Lyricist Lounge...........

[Sir Hambone]

Lyricist Lounge Concert Review: Big Daddy Kane, Keith Murray and Master Ace learns a lesson in bringing skills to the Battle...


By Jigsaw



It was a night that somehow exceeded it’s own potential. On Thursday June 21, 2001 at BB King’s, in front of about 300 fans, rappers and industry heads, the Lyricist Lounge presented yet another history making evening. Initial pub for the show advertised live performances by headliner Big Daddy Kane and friends, but there was much more in store as the evening progressed. Hip hoppers like Lil’ Jon, Pete Rock, DJ Premiere, Special Ed, Big Kap and Ice-T, were all on hand for this soon-to-be mythic evening.

All displaying versatility, the opening acts were engaging both lyrically and visually. With over 10 members, Pumpkinhead (Capital P) and Skeme Team stomped onstage, wearing enough red to be mistaken for Blood gang members, and held command of the stage and crowd during their entire performance.

With a red haltertop, blonde braids and "crazy high heels," Jane Doe graced the stage proclaiming she could "get hit with Fed time and still get a pardon," with a sensual yet hardcore style. Both appreciated by the underground enthusiasts, Furin Kazan and Boston’s Maspyke forced heads to nod to their obviously different styles. When VA’s Teamstas, with Boogieman and Nottz, left their set saying, "If any of you see Master Ace tell him I’m here," the crowd began jeering. This moment, however was a key to the evening’s ill charm.

Shortly thereafter, Ice T and Brooklyn’s Smoothe Da Hustler surface from backstage to introduce Big Daddy Kane, the headliner and monarch of this house. Before Kane began, Smoothe and Ice traded acapella rhymes for several minutes getting an extreme amount of love from the crowd. Ice with a pimped out slower flow and Smoothe with faster, wordplay driven manner complimented each other almost perfectly. "If you don’t make some muthafuckin’ noise (for Big Daddy Kane), you must hate yourself," Ice shouted. "I’ll smack the shit outta you (if you don’t get up)."

Once Big Daddy Kane graced the stage, the crowd was primed to hear his bevy of classic songs like "Raw," "Wrath of Kane," "Smooth Operator" and "Ain’t No Half Steppin’." Using several instances of crowd participation, the veteran Kane eventually allowed his crew and friends get involved in the show. One of these "friends" was newly paroled Def Jam artist Keith Murray who vigorously slapped hands with fans and spewed remarkably dope lyrics. At the apex of his time onstage, Keith leapt onto the crowd that suspended him momentarily until the front of the stage converted into a moshpit of love for the rapper. Surprisingly, he walked through the crowd for several minutes of Kane's show speaking to well-wishers with no bodyguard.

After Keith, Master Ace rapped to his collabo song, "Crooklyn" and dissed Teamsta’s Boogieman saying, "you can’t spit so you must swallow." With the frenzied crowd screaming for a battle of the two rappers, Kane quelled the cries by finishing the end of his set. After leaving for several minutes, Big Daddy changed into a white suit and a silk Gucci shirt. After Kane a few other songs, the show was supposed to conclude, but Boogieman found his way to the stage, gunning for a battle with Ace.

With a firm level of authority, battle-official Ice T stood between the two as they began to trade lyrics, with Ace as the first. With the crowd firmly behind him, Ace said, "I’m known from LA to Bedstuy and this is Gerald McCray (pointing to Boogie) from Best Buy." But, Boogieman fired a punchline spewing, "with that old ass flow, your name should be MC Cotton Pickin’" and "I hope you was freestyling cause if not, your brain should have beef with your hand...Its rhymes like that, they made erasers for." After his first rhyme, the crowd spontaneously respected Boogieman, but still cheered for Ace when he said, "Young niggas always trying to diss to get deals. Your bitchass probably wears Jordans with high heels." Blasting back viscously, Boogie said, "Marley (Marl) gave you a beat (but it) was like riding a bike on the subway, you was wasting a track." and "I’ll send you back the same way you came here - naked with nothing."

After, the crowd went berserk and a disheveled Ace returned for Round 3, stuttered, stalled and caused the crowd to boo him for his inconsistency (ok, ok wackness). Even Ice was forced to admit, "it’s getting bloody." Going for the kill, Boogieman said, "I got niggas scared to go to their own shows, I swear. You called the Psychic Hotline and said, ‘Is Boogie going to be there?’" The battle was ended shortly in Round 4, as Ace appeared disoriented and fiddled with his CD player. The crowd begged Ace to stop, but he didn’t. Boogie dropped one more verse as a nail in the Ace coffin finishing, "I spit like ya wife suck, "‘Look, no hands!’" At that point, he dropped the mic, emulated Ace’s "spouse" and started laughing with his crew members on the side of the stage.

Fans of Ace made the ugliest faces, as they watched their hometown hero dismantled round by round. Later on, Big Daddy Kane consoled Ace, telling him to be better prepared. Always on point, Kane even said, "Sheeeet, I’m going home to write."

[Don Jacob]

whatever happened to that show?

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

It got canceled...

[Don Jacob]

no shit ! really....

[Ro J. Simpson]

fo real?, why?, that show was tha shiznit, we still get the repeats ova here on MTV base, still is the shit tho, watch it most weeks, why did it get cancelled?

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Big Jake...If you already knew...than why did you ask...LOL

[Sikotic™]

Whats up with you NIK? Why are you trying to drag on something. Chill out.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Because first he said

whatever happened to that show?

and I told him it goit canceled, than he replyed rudly saying...

no shit ! really....

[Rud]

YEH ITS COS HE KNEW IT WAS CANCELLED.............I THINK IT WAS MORE, Y THE SHOW HAD BEEN CANCELLED HE WAS AFTA!!

peace

[Trauma-san]

Either That, Or He Wasn't Being Sarcastic


Hey, You Do Know The Show And The SHOW Have Nothing In Common, Right? It's Totally Different.  One's MTVIzed.