Rock the Bells Recap - We Were There

When Rock The Bells 2008 pulled into the Merriweather Pavillion in Columbia, MD no one could have expected what was to come. The day started off hot with no sign of relief in sight until a mid day rain downpour right before the festival got underway at 12pm. With a roster that included Jay Electronica, Murs, Afrika Bambatta, The Cool Kids, The Outfit, De La Soul, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Rakim, Redman, Dead Prez, Methodman, Wale, Tyga, the reunion of The Pharcyde, Nas and A Tribe Called Quest amongst others. This is billed as the biggest concert in Hip Hop and rightfully so, of course Scheme Magazine had to be there to witness the historic event.

Scheme got there just in time to catch the mid point of the Raekwon and Ghostface performance which as they ran through their classic catalogue highlighted the chemistry they have showed time and time again on record. Long stay rap legends De La Soul then graced the stage giving a performance that any crowd would enjoy. With performance antics timed around Maseo’s cutting of the record that ended with Posdenous laid out on the floor with his mic in his hand the crowd went nuts. Redman and Method man also gave a notable performance, growing off of each others energy as each bar was spit. The duo performed classics such as “How High”, “I’ll be That” and “Bring The Pain”. Redman ever the showman doused the front row with water probably which came as a relief to concert goers in the heat all day.

The Merriweather had two stages for performances, the second one was on top of the hill where newly minted Schemer Rahsaan AKA A Fly Guy and his crew The Outfit gave an energetic performance winning over new fans with every song. At one point Rahsaan dumbed out for a 5 minute freestyle on the bet from a heckler in the crowd doubting his mic prowess. Word to wise, never doubt a Schemer baby, we do the impossible.

As the night started to fall upon the crowd the real action began to unfold. Coming fresh of the release of his highly controversial # 1 album in the country, Nasir Jones took the stage and demanded respect from the beginning. Ripping through new tracks like the scathing “Sly Fox” which blast Fox new’s based reporting, the uplifting “Hero” and classic joints like ‘Whose World is This”, “Life’s a Bitch”, “One Mic” and “Made You Look” Nas gave a passionate performance clocking in around 30 minutes.

After such an energetic performance by Nas, who at certain points I thought was going to pass out from the energy he was displaying, the tension started to build as we awaited A Tribe Called Quest to take the stage. As the sound men took extra long to prepare the groups equipment, the keyboardist and guitarist teased anyone who was listening close enough by playing notes from “Fall in Love” and “Look of Love” by Slum Village. As the crowd grew tireless waiting over 30 minutes for the Tribe performance, Rock The Bell’s Host Supernatural introduced Q-Tip who came out with a high level of energy and stage presence and maintained it well through out Tribe’s 60 minute plus set. Joining Q-Tip at the beginning was Mos Def who lent a hand more so moving the crowd for the first 4 tracks included a tribute to legendary producer Jay Dee, including the first single “Getting Up” off the Abstracts new album “The Renaissance” which features Q-Tip utilizing the Nice & Smooth pioneered double stacked slow flow. Then the real action began, Phife and Jarobi joined Q-Tip on stage and the fun began. Tribe ran through most of their classic catalogue including my personal favorite “Lyrics to Go”, “Sucka Nigga”, “Buggin Out” and “We Got The Jazz” to name a few. Providing hope of a full fledged Native Tongue reunion, Masceo of De La Soul was on stage for Award Tour. To my surprise, Phife delivered throughout the whole set, making me feel better because the last time I saw him perform he looked very frail from his battle with Diabetes. Virginia native Skillz and Jersey representative Redman also made appearances on stage with Tribe. As “Bonnita Applbaum” came on, I along with the whole crowd started two stepping from side to side on que with Q-Tips demand. As A Tribe Called Quest ripped through each track, with Tip hopping in the crowd, I felt renewed and refreshed with Hip Hop. Never once during the show was the crowd subject to oversized crews of people just standing on stage and screaming at the crowd, all of the artists came out and performed. Rock The Bells 2008 is one of the greatest hip hop line ups ever assembled for a concert, if you have a chance you need to catch it and be part of a historical event.