Kool Keith stapte nu wel in het vliegtuig richting Amsterdam. De Melkweg was zo goed als uitverkocht en de vraag was of hij de show van de vorige keer kon evenaren (Tekst Engels).
The man had performed many times before in Holland. Whether it was in the Effenaar or other festivals, he was no stranger to the Dutch crowd. Therefore, heading over to the Melkweg I thought that it would be quite calm but I was very surprised when I saw that the venue was filled in every square meter.
Entering the scene, Evil E was spinning his records. A lot of people seem to dig this man, but in my opinion, he is quite uninspiring. From his vinyl selection to his mixing by lifting up the mixer and shaking it, it’s been the same show when I checked out an Ice-T concert almost two years ago. Nevertheless, the people digged it and cheered him on. Im telling you, its really hard to enjoy some things in life when you always have high expectations.
Kool Keith hit the stage with one of the members of the Analog Brothers and behind them was a quite peculiar individual. In the first instance I couldn’t make out what he was but then I noticed that it was a butler! Coming on stage with a suitcase, this gentleman then started serving drinks to the MC’s and DJ. A dope and different concept.
The set started in a hype mood and Kool Keith was oozing with experience while he was on stage. Clear and loud, the set continued with bangers such as “Ease Back” and Dr. Octagon joints. One point that was becoming quite annoying was the fact that Kool Keith kept on switching between the beats he was rapping on. Evil E would start a beat and Keith would say something like “nah, not that one” or “skip it E.” It was funny the first couple of times but got old really quick. It also made me wonder if the set was even practiced or done off the top of their heads. This then led to the undisputed low point of the evening. It came when the two MC’s, DJ, and butler decided to take a “porno brake.” Lasting up to around 10 minutes (a very long and frustrating time period for the audience) Kool Keith and his buddies would flip pages of different positions and show it to the people. Believe me, this was not as funny as it sounds.
It was dope to see that a lot of Ultramagnetic and Dr.Octagon tracks were being performed. One of the highlights was “Poppa Large” where a lot of the people were rapping along and nodding their heads. Other classics included “Two Brothers with Checks” and “Blue Flowers.” Its nice when an mc goes back to the old days instead of just promoting new releases.
It can be said that Kool Keith gave a good show but the indecisiveness of choosing beats and the porno break really took away from the performance. Otherwise, it was an event that a true oldskool head definitely should not have missed. Another point to be mentioned was that when Kool Keith told the audience that Brainpower was chilling backstage, the audience immediately started booing… No Further comment needed here.
I ended up the evening passing around flyers for the 5 Year HIJS party and almost got kicked out because the bouncer told me it was illegal to do so. Gently smiling, I handed over a flyer to Def P and Rudeboy, and made my way out of there.
Fixtures
Hoogetepunt: Poppa Large
Dieptepunt: Porno Interlude
Bier: 2 euro
Toilet: Gratis
Garderobe: 1 Euro
Foto’s: Ja
Geluid: Good
Publiek: Full House
Damage: 15 Euro + Lidmaatschap
Cijfer: 7
