On The Road with A Fly Guy #3

Photography by Leigh Ann Hines courtesy of Pitchfork Media

– The Pitchfork Music Festival • Chicago, IL.
A yo, what’s good, what’s hood, what dey do, peace to the Gods & Earths and all that other good sh*t. It’s been a minute since the BB Kings show. I got a little sidetracked with recording this SCHEMER mixtape [should already be completed at press time]. That’ll be uploaded in no-time for your downloading pleasure. In the meantime, if you haven’t done so yet, listen and download “The Schemer” teaser track, a few posts below this one. Back to business…
Saturday July 19th • JFK Airport • NYC • 4PM

Here we are: Me, Phil, The Last American B-Boy, & Al Doogie, sittin’ at JFK on a JETBLUE flight to Chicago for the Pitchfork Music Festival (side bar – remember that 2Pac joint that featured Kurupt, Redman, and Method Man, “I Got My Mind Made Up”…and Mef was like… “…Method Man catch me on tour with Al Doogie…,” life is funny, cuz now 12 years after listening to that joint, we got the same road manager, and I can say the same sh*t in my rhymes. Dope!). I start thinking…we bout to be in front of 20,000 people tomorrow. Five hours later, we’re still stuck on the runway and I’m like, WTF, this trip is not getting off to a good start. We were supposed to be in Chicago by 6pm; ended up landing around 11:30pm and missed the Rock The Bells sh*t Saturday night. F*ck it. Just gotta make sure we’re prepared for tomorrow, so we check into our hotel, rehearse the songs for the Pitchfork Festival, and talk about how we gonna smash it down.

Sunday July 20hth • Downtown Chicago • Union Park • 5PM

We [The Outfit] pull up to the park; Ghostface and Raekwon not too far behind us. It’s like that well known SOCA song echoes in my head, “..Whoa, LOOK AT PEOPLE!!!…”

I’m like, “Oh sh*t, they weren’t lying about it being sold out.” Just about 20,000 in attendance, roaring, cheering, for every act that comes on stage, and by us opening for Ghost & Rae, that’s puts us right in primetime. After we do the necessary meet & greets, and indulge in the catered food (and liquor), we’re escorted to the stage. Showtime. I ask the crowd if they’ re ready to see Ghost, Rae, and let them know that The OUTFIT is here. I don’t think I’ve ever heard screaming like this in-person. The beat to Phil’s joint “Coliseum” BOOMS from the sound system. Immediately the crowd is rockin’ with him. Me & The Last American fall back for a bit and watch Phil execute his rhymes wit poise and perfection. Then comes the beat for the crew joint “The Outfit,” and there I go… “Introducing the ICEMAN, F*ck you, I’m nice man…” It’s kinda difficult to maintain composure cuz my adrenalin is pumpin’. The press are right in front the stage so I make sure to give them the facial expressions their cameras are searching for, you know, that signature, rapper slash joe cool finger point pose….I’m bouncing back and forth from one side of the stage to the other, my Guyana flag waving from my back pocket and as I’m rhyming to the largest crowd I’ve graced thus far, in my mind I’m tryin’ to convince myself that these minutes are feeling like hours and savor every second up there. The beat drops out (on purpose) as The B-Boy starts to jump into it, and all the while you see a hands hands and more hands reaching to the sky. We stuck the crowd up and stole the love.

Next stop….Boston.
- A FLY GUY