Building the Better Concert

The other day, Dynamo and I braved a cold NYC winter and a late weeknight start time to go see J-Live in concert at the Mercury Lounge. It was one of the best decisions of the year; the concert was unbelievable. Usually at rap shows, I'm completely unimpressed by the opening act and the performers come out hours late. The sole show I've attended that started punctually was The Roots at Radio City Music Hall, which is an incredible venue.

Mercury Lounge is on the exact opposite of the size spectrum, which was good because I was right next to the stage, but bad cause some white kids who must've forgotten to shower or use deodorant that week kept knocking into me. Concentrating hard on Rabbi Darkside and the rest of 3rd Party's lyrics, I managed not to punch them. The trio, like J-Live, are all educators in the public school system; Farbeon is actually Rabbi's principal, while Hired Gun works at a different school. They all put it down hard, with intelligent lyrics and dope rhymes. The highlight for me was when J jumped off the stage and started rapping right next to me. He's been one of my favorite rappers since 2002, when I first heard "Satisfied," but I'd never seen him in concert. I also loved how Oddy Gato came back onstage along with a couple MCs from the audience to freelance with 3rd Party while J-Live spun. After the show, I copped all the albums I could, got "Always Will Be" signed and added more free stuff to my Jask shirt. "Building The Better Bomb," Rabbi Darkside's first album, has been on steady blast since then. If you like intelligent, yet catchy, hip-hop, you need to buy this.

For a much better and more cohesive review, check out Human Dynamo's page. Blurry cell phone photos, too!