I got a call on Sunday afternoon from one of my boys. This call was not unusual because this particular friend often calls me on Sundays to find out if I feel like heading up to "Fatcaps and Shell Toes," a weekly Hip-Hop event at Harvest Moon Brewery in New Brunswick, NJ. As I was contemplating the decision, he informed me that the group Scienz of Life would be performing and I immediately knew I would be attending.

I arrived, paid my $5 cover charge and headed toward the bar to get a little "sauce." I greeted my boy, and took in the atmosphere which included, hip hop heads (male and female), "true school" hip hop sounds and the cipher of B-Boys, which is one of the unique and especially enjoyable attractions at "Fatcaps and Shell Toes." The combination of sensory stimuli had me eagerly anticipating the show.

First up was Marshall Law of the group Everliven Sound (www.everlivensound.com).  The New Jersey MC, who normally performs with his partner and brother Skit Slam (who I was familiar with from some of S.O.L.’s material) blessed the crowd with a solo set and definitely entertained those in attendance.  Over a mixture of original and familiar tracks, Marshall Law displayed the charisma, animation, lyrical skill and command of the crowd of a veteran MC. He was a definite added bonus to the show and the evening as a whole.

The Formulis (www.theformulis.com) then took the spotlight.  Made up of 3 MCs, Fenalm, Venomous and Phonetic, the Paterson, New Jersey collective performed a set of original songs and displayed their brand of consciousness combined with battle rhymes and clever punchlines.  

One of the notable aspects of their show was the production on their compositions.  As evidenced by the liner notes on their EP, the very hot tracks are self-produced and had the heads of the crowd nodding in unison throughout.  One of the highlights of their set was when each MC spit an acapella rhyme and all 3 showed their considerable lyrical ability.  The 3 MCs interacted well with each other and the crowd as they drew us in with their catchy hooks and ‘call and response’ choruses.  The Formulis were another enjoyable unexpected bonus to the show.

The final performers for the night were Sol Uprising/Scienz of Life.  Both monikers include brothers MC Lil Sci and MC/Producer ID4.  However, Sol Uprising, which appears to have sprung out of S.O.L., has the addition of vocalist/MC Stacey Epps with ID4 in his familiar production role.

The set mainly showcased the new music of Sol Uprising, which is some of the most refreshing music I have heard in some time.  Both Stacey and Sci took complete command of the crowd from the gate, and with a bed of smoothed-out, jazzy ID4 tracks, they rocked the entire capacity crowd.  The mixture of Stacy’s smooth vocal stylings and Lil Sci’s signature raspy flows gave the group a very unique sound that seamlessly blends together into one unified sound. Sol’s set was energetic and soothing at the same time as they ripped through tracks like “Solar Love” and “We Ourself & Us,” as well as many others.

Near the end of the performance were then treated to a 4 minute ‘off-the-head’ freestyle session by Scienz as Sci brought ID4 from the background to the forefront and they traded impromptu rhymes back and forth as they have done countless times before in their musical journey up to that night.  It was a great performance, and Sol Uprising and Scienz of Life seem to be headed for very big things in the VERY near future.  Stay Tuned.

Listen to “We Ourself & Us” by Sol Uprising

And visit their site at www.solvizion.com

Knowfrillz