Grown Folks Hip-Hop: MF DOOM, Brother Ali & Hangar 18 @ B.B. King’s Blues Bar & Grill, NYC, 11/24/04	By Knowfrillz

During the cab ride up to 42nd Street destined for Blues legend B.B. King’s famed establishment on my way to see the best MC on the planet earth at this particular moment in the Hip-Hop timeline, MF DOOM, I had no idea my life in Hip Hop would be changed forever. As I arrived and headed down to the main space of the venue below asphalt of the busy Times Square locale, I was greeted by a fairly empty room. I was early – very early. But I had planned it that way ahead of time. I approached the maitre d’ and asked for a table. I was then whisked across the room where I was seated in a perfect location to enjoy a clear view of the show. I ordered a small meal, a bottle of Riesling and waited for the show to start as I bobbed my head to the sounds of the two DJ sets and rapped along with many of my favorite Hip-Hop tunes of the past few decades. Yes, this was a Hip-Hop show and I was on some grown-@ss man sh!t.

By the time the show started, the crowd was thick; made up of what looked to be an average college campus in 2004 with the exception of the sparse female and Black populous in attendance. But this is what Hip-Hop shows of this caliber have become; “coffee shop chicks and white dudes.” But from my bird’s eye view with wine glass in hand, it was as if I was watching a television show in the comfort of my living room.

First up to bat was the self-proclaimed “sexiest group on the Def Jux label”, Hangar 18. Up until that night, I had never heard of them, but they definitely made a lasting impression on me. NY MCs Alaska and Windnbreez along with their DJ and producer, DJ paWL, “The Hangar” spit entertaining rhymes filled with drunken tales and clever lyricism with a fervor and exuberance that was contagious. It did not take long before the entire crowd was caught up with their stage presence and microphone adeptness as displayed on songs like “Barhoppin’” and “Go Get That.” They were truly a welcome surprise and I look forward to seeing them again.

The show then took an enjoyable 180° turn with Minnesota MC and Rhymesayers crew member, Brother Ali. After hearing his album “Shadows On The Sun” last year, I knew I was in for a treat. When one thinks of Minnesota, dark tales of city life do not immediately come to mind. But that was the reality of the albino MC who rocked the crowd with a mixture of bass pounding tracks and conscious lyrics. His set was highlighted with his finale of an acapella rhyme written in the form of a letter to The Source magazine where he details the struggle and frustration of being an “underground” artist trying being shut out by media outlets because of the corporate structure that is the music business in this day and time. Ali was a truly memorable and entertaining to all in attendance.

The crowd was then greeted by a welcome surprise in the form of longtime collaborator and brother in music to DOOM, MF Grimm. When the wheelchair bound MC took the stage, the crowd went wild. Joined on stage by Stronghold member Poizen Pen, Grimm aka Jet Jaguar did a short 3-song set that displayed his prowess on the microphone. And when DOOM joined him on stage to begin his set, the two embraced which was a welcome site to all fans and dispelled all rumors of conflict between them.

But after METAL FACE DOOM took the stage, it was his crowd and his crowd alone. Armed with his brother as hypeman and a DJ, the masked MC wasted no time in ripping the microphone to shreds for more than 60 minutes. At a DOOM show, there are no bells and whistles. It is a pure form of Hip-Hop that is becoming more and more of a lost art. The man takes the stage and let’s his “music take control.” The frenzied crowd sang along with his intricate rhymes word for word as he ran through selections from all of his projects that span his various MC personas. As each track dropped, an accompanying roar from the crowd immediately followed as DOOM, with one of the clearest microphones of any performer I have ever seen live, spit his signature mixture of obscure pop culture references, hilarious clichés and unusual word usage that render his head-nodding and often peculiar sounding beats useless for any other MC who would even dare to try and follow him on one of his tracks. And all the while, his mask never leaves his face. It is truly a one of a kind experience.

So as I sipped the last few drops of my Riesling, it occurred to me that it was appropriate that my first “Grown Folks Hip-Hop” experience would be an MF DOOM show. He is “Grown Folks Hip-Hop” personified. I realized at that moment that while most of the crowd was under the age of 23, the vast majority of them don’t truly understand his music because they are too young. How many 20 year olds could understand that the line “’My Posse’s on Broadway’ like ‘Mama I Want To Sing’” is a reference to Sir Mix A Lot’s first hit song back in 1990 and a Black Broadway stage play that ended before most of them could even talk (yeah, he gets that deep).

So as I paid my dinner bill, and exited the venue, I looked through the exiting crowd, and sprinkled here and there were other “grown folks” who had been fans since DOOM’s KMD days. And as we passed each other, glancing and smiling, I felt a kinship and comfort in knowing that there are other “grown folks” who love Hip-Hop the way I do. And I now realize that the ONLY way to really enjoy a show is with a plate of catfish and a bottle of wine; they way B.B. King intended.