Rock The Bells, Los Angeles
Written by willshoob on Sunday, 10 of August , 2008 at 9:47 pm
Words and pictures by Tristan and Willie.
Yesterday we headed down to the middle of nowhere to catch Rock The Bells in Los Angeles. We would first like to say that it was a monumental day for The Tape, as it was the first time we had enough press credentials to receive press passes. We would also like to take a moment to thank LeToya Jackson and TC for being awesome. Huge post with pictures and videos after the jump.
We arrived at the Glen Helen Pavilion at around 1, missing Wale who was the only artist we were disappointed about missing. We immediately headed over to the side stage, and checked out DJ Blaqstarr. In our minds, Blaqstarr played a fun set filled with good music, but to the 10 other people at the stage he was just another act. I really wish more people had shown up to his set because when I saw him open for M.I.A. last year, he had the whole place dancing. The highlight of his set was when this absolutely insane woman started dancing like a maniac, and some guy turns it into a dance off and showed her how it was done. The sad part was, there were so few people there that Blaqstarr actually acknowledged it and laughed while he was playing a song.
DJ Blaqstarr- Shake It To The Ground (Feat. Rye Rye)
Kidz in the Hall put on a fresh set. We met Double O (the DJ) backstage and he invited us (and everyone else) to their video shoot that was on today.
Chuck and Mikey, where to begin. Easily the best set of the day, Chuck Inglish and Mikey Rocks put on an absolutely great show. We got to hang out with them a little bit backstage, too and they’re tremendously nice guys. They performed tracks off the Totally Flossed Out EP, The Bake Sale, and the upcoming album When Fish Ride Bicycles. Their flow was ruthless and their energy level was returned by the crowd.
The Cool Kids- A Little Bit Cooler
Now I’m not sure if we have any pictures of this, but Afrika Bambaataa totally took us to school. He explained that one who raps is actually a Recording Artist Pretending. A true man with a mic is an MC, a master of ceremonies, a microphone controller, if you will. Afrika went on to play a really fun set that culminated in an onstage party. That guy can freestyle like no other.
Afrika Bambaataa- Renegades Of Funk
Naeem Juwal (aka MC Spank Rock) gave a really energetic performance. He brought out Amanda Blank, Rye Rye and a few dancers. Devlin and Darko put on a short set before him that seemed to be plagued by microphone problems. Darko was the first DJ I’ve seen in a while to actually bring vinyl to a gig. For a man with such vulgar and high paced music, Spank Rock was surprisingly low key backstage. He had a really calm persona but when he got on stage his energy level skyrocketed.
Spank Rock- Put That Pussy On Me (Diplo Tonite Remix)
Now here’s the real interesting part of the night. MF Doom has been notorious for sending out fake MCs to do his shows. He was scheduled to go on from 8:15 to 8:45. Nobody showed up for 30 minutes. At around 8:50 a black Chevy Tahoe pulled up into the backstage area. The crowd was yelling “DOOOOOOM.” A man in a mask could be seen through the heavily tinted windows. About ten minutes later, 45 minutes after the set was supposed to start, the masked man got out of the car. He walked on stage and almost instantly the audience pegged him as a fake. This time the audience was yelling “BOOOOO.” The fake quickly got off the stage and back into the Tahoe. Things were being thrown on to the stage. Cups, paper, bottles, small change. The Tahoe sped off and out through the gate. There was no show from MF Doom. The pictures are all of the fake.
MF Doom- Rapp Snitch Knishes (Feat. Mr Fantastik)
Back in the days when I was a teenager
Before I had status and before I had a pager
You could find the Abstract listening to hip hop
My pops always said it reminded him of bebop.
A Tribe Called Quest- Excursions
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