2008 Woodie Awards
Rock the Bells comes to San Francisco
Annual hip-hop festival leaves lasting impression on Bay
Nick Gionfriddo
Issue date: 8/28/07 Section: Detour
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I was unfortunately tied to the undeniable tunes of the great Amy Grant: House of Love tour. No questions please.
Rock the Bells, held two Saturdays ago in AT&T Park's McCovey Cove parking lot, would have been preferable to that. My friend Sabu, who came from Guam to the small college of Saint Mary's, found himself in the middle of what could be described as the greatest hip-hop lineup put together in decades. The show featured two stages, between which time was split among artists such as Blackalicious, Jedi Mind Tricks, Immortal Technique, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, The Roots, and old school artists Public Enemy, Cypress Hill, and Wu-Tang Clan. It was finished strongly with Rage Against the Machine (RATM).
Needless to say, it was quite a first experience for Sabu.
The crowds were intimately involved in the performances and stank of the Bay Area's own herby, personal air freshener. Surprisingly, hosts Supernatural and Rahzel threw down ridiculous freestyling and beat boxing skills in between acts to keep the intense crowd lively.
Talib Kweli and Mos Def began the lineup midday, when the performers just got better and better. Public Enemy and The Roots gave less-than-stellar performances but still were able to maintain the fans' attention. Imagine this scene: the last rants from Mr. Flavor Flav himself, gold-clocked piece hanging from his neck, screaming obscenities at the audience ("Yaaaaa, Boiiiii") are the introduction to a soulful Blackalicious set.
Frontman The Gift of Gab gave a great rendition of his uniquely witty lyrics to the jams of his back-up vocalists and band. His fading baseline collided with the famous beats of Cypress Hill, who still has it in terms of performing.
Their beats join the beginning of Hieroglyphics, and then it was over. Hieroglyphics, being an urban hip-hop favorite, were back home in the Bay Area where their roots grew into the following that they have today. Set on the smaller Paid Dues stage, Hieroglyphics tore up the show, hitting every lyrical beat and matching the baselines with consistent flow from members Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Casual, Pep Love, and the rest of the crew.
Nonetheless, Hieroglyphics had to give way to the great hip-hop inventors the Wu-Tang Clan. Missing only the deceased Ol' Dirty Bastard, the other original eight members gave a tribute to the late ODB, and then proceeded to give a show of epic proportions. Method Man, quite possibly one of the greatest hip-hop performers of all time, didn't hesitate when he hit the stage. Ripping intense, gritty rhymes, Meth crowd-dove his way into the mainstay of the performance. With help from Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, RZA, and GZA, Wu-Tang showed the crowd where the course of hip-hop is heading.