Bristol Academy

Two of the most influential hip hop acts hit Bristol’s Carling academy in a week but although both hold legendary hip hop status Public Enemy and De La Soul create quite different sorts of energy. Getting into PE was like boarding a plane having to empty pockets of shrapnel and walk past a metal detector whilst getting into De La was like entering a theatre to see one of the one of the oldest shows in hip hop history.

It’s a lot thinner on the ground than for PE but this only made the evening a much more special and intimate affair. The larger than life Bill Ray opened the evening with a classic one mc and one dj affair before Cardiff’s Me1 hit the stage for a dose of live hip hop Roots style. The infamous Dj Jaffa on the cut, enormous talent of Beatbox Fozzy accompanied by the unique Me1 sound left the stage well and truly warmed, for the New York hip hop legends, De La Soul.

It’s hard to believe that the iconic “3 feet high and rising” was released 20 years ago and those steering the good ship De La are still as up for it as they’ve ever been. From the minute the beat drops De La Soul bring their party to the Bristol crowd. Classic style hip hop stage banter “is the party over here?” bringing the head nodding academy gathering into voice to out do the those at the opposite side of stage. With such a back catalogue of classics you got the feeling there would be ones they’d miss but the set list was spot on. Classics like “me myself and I”, “Potholes in my lawn” and “Saturday” served as choice reminders that these were a group of New Yorkers largely responsible for the global spread of the hip hop.

Chuck D crowned Flavour Flav the “oldest teenager in the world” but after tonight’s show its clear there are another three that will definitely give him a run for his money in the shape of “Posdnuos, Dave, Maseo”. A high energy party set list built of tunes off almost all the album’s created an hour tour of some of the finest moments in hip hop being performed by the creators themselves to a more than happy academy audience of De La Soul faithfuls. The set is also filled with praise from the NY trio to all for the 20 years of support. It was the classic “Ring Ring Ring” that was to act as the curtain closer on a lesson of true hip hop and give everyone a last chance raise voice in respect for the Amityville three.

(It looks like there’s a residency in the Jazz Café on the cards in August, don’t miss it)

LEGENDS.

words by Neil