A Night of Pure Hip-Hop

“I’m standing on this stage right now because I love Hip-Hop. I love what Hip-Hop has done for my life,” boasted independent artist “The Narcicyst.” He was among a host of other musicians who professed their adoration and respect for Hip-Hop at the “Midwest Hip Hop Summit” this weekend. The national non-profit “Hip Hop Congress” launched the 8^th annual convention Friday night, with an amazing, intimate, four-hour concert on the second floor of the Michigan League. The theme of the concert truly encapsulated the essence of the culture- using elements of powerful self-expression and social conscious to foster individual happiness and tangible societal change. Each artist or band took the stage and proudly announced their love of the culture and how it has helped them grow. The acts were so incredible because most of these musicians are not signed to a label; they are not making millions of dollars and getting record deals. They are merely using their passion for music to strive for change in their communities. For any Hip-Hop fan, it was truly a magical atmosphere.

Much to my chagrin I arrived right after the first act, the all-female group of MC’s from Detroit called “The Foundation.” I had heard of them before, and I have an overwhelming faith that they started the night off on a perfect note. When I got to the concert the local Hip Hop group entitled “Tree City” was entertaining the crowd. Formed by three MC’s and a few musicians, Tree City represented Ann Arbor and gave the crowd a unique, amusing performance. One of my favorite aspects of the evening, which was enforced primarily by Tree City, was how evident it was that all of these artists truly love what they do. Tree City will never be famous, but they were ecstatic to just be in front of an audience and perform on the same stage as the likes of Big K.R.I.T.  After their performance, one of Tree City’s rappers joined the crowd and was grooving along with the rest of us. That is what Hip-Hop is all about.

Next on stage was rapper OneBeLo, another Michigan native and crowd-pleaser. His music had a much larger emphasis on lyricism; with no live band he used all synthesized beats, and his DJ would often pause or terminate the music to allow Lo to finish the song a cappella. This allowed the audience to better hear his words, and for listeners such as myself who had never heard his music before, this was extremely helpful. While seeing a new rapper for the first time it can be tremendously hard to discern any differences between songs, which is why OneBeLo’s slower tempo and lack of overpowering beats came as a relief.

My favorite act of the night was not in fact the headliner. With two acts left before Big K.R.I.T. appeared, Maimouna Youssef and her funky reggae band graced the stage. Maimouna was easily one of the most talented artists I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. From the moment she got on stage the crowd could sense her lovable, mellow attitude, and the unity of her entire band (which included two guitarists, a pianist and a drummer). Maimouna, who has been nominated for a Grammy and used to perform with the Roots, guided the audience through her repertoire of soulful, R&B and reggae influenced music and proved her skill level. There were honestly too many elements of her performance I loved to be able to choose a favorite, including her cover and remix of the Beatle’s classic “Come Together,” her brief explanation of how she once gave up Hip-Hop, only to find artists like A Tribe Called Quest and Common, and re-discover her passion. She ended the performance with a rendition of her song “Free as a Bird,” showcasing live recordings of her voice singing different melodies, which were then looped continuously and played over each other. She literally built her beat on stage in front of us, and then proceeded to sing for four minutes over it. That is talent only the best musicians can exhibit.

The last two acts, “The Narcicyst” and Big K.R.I.T., despite having to keep an exhausted audience energized, further enhanced the mood and wonder of the show. To my surprise, Big K.R.I.T. did not seem at all perturbed about the mediocre audience in front of him. On the contrary, he seemed to enjoy interacting with the audience, which allowed for a much more personal show. For his last song Big K.R.I.T. jumped off the stage and bounced around between his fans while rapping. This single act captured the overall theme of the night: that Hip-Hop is a culture meant for anyone and everyone to enjoy. It wasn’t crazy, it wasn’t sold out, it wasn’t a business front; it was just Hip Hop.