Damian Marley (and that flag waving guy…I wonder if it is the same guy every time) onto the stage after four songs. Nas continued through his hits with Marley helping him out and lending his own flavor to the songs.  There were too many great moments to name. Nas’ “One Love” ended by breaking down into a reggae beat and transitioning into Bob Marley’s “One Love”. “If I Ruled the World” was an emotion-packed sing-along with Nas commenting on Michael Jackson being in a better place. Eventually, Nas took a break and left Marley to perform his solo material. He slowed the tempo of the show down a bit, mixing covers of “War” and “No More Trouble” in with some of his slower songs. It all lead up to the rollicking “Welcome to Jamrock”, which got the crowd as live as it had been all day.  So far.

The real party was going on up in the lawn and the concourse separating it from the seats. I learned this when I left my seat and headed for the back, (mistakenly) assuming the show was just about over. That’s when Nas raged back on stage and tore into “Hate Me Now” and everyone just started going bananas. The entire concourse was a dance pit. B-boy circles broke out all over the place. It was pure joyful mayhem. And that was before the triumphant flourish of “My President” drove the crowd into a further frenzy by bringing back memories of another timeless night seven and a half months before. And that was before he ripped through “I Can”, “Made You Look” and “One Mic”.

The show wasn’t over yet. Marley returned and the two performed together on “Road to Zion” and a song from the new album. The mellower songs offered the crowd a chance to catch its breath before a short walk to the parking lot (let’s face it….everyone was parked pretty close…sorry, just had to get one more cheap shot in.) All in all, the set checked in at close to ninety minutes, long by hip hop standards and unheard of by Rock the Bells standards.

Final Thoughts:
My problems with Guerilla Union and the Rock the Bells festival have been well documented in the past and I’m sure I will have more to say on some of these issues in the future. Instead, I chose to focus this review on the music and I have absolutely no major complaints on any of Sunday’s sets. All qualms aside, it was an incredible day of music. The crowd was small but the vibes were good. Most importantly, there were no major delays and every act played its full set time. This seems to be a huge step in the right direction. Let’s just hope there is enough interest around the country for the festival to continue moving forward.

1. Nas/Damian Marley

Nas has been second on this festival’s bill the last two years. Bringing back a repeat as a headliner is a bit of an underwhelming move, but the collaboration with Damian Marley helps spruce things up a bit. The duo will be performing songs from their upcoming album, Distant Relatives. It’s unclear whether each will perform solo material, but it seems a fairly safe bet. Nas can hold down a stage with the best of them and with Marley in the mix it should be an entertaining set.

2. The Roots

Sure, you’ve seen the Roots 57 times now. We all have. That doesn’t change the fact that they’re still the best live hip hop act going. And now that we are past that pesky nonsense about them not touring anymore (which apparently just meant they will no longer be playing 600 shows a year) we can just sit back and admire ?uestlove’s awesomeness. For the two or three people reading this who have never seen the Roots before, you can probably expect a metric ton of covers (please let one of them be “I’m on a Boat”), an extended jam on “You Got Me”, “The Seed”, and hopefully a Sousaphone solo.

3. Big Boi

It may be time to embrace the reality that we probably aren’t going to see OutKast perform live again. If this is the case, seeing Big Boi perform a bunch of OutKast songs at Rock the Bells may be the next best thing.  He will most likely preview material from his upcoming Sir Luscious Left Foot, an album that has been delayed so many times it may as well be, well, an OutKast album. Regardless, you can expect a sizable helping of the hits, at least enough to make it my most anticipated act of the day.

4. Reflection Eternal

If you’ve been to Rock the Bells before, there is a good chance you saw Talib Kweli. He continues to be a just sort of average performer; entertaining if you’ve never seen him, predictable if you have, with one song that is sure to bring the roof down either way. But with Hi-Tek coming along, this set should be worthwhile for anyone. At best, Kweli and Hi-Tek will delve into deeper material and feature upcoming collaborative work.  At worst, you’ll still hear Kweli perform “Get By”.

5. RZA, GZA and/or Raekwon

It just wouldn’t be Rock the Bells without a sprinkling of Wu-Tang. The collective headlined the 2007 tour, bringing all living members (!) and a sort of unnecessary live band. Last year Method Man tore the roof off the joint. This year, most shows will have at least one member of the Clan (with the notable exception of the show I happen to be attending). GZA will serve up a heap of Liquid Swords cuts. Raekwon will (hopefully) preview material from his (maybe) upcoming Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2. And RZA will do whatever the hell it is RZA does at a live performance. No matter who is at your show you can expect to hear more verses of “Triumph” than you probably should.

6. KRS-One

He may be performing in your city. He may only be hosting. Why on earth he would be in the venue and not be given a set is anyone’s guess, but I’ve stopped trying to figure these things out when it comes to Rock the Bells. Regardless, KRS-One is a true legend of the genre and a performance would be a treat.

7. K’Naan

The up-and-coming Somali rapper is worth catching, if only because he stands out on a lineup packed with backpackers.  K’Naan should be performing with a live band, which is great because his music actually lends itself to live instrumentation, unlike many of the other acts who inexplicably chose to go with a live band at this festival (coughWUTANGcough.)

8. Slaughterhouse

This rap super-group – made up of Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I and Royce Da 5’9″ – may be the best collective of M.C.’s since the Wu-Tang Clan. Slaughterhouse first united on Joe Budden’s appropriately titled “Slaughter House” last year. That song is a seven-minute, hookless, lyrical gangbang that will leave your head spinning. Subsequent leaked tracks have repeated the formula. Rock the Bells will give them a chance to preview material from their upcoming debut LP.

9. It’s Rock the Bells

The lineup pales in comparison to last year’s, the venues are too big, and you can bet the show will be plagued by delays and shortened sets. But it’s still Rock the Bells. As of right now, it is the undisputed, top hip hop festival in the world and until somebody decides to put up an effort to dethrone it, it’s the best festival hip hop fans have. In addition to the eight acts listed, attendees will be able to catch sets by Busta Rhymes, Common, and a host of others who should put on enjoyable greatest hits sets. In L.A. you’ll see Ice Cube. In Calgary (Calgary?), you’ll see Cypress Hill. In Toronto you’ll see EPMD. I don’t have an answer to why these acts aren’t playing more shows, but regardless of where you attend, you are going to get an extremely full day of pretty damn good hip hop that should at least warrant a lawn ticket.

Rock the Bells 2009 Tour Dates:
06/27 – Tinley Park, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
06/28 – Clarkson, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
07/05 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheatre
07/12 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
07/18 – Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center
07/19 – Wantagh, NY @ Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
08/01 – Burnaby, BC @ Deer Lake Park
08/06 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
08/08 – Devore, CA @ San Manuel Amphitheatre
08/09 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre