De Sleazy Listening Tour met J-Zone, Louis Logic en Vakill kwam tijdens de Europese tour ook langs Nijmegen. Een veelbelovende line up zou je denken maar werd het dan ook een dope avond? (Tekst: Engels)
Hitting a show in Nijmegen for the first time, I knew that this shit would be hype. I could base my thoughts on two things. First of all, Non Phixion performed on the same stage one evening before and apparently it was bananas. Secondly, people who are deprived of hiphop concerts in a place like Nijmegen would be jumping up and down to see these 3 special men from the states. Boy was I wrong!
It is understandable that not everyone came for the headliner J-Zone because he performed in the Melkweg around two months ago, but having artists like Louis Logic and Vakill perform in your hometown is something not everyone gets to experience. Therefore I thought that the place would be filled, but I was wrong. There really weren’t enough people in the crowd and that disappointed me.
The evening started out with DJ Equal spinning, and I was surprised by the lack of skills this man possessed. The man really couldn’t mix well and was constantly going offbeat. Hopefully this would not be the way the show was carried out.
Finally it was time and the energetic host Rauf announced that the show would start. The first of the three MC’s to perform was Vakill. Having heard dope 12"s like “End of Days”, I expected a good show from the man who has been known to work with great producers. When hitting the stage with Fat Joe’s “Lean Back” I just wanted to get the hell out of there. Why were these underground heads always resorting to doing commercial beats on stage? I don’t get it… I mean, that’s taking the easy way out. Ofcourse you will get them to jump around by using such beats, but real skill and talent lies in the art of making the crowd jump to YOUR music. That’s what’s important…
The set continued with Vakill rapping over his own vocals… Then it struck me.. Fat Joe beats, rapping over vocals, not having the right beats = this man must have forgotten his set cd at home. After two more tracks that were executed in a mediocre way, Vakill explained that his luggage got lost and therefore he didn’t have the stuff he needed. Then he went on to explain that he wouldn’t give up like others would and he still kept on giving a show. Once again, this statement had me thinking…. These MC’s get payed per show and instead of just hanging around backstage, Vakill took the initiative to rap over his own stuff or other artist’s instrumentals. Now is this really fair to the crowd? I don’t think so. If I am a customer who has paid to watch a dope hiphop show, I expect to see one. Vakill is a dope mc, don’t get me wrong. His acapellas were great but it wasn’t a “concert.” It was something slapped together in the last second to be able to say “I performed, pay me” at the end of the evening.
Louis Logic hit the stage with his DJ Equal (who showed a better performance this time) and LL’s great articulation on stage along with his theatrical performance really made it enjoyable to watch. Louis had the crowd participating with tracks like Coochie and Diablos. He also went on to explain a story about a girl he wanted to meet but he was on the wrong side of the metro station. He decided to get a female out of the crowd (who of course was wearing a HIJS shirt!) and rapped his story to her. LL also went on to show how dope a singer he is. This man spat a song which would even make Brace jealous. Damn, what a voice. Definitely the highlight of the evening, be sure to check out Louis Logic next time he is in town.
If you went to the 10 Years Fatbeats party in Amsterdam, then you have seen the exact same set that J-Zone performed in Nijmegen. There really isn’t much more explaining to do because it was 100% the same. You can refer to my previous review of Jzone to see what I thought of it. This show was dope as well but it would have even been better if there was a bigger crowd. Shame on you Nijmegen!
Overall, a memorable evening thanks to Louis Logic and J-Zone (if you had not seen him before). I doubt that J-Zone and Vakill will be coming back any time soon but a little bit of insider info from uncle Bora to the wonderful HIJS readers: Louis Logic is planning on coming back to Holland on a tour with….. with…. wiiiith…. ATMOSHPERE! Boo-yah malakas!
Fixtures:
Hoogetepunt: Louis Logic
Dieptepunt: Vakill rapping over vocals
Bier: 2,50 euro for a bottle of Hertog Jan
Toilet: Gratis
Garderobe: Gratis
Foto’s: Ja
Geluid: Good
Publiek: Half Full
Damage: 12,50 Euro
Cijfer: 8
