6/7, 7pm @ Betsy Head Memorial Playground
EPMD / Funkmaster Flex

6/8, 7pm @ Betsy Head Memorial Playground
Special Ed

6/15, 7pm @ Herbert Von King Park
Nice and Smooth / The Awesome 2

6/21, 7pm @ Red Hook Park
Talib Kweli

6/28, 7pm @ Soundview Park
Funkmaster Flex and special guests

7/12, 7pm @ Crotona Park
Slick Rick / DJ Brucie B

7/19, 7pm @ Queensbridge Park
Kool Moe Dee

7/21, 7pm @ Queensbridge Park
Funkmaster Flex and special guests

8/2, 7pm @ Tappen Park
The Sugarhill Gang

8/9, 7pm @ Marcus Garvey Park
Rob Base / Funkmaster Flex

8/21, 7pm @ Central Park/Mainstage
Rakim / EPMD / Funkmaster Flex

8/24, 7pm @ East River Park
Cold Crush Brothers

The Video Music Box 25th Anniversary Show was a historic event. The artists either performing or in attendance was a virtual who’s who of Hip-Hop aristocracy (partial list below). The whole concert lasted about three hours with 10-15 minute sets for each act, which meant a steady stream of classic material. If you couldn’t make it to the show and want to get a sense of what tracks were performed, just throw on your best of 80s and 90s hip-hop mixtapes.

I gotta give props to Ralph McDaniels and crew for a few things that added to the show’s success. One is keeping the event so organized. Even with the hustle and bustle of artists continuously going on and off stage, everything ran smoothly. Also, the set lengths. There was always enough entertainment throughout the night to keep the crowd involved and on their toes. Of course, major props are due for the line up. Honestly, when was the last time you heard Spoonie Gee, Schoolly D or Milk Dee rock the mic? Let alone at the same free event! Throw on the fact that none of the artists who hit the stage got paid a cent. They all did it out of love and respect for Uncle Ralph and Video Music Box. Hip-Hop unity at its finest.

Obviously, there are plenty of highlights I could run through like Ralph showing off his DJ Clark Kent designed Air Force One’s made specifically for the anniversary. Or July 18th being officially declared Video Music Box Day by Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Paterson. However, the livest part of the whole show was when the Sugar Hill Gang hit the stage to the tune of Rapper’s Delight. By now, most of us should know the back story behind Big Hank’s verse. After Wonder Mike finished up, I wondered how the crowd would react to Hank’s part of the song. The answer was that they didn’t get a chance to because Grandmaster Caz suddenly ran onto the stage and started spitting the rhymes! The icing on the cake was when Rahiem and Mele Mel of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five joined everybody up there. Amazing.

Big ups to Ralph for being the first and putting in 25 years of hard work. And here’s to another 25+! I got video footage for most of the sets but until those are edited and uploaded onto our youtube channel, check out some pictures I snapped in between recordings (after the jump).

Sugar Hill Gang
Grandmaster Caz
Rahiem
Mele Mel
Lovebug Starski
Crash Crew
Chubb Rock
Naughty By Nature
Nice & Smooth
Special Ed
Milk Dee
Spoonie Gee
Schoolly D
Dana Dane
DJ Jazzy Joyce
O.C.
A.G.
Fab 5 Freddy
Kool Herc
Awesome 2
Mr. Cheeks
Kool DJ Red Alert
Large Professor
Dres
Hakim (of Channel Live)

Sugar Hill Gang, Grandmaster Caz, Rahiem and Mele Mel

Special K

Smooth B

Ralph McDaniels and Kool Herc

Ralph McDaniels

Rahiem

Naughty By Nature

Mele Mel

Kool DJ Red Alert

Greg Nice

Greg Nice

Grandmaster Caz and Rahiem

DJ Jazzy Joyce

Dana Dane

Chubb Rock

Just got home from an amazing night. The only negative comment I can make is the venue and their issues with starting shows on time. Having been to Sputnik twice before, I expected the show to start a few hours late but tonight was ridiculous. Other than that, the performances were incredible and ultra lively. How could it not be? When was the last time Nice & Smooth headlined a show? When was the last time you heard Greg Nice and Smooth B perform a song other than DWYCK? Yeah, a long time. Now, off to the recap…

Like I said before, the night started off crazy late as expected. Everyone seemed to be a bit agitated about the wait but that’s nothing new for a hip-hop show. However, the whole atmosphere quickly shifted when Nice & Smooth hit the stage. Greg Nice has something a lot of other live hip-hop acts don’t: an incredible amount of energy. He literally performed whole verses jumping up and down uncontrollably. On top of that, he was beatboxing for long stretches throughout the night. How old is this guy again? Not to be outdone, Smooth B was exactly that with his almost monotone flow and delivery. Greg Nice’s yin to Smooth B’s yang and that’s why they’re a great duo.

They performed all the classics like Funky For You, Sometimes I Rhyme Slow, Hip Hop Junkies and more! In between tracks, Greg Nice would start beatboxing a variety of old and new school joints and the crowd would oblige by screaming the lyrics to everything he came up with. When the night was winding down, they brought out some close friends i.e. Sadat X, Craig G and Easy Mo Bee. Sadat performed a two minute acapella. Craig G did a verse from Droppin’ Science. And Easy Mo Bee? He showcased his beatboxing skills a bit. Did I forget to mention who the DJ was? None other than Teddy Ted from the Awesome 2.

All in all, it was a dope performance. Hopefully, Nice & Smooth will bless the fans more often with their live shows. As always, I was able to record some video so check back soon. Or visit grandgoodtube if you can’t wait that long.

grandgoodtube

see also:
Nice & Smooth in Brooklyn, NY (12/22, 10pm)