The rap lover I am, I have attended many rap concerts. Unfortunately, I am usually disappointed. Something about the Genre and live performances don’t mix. Is it perhaps the relaxed nature of rap? Is it not worth gathering for? I can’t quite pin down what exactly it is that makes rap concerts lack luster in comparison to other genres such as heavy metal, dance or rock music. This article is going to explore the top 5 live rap performances captured. Being in ‘lock down’ with good old COVID-19 running rampant in my home town I thought it might be nice to reminisce over some live performances that were a stand out in the rap world.
- ‘Up in Smoke Tour’
The ‘Up in Smoke Tour’ The Up in Smoke Tour was a West Coast hip hop tour in 2000 which was headlined notably by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Eminem, Proof, Nate Dogg & Kurupt. Neil Strauss, covering the tour for The New York Times in July 2000, gushed: “Musically and visually, the tour — full of explosions, elaborate sets, and videos — has set a new standard for live rap spectacles.” The concert was trailblazing with rappers in their prime, promoting a life of excess and hoisting rap up into the clouds.
2. DMX Live at Woodstock 99
Dmx Performed in front of a ridiculously big crowd at Woodstock 99 In Rome, New York. 400,000 were said to have attended over the four days. X had thousands upon thousands singing along with his songs, predominately white people… belting out the ‘N Word.’ X was clearly impressed with the audience saying ‘This is good…. This is good…’ in amazement.
3. Ghostface Killah live in New York (B.B. King Blues Club & Grill)
This is an intimate concert with Ghosty ripping it up with his slingshot flow and charisma. One of my favorite concerts of all time. I would slap my own Julie to have been there. I love when ghostdeni moves into a slow beat to ‘size yall(the audience) up.’ Ghost goes into multiple meaningful rants throughout this concert, usually about the current state of music and over commercialization. Say ICE CREAM….
Rap World 