La Di Da Di We Like To Party Like It’s 1992-1995

Rock The Bells
Jones Beach
Aug 3rd

Dem bells were mos certainly rawked yesterday, as we spent 8ish alcohol-free long hours out on Strong Island taking in the rapper delights that ruled our white subURBAN adolescence: A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Method Man & Redman, Ghostface & Raekwon (so why again didn’t they play ‘Daytona 500’), De La Soul, Mos Def (taking a break from his illustrious acting career), the Pharcyde, etc, rapcetera. The performances ranged from OK (Nas was good, but he didn’t rule the world) to A-OK (Meth was more on fire than all the blunts lit up at the amphitheater) to Z-OK (why does De La always put on a lackluster show?), but there was a sense of unity between the acts as they all called for ‘peace’ and to ‘f%ck the police’. Good to know some things never change, like spreading mixed messages of love and hate

Outside of Afrika Bambaataa and the Zulu nation tearing it up on the second stage, no one main act stole the show, for it was a bunch of surprise guests that truly raised the the roof beam more than JD Salinger. It was mad killah to peep Jay-Z duet with Nas, and have EPMD, Keith Murray, Talib Kewli (joining Mos Def, duh), Bust Rhymes (we missed his scenario with Tribe cause we had to head home and watch the Zorn era come to life on DVR) and Slick Rick pop their heads out throughout the day, but the realiest and illiest manilliaist shiznits to fliztizlits were hands and thighs down hearing ‘nobody beats the’ Biz Markie electrify the crowd with a third of ‘Just A Friend’ and DJ Kool dusting off his go-go classic ‘Let Me Clear My Throat’ as we tried to clear our own smoke encrusted lungs. Those are two one hit-wonderful anthems that we’ve always wanted to hear live, but would never want to sit thru a whole Biz or Kool concert to make that dream a reality

So yer probably wondering about the dude in the picture above with the flannel turban and granny smith apple in his right hand, who looks like Randy from My Name Is Earl, right? Well, we’re still wondering about him too, as he was without a doubt the king supreme HIGHlight of the entire day. He never took a single bite of that apple or even bothered to remove it’s sticker. Wees thinks the apple was his environMENTALly-friendly equivalent of the devil horns. As if that wasn’t enuff to cement his status as coolest kid on the playground, he’d often run laps around the second stage’s standing area, only to return to where he was previously standing and continue on in is apple ‘hard’ core antics. Bless his soul, de la that is