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• This year it seems Bumbershoot has a pretty diverse lineup as far as covering all aspects and facets of this here hip-hop culture. At press time the lineup includes Nas, Public Enemy, Ken Swift, Brother Ali, Massive Monkees, J-Live, Vinroc, Qwel, Poison Pen, OneBeLo, Grayskul, Byrdie, Blue Scholars, Soul One, Bles One, Orbitron, Cros1, UniverSoul, Kitman, Iguales and more.
• Public Enemy first hit the scene in 1987 with their debut album “Yo, Bum Rush the Show.” Led by Carlton Ridenhour (Chuck D), Public Enemy was one of the first groups to usher in the “Afro-centric” style that became prevalent in the late ‘80s to early ‘90s. Public Enemy’s sophomore album “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” is arguably the greatest hip-hop album ever released. Samfry vividly remembers the summer of ‘88 and the anticipation I felt for this album to drop. When it did, OH BOY, I still get goose bumps just thinking about a teenaged Samfry overzealously tearing apart the cellophane, only to become engulfed in what would later become Samfry’s favorite album ever. It was a perfect album. The lyrics: conscious, but still hard. The beats: noisy and cluttered, but still funky. It didn’t take long before every lyric was indelibly etched in my consciousness. Songs like “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos,” “Don’t Believe the Hype,” “She Watches Channel Zero,” along with other great songs, were my soundtrack for 1988.
In 1990 P.E. released “Fear of a Black Planet,” which was anchored by the incredible and controversial first single “Welcome to the Terrordome.” Although “Takes a Nation” was the superior album, “Fear” held its own as a continuation of the futuristic noise that endeared millions of fans across the globe. I remember wondering how could white folks get into Public Enemy?—mainly because of P.E.'s uncompromising pro-black, anti government stance—only to later find out that their message transcends race. Don’t miss these pioneers performing. Believe the hype: P.E. puts on an incredible show.
• Another one of the Bumbershoot hip-hop headliners will be none other than the enigmatic illmatic Nasir Jones, better known as Nas. Nas first blasted on the scene in 1991 with a show-stealing verse on the now classic Main Source album “Breaking Atoms.” “Live at the BBQ” was our introduction to one of the most critically-acclaimed and critically- hated emcees in recent history. His debut album “Illmatic” (1994) is a universally regarded hip-hop classic, boasting street tales such as “One Love,” “The World Is Yours,” “New York State of Mind,” etc. Mr. Jones followed “Illmatic” with the not-so-critically-acclaimed, but still underrated, “It Was Written.” While “It Was Written” was more commercially successful than his previous opus, many accused Nas of abandoning his core audience to keep up with the success of acts like Sean “Puffy” Combs and other, more commercially driven contemporaries. Nas followed “It Was Written” with two lackluster efforts, “I Am” and “Nastradamus,” only to win back his props with “Stillmatic” and “God’s Son,” respectively.
Many (Samfry included) consider Nas’s tenacious comeback as a direct result of Jay Z’s taunts and the fact that Jigga’s classic verse on “The Takeover” lit a fire under his muthafuckin’ ass. While “Stillmatic” and “God’s Son” were not “Illmatic” caliber albums, he did have his share of bangers on each. Hopefully Nas performs material from his upcoming CD “Streets Disciple,” due later this year, because his first single, an Iron Butterfly sample-assisted “Thief’s Theme,” is off the hook.
Nas, Public Enemy, Massive Monkees and Byrdie perform in Memorial Stadium Sunday, September 5. Doors at 6pm, show 7-10:30pm.
• Brother Ali is another act that you should check for. Representing Minneapolis with a passion rarely seen from underground acts these days, Mr. Ali should not be missed. I heard his stage presence is RIDICULOUS. J-Live is another personal pick if you are into intelligent, quality hippity-hop, look no further than J-Live.
• The local scene will also be well represented this year with Byrdie, Greyskul and Blue Scholars. Seattle’s own Massive Monkees will be holding down the B-Boy aspects in a major way. Last and definitely not least, make sure y’all bring your stankin’ asses down to the Brainstorm 4: Emcee Battle of the Year Finals.
Other hip-hop-related events: Fourthcity Laptop DJ Battle Showcase, a workshop with Rock Steady Crew’s Ken Swift, Cut Kulture United’s graffiti-inspired “Beyond Fresh: Art Based in the Sounds, Rhythms, and Forms of the City,” the CenterCircleSpin breakdance stage, urban poet & performer Ursula Rucker, Will Power “Flow” Tamango’s Urban Tap, Donald Byrd’s Spectrum Dance Theater “Fado, Hip-Hop and the Blues,” Ayinde Howell (founder of Seattle’s Urban Scribes) and Buddy Wakefield (2004 Individual World Poetry Slam Champion).
Peace everyone, and I’ll see you all at Bumbershoot 2004. hiphop@tabletmag.com.
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