Hip-Hop Live Tour: Rakim, Ghostface, Brother Ali (November 2, 2007 AHH.com)

http://allhiphop.com/stories/reviewsmusic/archive/2007/11/02/18827153.aspx

November 2, 2007
By, N'neka Hite

Hip-Hop is dead is a catchphrase with too much of a shelf life, but one mid-west rhyme sayer and two rap legends came to LA and proved that slogan wrong. Ghostface Killah, Rakim, and Brother Ali, put on a Hip-Hop show with a live band. All three artists touched the crowd with performances alongside The Rhythm Roots Allstars kicking off their19 city tour at House of Blues in Hollywood Monday night (Oct. 29) and in Long Beach, CA on Halloween night (Oct. 31) at The Vault. Both spots were packed to full capacity, representing true Hip-Hop as the crowd spit bars over the music played by the 10-piece ensemble.

Minneapolis bred Brother Ali opened the tour with his set of thought provoking tracks but gave all respect to the legend that he says influenced his lyrics, Rakim. “He’s one of the greatest MC’s that ever did this,” Brother Ali said. While Ali garnered his share of love, the crowd went bananas over the tours headliners.

The following performance by Ghostface Killah, whose new album Big Dough Rehab is forthcoming, gave the crowd that ill NY flavor with hits both throwback and new. After a heartfelt tribute to O.D.B., Ghost brought a bevy of beauties onstage with him to complete his set with hits like “Back Like That” and “Nutmeg” performing the last two songs like a live music video.

Rakim brought the most heartfelt performance. You could see that the crowd definitely missed what he brings to the mic. His forthcoming effort Seventh Seal due early next year was not mentioned during this show. Not having an album since 1999 and onstage without a crew, he gave concertgoers a nostalgic excursion through the lyrical dimensions in Hip-Hop. Ra spit throwback classics like, “I Aint’ No Joke,” “Microphone Fiend,” and “Follow The Leader” showing that the truth in music never dies.

The show was complete and lacked nothing. Coming to a city near you true Hip-Hop heads can witness further evidence that Hip-Hop lives.


You can check out concert footage online at www.flow.tv

The Best of E-40 Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow: The Videos (August 15, 2007 AHH.com)

Publish Wednesday, August 15, 2007
http://allhiphop.com/stories/reviewsdvd/archive/2007/08/15/18421723.aspx

By, N'neka Hite

If music videos could outline the evolution of a true west coast star from slangin’ mixtapes out of the trunk to making hot R&B chicks like Cassie go star-struck, the DVD, The Best of E-40 Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow: The Videos (Jive/Legacy) defies the theory that rappers don’t grow. Beginning with a blast through the past the DVD rounds out the set of fifteen gangsta, rhyme-spittin’, ebonics laced mini-movies that for the longest time only 40-water could decode is a light weight masterpiece.

Bay Area heavyweight E-40 takes us back beginning in 1994 with joints like “Captain Save A Hoe”, “Carlos Rossi”, and “Sprinkle Me”, featuring Suga-T. Watching the DVD is like watching music video documentary. You see the initial videos that sparked the buzz that is still a flutter with Flashin’. The guns, mayhem, and gangster themed videos like “Sideways,” featuring B-Legit and Mac Shon, show just how far the game has gone in a different direction.

Many may attribute E-40’s success to the constant creativity in his delivery and saucy lyrics, and that is apparent when witnessing the evolution of a true Hip-Hop superstar. The vibe of his music throughout the years remains consistent. Even the throwback hit “Automatic” featuring Fabolous struck a chord and just when you though 40 couldn’t get any hotter you see the true essence of creativity with his more current contributions, most of which unfortunately are left off of the DVD.

In a career that has spanned over ten years one would only ask why did they cutoff the videos at 2004 when some his hottest tunes (i.e. “Tell Me When To Go”) came immediately afterwards? Nevertheless, The Little Richard of rap music does it again for his loyal fans. The Best of E-40: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: The Videos serves as Hip-Hop history worth seeing.