Mos Def's The Ecstatic Tour with Erykah Badu and Jay Electronica
September 4, 2009, Paramount Theater
Better Than: Hip-Hop Karaoke Night.
"No disrespect to any dudes who rap. But I'm a bad motherfucker."
Thus spake Mos Def.
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EKAphotography copyright 2009. all rights reserved
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The MC: Mos Def
The Brooklyn MC (and occasional big screen actor) wasn't just bamboozling the Oakland crowd who poured into the Paramount on a night halfway between summer and fall. Def really
is a bad motherfucker - not bad meaning bad, but bad meaning good.
Talent-wise, he's been in the upper echelon of hip-hop artists for well over a decade, since first being introduced to the world by
De La Soul on their
Stakes is High album, 14 years ago. His 1998 solo debut
Black on Both Sides is an acknowledged classic, though his recorded output over the last ten years has been somewhat sparse, with just two albums (
The New Danger and
True Magic) released prior to his 2009 offering,
The Ecstatic.
At this point, Mos is pretty much the consummate MC. He backed up his
braggadocio with a set which featured a dynamic stage presence, plenty
of verbal gymnastics, and even entered Michael Jackson territory at one
point, as Mos followed up a passable rendition of "Billie Jean" with a
moonwalking glide across the Paramount stage.
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EKAphotography copyright 2009. all rights reserved
But though his set began strongly, the momentum had begun to lag by the midway point, as Mos' numerous excursions into slightly off-key singing made some wonder if they had mistakenly bought tickets to hip-hop karaoke night. And though The Ecstatic has received favorable critical notices, the high notes in his live performance came mostly from older material. A medley of The New Danger's "Close Edge" and the song it draws inspiration from, Grandmaster Flash's "The Message," resonated more deeply with the crowd than anything off the new album. Twice, Mos reached back to the well-worn familiarity of Black on Both Sides, and both times, he was rescued by the assistance of Ms. Badu, who nailed the female vocal refrain on the classic "Ms. Fat Booty," and also pitched in for Mos' closer, "Umi Says."
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EKAphotography copyright 2009. all rights reserved
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On and On: Erykah Badu
Badu, in fact, may have been the baddest motherfucker onstage that night. Her performance easily outshone Mr. Def's, although things might have been different had Mos been accompanied by a full band, rather than two DJs/electronic button-pushers. Badu did have a band backing her, the Cannabinoids, which allowed for more musical interaction and made her performance seem richer and fuller.
Making a diva-like entrance to rapturous cheers, Badu channeled both
Barbarella and Diana Ross, contrasting her retro-Motownish appearance
with a minimalist, electronica-saturated Afrofuturist musical
aesthetic. Peppering adventurous new material with carefully-placed
past hits like "On and On" and "Love of My Life" - during the latter, a
tribute to hip-hop, she
rapped both AZ's verse from "Life's a
Bitch" and Ice Cube's verse from "Gangsta Gangsta" - she made it clear
that she's not only built up a body of work, but has continued to
evolve artistically (unlike many of her R&B/neo-soul peers).
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EKAphotography copyright 2009. all rights reserved
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Ms. Badu uses a tuning fork for an Afro pick
When Badu first emerged in 1997, some critics accused her of biting Billie Holliday (one of her primary influences). Twelve years, three albums, and numerous collaborations down the road, Badu has grown into her persona - there's no questioning her "-ism," her individuality, or her originality anymore. Unlike Lauryn Hill--who had a
disastrous Paramount meltdown a few years back--Badu succeeded in acclimating the crowd to esoteric new songs (from her forthcoming
New Amerykah Part Two) by being consistently engaging, both in her performance and in her onstage banter, when she dropped the diva mask to reveal the Texas roots underneath. Indeed, her set made it seem like Mos Def should have been her opening act, not the other way around.
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EKAphotography copyright 2009. all rights reserved
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Up-and-Comer: Jay Electronica
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EKAphotography copyright 2009. all rights reserved
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Up-and-Comer: Jay Electronica
Critic's Notebook: opening act Jay Electronica, who performed much of his set a cappella, displayed capable lyricism with plenty of personality and swagger. He may not be the savior of hip-hop, but he's definitely an artist to keep on the radar.
Personal Bias: Mos Def's New Year's Eve 1999 show at the now-defunct Justice League remains a high-water mark for live performance.
Observation: The Paramount Theater is not particularly suited for hip-hop shows. There's no dance floor, and sightlines aren't particularly good in the back of the venue, especially when people in front of you are standing up. Several times throughout the evening, I wished the show had been held at the recently-remodeled Fox Theater instead.
