Before going to see Philly Slick perform there the previous Friday, I’d never been to the place before. But I have to say that it’s one of Philly’s doper new spots — even though it’s location in University City seems to unfairly stereotype it as your typical college sports bar. I can definitely see it becoming a magnet for underground talent after it’s gotten a little more room to breathe and build it’s reputation. The So Motivational Tour couldn’t have picked a better spot to launch.
I had the pleasure of catching the end of local MC Kuf Knotz’s performance as I arrived. Maybe it was the dreds and the skater-ish clothes, but I think it was more the organic sound that brought MURS to mind while listening to Kuf’s set. He performed with a full band (which always gets points in my book) and he managed to bring the still relatively thin crowd into the act before exiting the stage. It was around this time that I stepped out to take care of certain business matters. Not sure exactly how much time passed, but I remember a 7-11 stop and a short cruise around the block being involved.
When I stepped back in the place was packed — or at least it seemed to be when I got to the bar. Everybody seemed extra-animated and lively. I felt like I was in a Justin Bua painting.
I slid down to the stage to take some photos as soon as Big Pooh went on. I’m still pretty hit or miss with the SLR, so the only one I’ve included is the one up top. It wasn’t long before my battery died, so I took a break and watched Joe Scudda impress the shit out of me by spitting his heart out during his little mini-showcase within Pooh’s set. Apparently I’ve been sleeping on a certain melanin-less MC.
I still had the camcorder at this point, but I decided to take a minute to sit and fully enjoy Tanya Morgan’s performance before I went up to take video. With the help of the crisp new sound system that the Blockley boasts, their perfectly enunciated rhymes came through loud and clear above the powerful yet balanced bass. It’s apparent when you hear their records, but watching them perform makes it even clearer that they learned many a valuable lesson from the greats. They finished each others’ lines without misstep, trading bars and stage positions like pros as they tore through a nice chunk of Brooklynati.
The Money Making Jam Boys were met with a roar when they came out to close the show. Even with Black Thought missing from the line-up, the set was on point. There was definite organization to it, but it also had the unique quality of almost coming off like a casual cypher in the park. The DJ threw the beats on and they spat — hard. Plain and simple. But don’t believe me, watch for yourself. All I know is that mixtape of theirs is long overdue. Thankfully it should be dropping any day now.
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