By: Ben Mulhern
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Little Brother - Publicity photo from their website
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Little Brother brought their Southern circus to town, performing as the cream filling of a bill that also showcased opener Defari and headliners Dilated Peoples. First Avenue was not quite full; nonetheless, it featured a large, diverse crowd with peoples of differing shapes, sizes and colors.
Defari, a representative of Los Angeles' underground hip-hop scene, came out in baggy jeans and fresh Brown Timberlands and brought laid back flow combined with a nice use of the stage, pointing to all sections of the crowd to make sure they were in this veteran's corner. His beats and lyrics were vintage Californ-I-A, heavy on the bass, sunny summer melodies, stressing partying and avoiding drama: “Can't we all just get along/or is it fuck you Rodney King?” he wondered. Tracks like “Bar Work” and “Spell My Name” got the party moving, hands waving carelessly throughout the crowd.
Dilated Peoples, while holding a long career of making well-crafted songs on wax, were a little bit less impressive in concert, but enjoyable throughout. MCs Evidence and Rakaa took good control of the building, the former bouncing around the stage like a rubber ball, high-fiving front row dwellers. DJ Babu, a heralded record scratcher, was on the turntables for the crew as they burned through a set of old but mainly new tracks promoting their new release 20/20.
The evening, however, belonged to Phonte, Big Pooh, Darien Brockington, and guest star Joe Scudda of Little Brother. DJ/Beat-maker 9th Wonder was absent, but the rest of the group proved that they could shine without the help of their most well-known member.
The critics who are fortunate enough to have familiarized themselves with North Carolina hip-hop trio Little Brother have compared them to groups from the genre's early 90s golden age; saying that they are the second coming of A Tribe Called Quest is a bit generous, and a little off-base.
But it's not that off-base.
It was by no means a perfect set: the vocals were often drowning out the stellar beats, and it took them a song or two to really get in the pocket. But they recovered vigilantly, holding the audience in their tight grasp for the following forty-five minutes.
Phonte, their charismatic centerpiece, had an excuse for a slight lack of energy. “This afternoon, I was layin' up in the Hennepin County Medical Center, fighting through all kinds of stuff...but they got me on a mess of antibiotics. But I still decided to come through and play this show for y'all,” he said, which resulted in rambunctious cheers. “I been wanting to play this club ever since back in the day when I first saw 'Purple Rain'!”
Most of the set was dedicated to their September release, the excellent Minstrel Show. “Beautiful Morning” saw Big Pooh dominate with his large stature and smooth flow, while “Not Enough” exhibited newcomer Brockington's buttery vocals on the chorus: “I paid the cost and gave you my all/But you still want more.” Soon after, Phonte hushed the crowd so that Big Pooh could garner everyone's attention on the Tribe homage “Still Lives Through.”
Before you could count to five, the crew took First Avenue to a new level with their collective charm, launching into “Say it Again” and “Can't Stop Me” complete with choreographed dance moves and backed by catchy-ass beats a la 9th Wonder and Khrysis, respectively. Phonte proved the strength of this team with lines like “They say birds of a feather often flock together/but me and Big Pooh rock together.” The duo played off of each other flawlessly, echoing verses and moving in sync.
The highlight of their set was when Phonte began a clap, then sang “When Doves Cry” a cappella in a booming, throwback voice not nearly as good as Mr. Nelson's himself, but still entertaining. As Pooh sang the guitar lick and Phonte flailed on the ground, doing his best Prince shrieks in the process, which was met with roaring laughter. Soon after, they closed with the current single “Lovin' It,” bringing out Darien Brockington and Joe Scudda to help. They cut the beat at the song's conclusion, singing the chorus sans backup and swerving in a funky manner.
“Y'all gonna determine how it's gonna be,” Phonte said to the crowd. “If you gonna throw your hands up, get loud, god dammit, it'll be a live show. And if you want it to be like you're sitting in prayer group, that's the kinda show it's gonna be, god dammit!” From that point on they held court, hands never leaving the air from the pit area.
Location Info:
First Avenue
Artist Info: Defari, Dilated Peoples, Little Brother
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