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Thursday, July 1
The Streets
+ Dizzee Rascal
Irving Plaza
Hip-hop is dying of unorigniality. Jay-Z is jamming with Phish and his Black Album has been mashed-up with everything short of Soul Asylum's Grave Dancer's Union. But there's a truly unique voice coming straight outta the UK, who's breathing some new life into this fading genre. And that voice belongs to nun udder than Mike Skinner of The Streets. The dude basically talks about eating KFC and "birds, not bitches" over some of the illest na-na beats you ever did hear. Sorta like a cross between a stoned Henry Rollins and a less jaxxy Basement Jaxx. Now Mr Skinner's music isn't eggzactly for everyone, but then again, neither is munching on grundle-reeking foie gras.
Me and the Newbs were royally treated to a non-stop throw ya fingaz in the air-a-thon. As we both remarked, probably one of the most unrelievable hip-hop shows wees ever did peep. Mikey Skins brought along a bassist, a DJ, a drummer, and his umcredible backing vocalist, and it truly made all the difference. Every song they pounded out sounded even better than they do on the records... which is usually quite the opposite for live hip-hop shows. There were no "rhubarb and custard verses" to be found at last night's sha-blam-a-zam-zam. Highlights included the weepy "Dry Your Eyes", rolling "Fit But You Don't Know It", intense "Turn The Page", and o course, the bouncy "Lets Push Things Forward." How apt a song for a guy who's eggzactly doing that. Hip-hop has 99 problems, but The Streets aint one.
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