16 March 2013 (gig)
09 April 2013
All the acts on the bill grasped the opportunity and showed tons of effort and skills but the night belonged to a combination of the Old Skool masterclass of Mistah Bohze and the New Skool potential of Erin Friel.
Erin kicked the night off with a spoken word poem called `It is What it is` that hushed the crowd, demanding their attention. No fake American accent necessary as she spits heartfelt lyrics in a Glaswegian dialect that gives every word an authenticity that is sadly lacking in mainstream Hip Hop.
When the beats kick in for `True Love` (a song she dedicates to her mother in the crowd) there is no doubt that this is a talented MC with bags of wordplay and a story to tell but just when you think you have her pegged she throws a spanner in the works by performing note-perfect angelic hooks that contrasts and compliments the gritty complexity of the verse, Especially on the stand-out track `Noones an Angel` . At only 21, No female Hip Hop artist in Scotland in Erins age-group can even come close to matching her. A star in the making, definitely one to watch and you can hear some rough demos she`s been working on at her Soundcloud page here (https://soundcloud.com/erin-friel)
Next up we had RP from Edinburgh which was good enough on the night and showcases another side of Hip Hop in Scotland but it was just not to my personal taste . This music could perhaps be the most likely to dent the charts and would do well anywhere in the world which highlights how diverse the Hip Hop scene is in Scotland.
What followed next took some of the crowd by surprise as the host of the evening Louie (Hector Bizerk) introduced some freestyle battle-raps to proceedings. First up was Carluke wordsmith Mispaced Mind who won a close battle with GBH (ITFD!) to a rowdy audience. GBH would get his own back later by winning a 2-on-2 battle with Kayce One against Misplaced Mind and Big Hybrid.
After the battles we were treated to Bright Sparks and Philly Bluntz who got better and better as the set went on with intricate rhymes and gusto delivery. I was unfamiliar with their material before tonight and I say `they` as even though it was only Bright Sparks that was billed to play , Phil proved to far exceed a performace typical of a normal hype man. They both bounced off each other really well with a lot of passion over some dirty grimey beats and I look forward to seeing them again.
In-between all the acts, we had been treated to a Live DJ set from Mistah Bohze who span and scratched along to some fine, classic golden era hip hop. It was now his turn to take the spotlight and show off his legendary mic skills. The crowd went wild from start to finish. Bohze should have been the headliner. Having to follow this masterclass was almost cruel. Bohze is a legend in Scotland and round Europe, bursting onto the scene in the 90`s with The Sentanilez and II Tone Committee but in the last year or so there has been a huge resonance in his work after a spate of releases, music videos and blistering live shows up and down the country.
He started his set by saying something like `I play a genre of Hip Hop that`s called .... Hip Hop` and by the end nobody could argue with that. Stage prescence personified, crazy breath control and expert delivery throughout. highlight was the crowd chanting in unison `Cabbages` the calling card intro to his latest single `Ornaments `. After tonight it seems clear that Bohze is the best live MC in the country and you`de be hard pushed for anyone in the know to disagree with such a sweeping statement. He`s got a few gigs lined up down south and is releasing some excellent work on NC Epik and himselfs label `Southside Deluxe` (http://southsidedeluxe.com/)
Finally, we had Futureology with the unenviable task of following Bohze`s standing ovation. They did well enough, just maybe not quite ready to headline a showcase of Scottish Hip Hop at King Tut`s . Their set up is Three M.Cs, drums, female vocals / keys and laptop. The sound they create is ambitious and I would expect them to continue to improve into a formidable live act. The MCs all have undoubted skills and they seem to be having a lot of fun on stage. Look forward to seeing them again as the potential is there and they finished an entertaining night which seemed to win over a new audience.
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Everyone left happy and on the way home I seen a member of the tartan army looking a bit worse for wear. We had just been beaten at the football.... again. Scotland- Our Hip Hop is thankfully a lot better than our football team.
