Live Review – Mos Def w/Red-1
February 20th, 2008 Filed under: Reviews - Live by admin
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(All Photos – Paul Michalowski)
Live Review – Mos Def w/Red 1 & Guests
Monday, Feb. 18, 2008
Croatian Cultural Centre, Vancouver BC
The local talent that graced the stage first were actually not that bad…No-one Really and Godfrey had the competent flows, catchy hooks and hot dancer, Dyme Def were damn dope, and Illa Brown, well…I went outside.
VanCity Kingpin and Killawatt recording artist Red-1 seriously rocked the shit out of the place with a decidedly heavier sound and attack. Crowd response was definitely best for classics like the “Rascalz,” “Dreaded Fist,” “Northern Touch” and Red’s new anthem (and video game soundtrack) “Dem no worry me.” Red’s sidemen were all notably talented, and Joose kicked one of my favourite choruses of the night – “One finger up for all the starving artists…in the bad apartments…”.
The Mighty Mos Def himself appeared briefly on stage toward the end of Red-1’s set, as the Killawatt crew vibed into the Caribbean flavoured flows of Red’s Barrington Levy collabos- “No Fuss” and “Top of the World.” Finishing the set with “Peace…and Fuck George Bush!!!” Red-1 and crew left an indelible impression.
When Mos Def finally took the stage to insane applause it took him about ten minutes of “Thank you all!” and spraying the crowd with water before he finally warmed up to rapping. Like a divine creator slowly emerging from out of his shell, Mos took on more and more life and energy as the set progressed. His first few raps, on “Don’t Push Me” and “Hip Hop”, were a little lackluster, as if he’s performed them a few hundred times too many. By the time he got to “Ms. Fat Booty” though he was in fine form, breaking it down from the original sample track to the Gregory Isaac’s song that he mentions in the lyrics. With Mos it’s always been about the voice and whether he was holding back or “given’er” (in tune or wildly out) he still sounded great. His beaming smile could be seen from the back of the room and the man just shone forth with positive vibes.
Really, he was all about giving the crowd a good time, stretching the set out to a good hour and a half with extended DJ sections, lots of heavy soul tracks and his newer, more melodic material. Mos is definitely a multi talented renaissance man with the music and acting, making this much more than just a rap show. As he stated early in the set, he just wanted to create a “livable environment” and all the beautiful people present were definitely getting comfortable.
Of course, he left us with “Umi Says” – “Shine your light on the world, shine your light for the world to see..” – such a good show it left even this cynical bastard feeling a bit brighter.
Mos Def Can Be Seen in 4REAL on CTV, MTV and National Geographic – This Spring
Red 1 “Beg for Nothing” on Killiwatt Records – In Stores Now! or Buy HERE
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