From the Sep 16 – Sep 22, 2004 issue

Music

My Philosophy

by Larry Mizell Jr.

Ah, the spectacle that was Bumbershoot. There were a whole heap of hiphop happenings and I tried to catch them all--until I could no longer stand being around a million sweaty ignoramuses, that is. On day one, I caught a performance from NYC's Poison Pen and PackFM, which was richly attended by about 17 heads and blessed with some terrible sound quality; nonetheless, I was entertained as the two did their damndest to get fools hyped. I missed renowned MC Breez Evahflowin's set, unfortunately, but caught Qwel's (cool, but not really my cup of tea), and an old-school instrumental set from the always-tight Iguales (who rocked with People Under the Stairs at Chop Suey on September 15).

I then concerned myself with catching the prelims and finals of the Brainstorm 4 battle. I confess I was initially confused cuz I thought only a couple cats from the Seattle region were gonna be in it, but there was a gang of local heads competing. And it was plenty entertaining, with the event hosted by a hilarious Poison Pen and Great Lakes ambassador OneBeLo. Cats brought a dizzying array of punch lines and shit-talk, with some serious talent--and some serious mediocrity--on display.

I really thought Brainstorm 2 winner Presence would take the $2,500 home, cuz he was bringing some heat to cats' asses out there; to my surprise, though, the winner was the scrappy Aaron Solomon, who, while spitting hard both days, was the perfect example of the "memorize-as-many-punch-lines-as-I-can" battle MC that's in such rich supply these days. The fact that he ran through the same exact punch line in the finals that he threw at another dude the day before kinda turned me off; but I can't deny dude had skills. I missed Grayskul because I wanted to see the battle (once again, it was hiphop vs. hiphop on the schedule), but I just had to catch Brother Ali's raucous performance and get a brew or two.

After the finals, we made our way to Memorial Stadium to see a great sight: man-about-town Byrdie rocking for a gang of fools on the Mainstage. Byrdie's dynamic stage show, featuring DJ Scene and Reggie Watts, definitely brought the noise, and affirmed the Nflight MC's rightful status as one of the premier acts out this way. Later that night, the institution that is Public Enemy stormed the stage, ripping through a set of their era-defining standards--and, strangely, treating us to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness Flavor Flav on the drums while the Geto Boys' diminutive Bushwick Bill rapped his verse from the GB classic "Mind's Playing Tricks on Me." Life is so rich. After PE's reportedly fight-inducing set, the crowd eagerly awaited the arrival of the man, the myth, Nas--and he didn't disappoint, killing a set-spanning Illmatic to his next platter, Street's Disciple. It was straight fire--as in that sideline tent that went up in flames! All said and done, a fine time...5,000, G.

hiphop@thestranger.com

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