IAME gets all hands up at the Calabash
When I got to the Calabash the house was already packed and in party mode. Big Daddy XL from the Fabulous Saturdays crew was hosting and made it known why we were all there: Flawless from Bad Habitat was celebrating his birthday and IAME was in the house. Local rappers, friends and people who just came out for dope jams filled the room.
Matriarx opened the night, two ladies who trade rhymes and sing soul harmonies. They don’t shy away from the label “conscious rap” and deliver straightforward positivity between sweetly sung choruses. It was a welcome event to see female emcees on the typically male dominated stage of a rap show. Though they just recently got together, their voices are strong and left me interested to know where they are headed.
Daps of Nightcrawlers brought out his new solo set that rips through stories of personal struggle, growth and world madness with a street perspective. Diction came out and swaggered through essay-like songs about politics and independent action. Jimmy Fontaine of Fabulous Saturdays kicked funny, braggadocious rhymes to drink along with, and Tru Game finally got the ladies dancing, with four guys on stage, trading smooth rhymes in between radio-friendly vocal melodies.
Flawless was killing it despite partying like it was his birthday. He rocked solo songs, then amped the crowd with his partners Trafek and Dru Manchu as Bad Habitat. These guys have a strong dynamic together, between harder verses and humor, and clearly they were having a great time throwing down for their crowd.
IAME took the stage and every rapper in attendance stood up to pay attention. Affiliated with both local crews Oldominion and Sandpeople, IAME is well-recognized for his standout voice. He has been grinding on stages much larger than the Calabash for long enough to immediately get in sync with a crowd – hands went up on his call and heads nodded along to the heavy beats. He rocked a mix of classic verses and songs as well as material off his new album I Am My Enemy. His style breaks it down hard but he doesn’t claim any false rep, and goes into detail about where he is from (Lake Oswego) and where his will to rap perfection has taken him. His lyrics are creative, funny, introspective and ready to party. “Heaven Metal”, a track he introduced from his new record, explains it fairly well: with 12 years of experience / and work I’ve earned my peers respect / I’m not perfect but I got the purest intent. A rappers rapper, IAME finished with a thank you and an invitation to join him on stage and freestyle, in a perfect show of support for the open platform that is Hip Hop.
No comments:
Post a Comment