Freestyle

DJ Dexxx1

Some months ago INFX featured a short tribute mix by DJ Dexxx1 to the late Gangstarr MC Guru. This time we return to the turntable maestro (and beatboxer/ drummer) on a lighter note; to check out the skills our man was droppin‘ during a practice routine back at his place last night.

One of the true underground hip–hop DJs on the West Coast, Los Angeleno DJ Dexxx1 AKA DJ Dexterity is a keen fan of the late JDilla, and frequently drops Dilla‘s beats during his sets and routines all about L.A. Dexxx says of Dilla‘s productions that “the  type of rawness on the beat among others shows you not only does Dilla have that Neo soul,The Ummah, SV type soul on lock, but he also has a dark rugged steez as well in his repertoire. Rip to in my opinion the illest beat maker in hip hop history...” and you can hear it as he tells it in this mini–routine right here:

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Public Enemy

Just over a week ago, some friends and I witnessed Public Enemy live (again). Although this concert was a long way from the grand expanse of The Forum in Kentish Town, North London, the gig was rabble–rousingly intimate at The Corner hotel in Richmond.
This time round the militia were pumping their tour of 1990‘s Fear Of A Black Planet. Although they gave the show a lot of effort and their skills were there to thrill –it was all too clear in my mind that these guys had long since fallen asleep at the wheel. Or, to be sympathetic: are now well past their prime.
However, they fronted up for over 2 hours and gave us all a thrilling set. Apart from catching Flava Flav lip-syncing every now and then; everything else was overwhelmingly enjoyable –the fresh set list complete with crowd participation, political spiels, guests (including members of 2 Live Crew) and a tight freestyle battle between Chuck D and Flav that pretty much clinched the value of the $90 ticket, or therebouts. All–in–all, it was a brilliant show for the die–hard fans and certainly no staggering disappointment for the rest of us. And then there were the ageing Aussie homeboys: but that’s another story entirely.

-TW

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The Gift of Gab

Sunday night, Queen’s Birthday Eve.

We ventured into the Richmondia district to check this mad freestyle rapper and stalwart of Quannum, Blackalicious and various solo and collaborative projects. Although expecting an ensemble of guests and a setlist direct from the forthcoming Escape 2 Mars album, the disappointment dissipated somewhat when the Gab started to spit 2 times for your mind with some nice sounds thrown out from DNAEBEATS. The 2-Piece brought a host of classics including Paragragh President, Deception (Don’t Let Money Change Ya), and Make YouFeel That Way among other new hits Lightyears and El Gifto Magnifico from Mars that certainly rocked the crowd well.

Although the hour passed far too quickly; Here is a short freestyle that was bestowed upon an insatiable crowd:

-Rock The Boat

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