By all measures, this is the year of El-P. First he produced Killer Mike's world-stomping new record R.A.P. Music; then he released Cancer 4 Cure, a fantastic album in its own right; and now he's on the road headlining an incredible tour with Killer Mike, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire and Despot. The man is taking names, and this tour is a coming out party. But not just for El-P. Killer Mike is finally starting to get the respect he deserves thanks to R.A.P. Music, eXquire is riding high on the strength of Lost in Translation and the impact that's having on the blog scene, and Despot is eternally loved by the underground heads, even though he's still making everyone wait on that debut record.
Pictures are above, but here's some quick notes on what went down.
Killer Mike's set blended the passion and socio-political darts he's known for with monster beats that can crunk out any room in America. His latest record was on full display, though nuggets from the Pledge Allegiance to the Grind series made their way in there too. Often he would drop out the beat and starting preaching a capella to an observant flock. His sermons were immaculate, and there is something incredibly intense about a lot of people yelling out, "I'm glad Reagan dead!"
Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire's set introduced Portland to hip hop's new wild child. With movements straight out of ODB's playbook and a presence straight out of Biggie's, he quickly made everyone love him and his shroom-high self. You got the feeling like something crazy might go down while watching him. But nothing emerged except raw aggression and big bars.The feeling that it might though, made the show all the more exciting. It probably didn't hurt that he led the crowd in chants about malt liquor and orgies either.
Despot was hilarious in between songs and sounded pretty drunk whenever he wasn't rocking lyrics. The lyrics were a lot more serious and intellectual than his attempts to lead the crowd in synchronized dances. Each part held its own particular charm, though; and in music news, he said the album is finished. We'll just have to see if that's true or if he's just going to keep dropping guest spots once or twice a year. Fingers crossed.
As you'd expect with El-P, it was mostly a Cancer For Cure-influenced set. The sweeping, mecha-industrial hip hop found on the record filled the room with an energy that stirred up the punk side in people, and caused mosh pits to break out whenever El-P and his hype-man got especially excitable. Like the rest of the acts, a steady state of aggression ran through his music. His was more visceral than the others and had a bit more spite to it. His face wouldn't reveal as much as the lyrics did, as he frequently wore a smile, but it was there; and because of the music, it felt different than what you are used to hearing from Dead Prez, PE or any other group or artist known for letting the steam out. It's rare that you get the sense you might take an elbow at a hip hop show, but that's what it was like in the room. El-P seemed stunned by the outpouring on the floor and kept saying we were the livest audience on the tour. We'll take that. Now who is going to take it from us?
