KRS-ONE: REAL HIP-HOP IS OVER HERE
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At 6.45pm, on what was an unusually cold Saturday night, there was still 15 minutes until the doors of The Studio opened to KRS-One. The line was already the length of a city block.
People had arrived early to secure a spot at what promised to be a landmark performance, and had created a melting pot of fans, young and old alike.
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And if the audience is in any way indicative of the character and ability of the performer, the sheer diversity and passion of KRS-One’s support speaks volumes of the man dubbed ‘The Teacha’.
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As the doors opened and people began flooding into The Studio they were made welcome by the clean-cut sound of DJ CXL. The 2003 NZ DMC champ threw down a flawless set blended with his own dynamic scratching and flare. It seemed somewhat strange to have such a prominent artist so early in the night, but regardless of timing the appreciation of his skill was obvious.
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After a short solo set CXL was joined on stage by K-One and Tyson Tyler. They performed a few remixed and original tracks to a steadily gathering crowd, and by the time Tyson called the Debt Collectors to the stage the club was nearing capacity.
The Debt Collector boys held their own - the MC work of Genocide, Godmode and Sammy Gallows showed that while they may not be at the fore of NZ hip-hop, they are definitely major players and more than capable of mixing alongside their more publicised counterparts.
As they left the stage to widespread applause, DJ Sir-Vere took to the decks and spun a solid set of his classic, hip-hop tracks preparing the crowd for the arrival of HEDLOK, more commonly known under their individual monikers of King Kapisi and Che Fu.
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Throwing together a heavy-hitting collection of remixes and original material, theirs was an impressive set. HEDLOK was joined by a notable line-up featuring artists such as DJ’s Manuel Bundy and DLT, and the surprise appearance of Daniel Haimona otherwise known as the lead singer of the band Dam Native.
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It was an impressively choreographed set combining the lyrical styling and turntable work of the talented Kapisi and Che Fu. Their set came to a close with a three-way DJ battle between DJ’s Bundy, Fu and Kapisi and the stage was set for the arrival of the man who has been called by many ‘the best emcee ever.’
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HEDLOK and their special guests left the stage to raucous applause and DJ Sir-Vere threw together another set of beats before KRS-One’s own DJ took to the tables. The response was immediate. The quintessential selector threw down track after track of heaters, ranging from A Tribe Called Quest to Gang Starr and everything in between.
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“Ya’ll ready out there?” came a voice from somewhere backstage, before a deafening applause saw members of the Ngati Whatua tribal authority perform a Powhiri. “WHAT’S UP NEW ZEALAND?!” he screamed fighting to be heard over the equally impressive noise of the crowd.
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For the following hours KRS was the puppet master, pulling all the strings; the crowd hanging on his every word. The musical genius combined spoken-word poetry with the most famous lines of all great hip-hop tracks, punctuating his well known tracks with orchestral free-styling.
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KRS’ wealth of skill and knowledge shone past the persistent technical difficulties and poor stage planning, to showcase a powerful performance of hip-hop. With any critics silenced, KRS-One once again proved the adage that hip-hop is indeed still alive and well.
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