Concert Preview: Rock the Bells Festival, 8-29-10, Merriweather Post Pavillion

i don't normally talk about concerts before attending them, but seeing as i just dropped $300 for two tickets to the Rock the Bells Festival, i figured i'd make an exception this time.

Go figure, it's for a festival, too, in August, no less. Now, i don't really do festivals anymore. The notion of standing in a hot field with random strangers while the acts play for less than an hour each simply is not that appealing to me. i'd far rather pony up and see a given performer doing a headlining gig at a club--there's generally less chance for heat stroke, the sets last far longer and the bathrooms usually are at least a tad cleaner.

This year's Rock the Bells Festival, however, has some of my favorite hip-hop acts of all-time taking the stage to perform some of their earlier albums in their entirety. And these are some of the greatest rap CDs ever put to wax, i tell you what.

For your listening pleasure, we have the following performing the following:

--Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle

--A Tribe Called Quest, Midnight Marauders (i personally would have preferred People's Instinctive Travels And Paths Of Rhythm, but what can you do?)

--KRS-ONE, Criminal Minded (RIP, Scott La Rock)

--Rakim, Paid in Full (What, no Eric B.?)

--Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (No ODB? No problem, as they're bringing Boy Jones, his first born son)

--Slick Rick, The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick (Pauvre, Pauvre Doug E. Fresh)

--Plus "very special guest" Lauryn Hill, assumedly doing "The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill," though the website is a bit murky on that front. i guess her kids need to eat after all (i joke because i love, people).

Not to mention, some dozen other slated acts, plus freestyle sessions and Buddha only knows how much buddha wafting through the air. This is one i'm betting should not be missed (to the tune of $300, damn it). More to come. In the interim, let's rock, y'all.

mp3: Gin and Juice (Snoop Dogg from Doggystyle)

mp3: Award Tour (A Tribe Called Quest from Midnight Marauders)

mp3: Super Ho (Boogie Down Productions from Criminal Minded)

mp3: I Ain't No Joke (Eric B. & Rakim from Paid in Full)

mp3: Da Mystery of Chessboxin' (Wu-Tang Clan from Enter The Wu Tang (36 Chambers))

mp3: Treat Her Like a Prostitute (Slick Rick from The Great Adventures of Slick Rick)

mp3: Doo Wop (That Thing) (Lauryn Hill from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill)

Old Skool Review: Eric B. and Rakim

It just dawned on me that while there's been a fair amount of the hipping and the hopping here at LET of late, it's all been of a decidedly current bent. Seeing as this could well be the last post of the year and how much you damn kids love to hear about how things were back in my day ("Our mixtapes actually were mixtapes, so stay the hell off my lawn before you mess up the potholes, punk!"), i figured now was a damn fine time to break out another Old Skool Review if i damn well say so my damn self.

Today we're going to deal with one of the strongest MC/DJ combos of all times, Eric B. & Rakim. Back in the day, the Long Island duo essentially were IT. Credited rightly or wrongly with everything from the introduction of DJs sampling James Brown to creating gangsta rap (remember that Follow the Leader video?), it's hard to think of a stronger matching pair than these guys during their all-too-short six year run. In a time when a lot of players were trying desperately to define the genre, Eric B. and Rakim did so with such effortless style it's a wonder they don't get royalties from every single rap record made since then.

The two eventually disbanded, allegedly over label issues. They've both had a solo album or two, with Rakim receiving the lion's share of accolades since their dissolution. Isn't that always the way? Note to self: while DJ Terrible is making itself a household name, work on that lyrical fury if you want to have a better shelf life.

Eric had a smooth but spooky style, using numerous JB beats as previously mentioned. Rakim has a staccato style, slow, but forceful at the same time. Combined, the two formed some otherworldly Mecha-Beast of superior, yet sinister sounds.

And that, my friends, ain't no joke.

mp3: Paid in Full (Eric B. & Rakim from Paid in Full)

mp3: Microphone Fiend (Eric B. & Rakim from Follow the Leader)

mp3: Mahogany (Eric B & Rakim from Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em)

mp3: Rakim: Past, Present and Feature (DJ Parler's 40 minute sampler of Rakim, including tastes of his upcoming album)

Oh, in case you did NOT remember that video: