Being a long time fan of the CunninLynguists since their debut record Will Rap for Food, and surprisingly having never seen their live show, I had huge expectations coming into this performance.  Rocking with rapper Homeboy Sandman, Blue Sky Black Death, and affiliate and often-collaborator Tonedeff (pictured below), the CunninLynguists had quite a bit of opening performers to ready up the crowd. While some of the sets felt a bit long (such as Homeboy Sandman’s and Blue Sky Black Death’s which I will get to later), ultimately, the CunninLynguists delivered. Given the departure of one of the Lynguists’ members—the always ill Mr. S.O.S. (departed half a decade ago but still on the QN5 label)—left CunninLynguists with Natti, Deacon and Kno with DJ Flip Flop spinning the mentals on his Serato console. In addition to S.O.S’s absence and featured guests (primarily from Southernunderground) a chunk of standout tracks went missing, such as some of my favorite tracks “Thugged Out Since Cub Scouts” and “Southernunderground” made no appearance (as it were Natti could’ve taken up S.O.S.’ verses much like they did later with Masta Ace and “Seasons”).  Even their most famous and iconic track “Lynguistic” from their debut record was surprisingly cut short. This however, should not be read as a condemnation for the current “iteration” of the CunninLynguists. It’s just an observation that S.O.S.’s absence was felt. For veteran fans there is surely an emptiness and incompleteness. Considering my expectations, it definitely took some getting used to. Not too much though.
Moving forward. Consistent and well-versed, Deacon and Natti (and DJ-producer-rapper) Kno demonstrated a lot of versatility and energy on and off the mic. The current trio performed tracks from their more recent records such as A Piece of Strange with cuts like “Since When?” and “Hellfire”, sure hits with the fans. These came at the beginning, following the always-dope “K.K.K.Y.” from the phenomenal Dirty Acres, prompting the whole crowd to sing along Deacon and Natti’s verses. Songs like “Dance for Me” also made an appearance in addition to older gems like “Dirty South” and “Mic Like a Memory.” Kno also performed some tracks off his newest record Death is Silent with the talented and underrated Tunji on “Rhythm of the Rain.” It’s definitely my favorite track off of his solo record. Given their large and robust catalogue, their thorough and extensive set reflected this by performing songs old and new, from just about every one of their releases.
Titled the Oneirology tour, after their most recent record, the CunninLynguists performed tracks from that record as well such as “Enemies With Benefits” which then prompted Tonedeff (who’s featured on the track) to return onstage to perform. Clocking in at about an hour and a half, the CunninLynguists truly gave a lot of energy on stage, varying their selections, their performance style and having some interactive moments with Kno playing a ‘name-that-song’ game with a couple of folks in the audience. The end result turned out to be a 2-2 tie, with the last song guess being split, upon which Kno tossed out the whole contest (which was an obvious playful challenge) and continued to rock which I recall was “Seasons”, featuring Masta Ace and produced by the one and only RJD2. Above image is of Deacon the Villain himself (with a dope L.A. shirt) spittin’ flows to “Seasons.” Second image (below) is of Natti having some fun with the heads in the audience during “Hellfire.”
Hip-hop is alive and well. The CunninLynguists prove that. Primarily orchestrated by Kno the rapper-DJ slash hype man, they kept up a great atmosphere enjoying positive feedback and audience involvement throughout their sets. After a 10 minute break period, DJ Flip Flop spend some time playing with the tables keeping the audience tuned into the ongoing stream of hip-hop music. After this brief intermission, to our surprise—the CunninLynguists didn’t come out. Bewildered and confused, Kno (or was it Tonedeff?) came out solo to introduce Blue Sky Black Death. Already 1:30am, Blue Sky Black Death (who are a surprisingly talented hip-hop electronic outfit) presented some of their work from their new record Noir in addition to a brilliant a medley reconstruction of some Wu-Tang classics. Unfortunately, it was way to late for ‘pensive’ music, so to speak, so many of the audience members walked out or stayed and showed little enthusiasm for this end-of-the-night performance. What a way to construct a show: leave the most heady material at the end. No disrespect to Blue Sky Black Death but they lost about three quarters of the audience that stuck around until the end of the CunninLynguists’ set. Seems as if Blue Sky Black Death might’ve overslept and missed their chance to go on earlier. Regardless of this less than stellar ending, the show was great and showcased the continued relevance of the CunninLynguists and the Southern hip-hop aesthetic they bring. Separated from the mainstream sound of the South, CunninLynguists are in a class of their own only rivaled by the geniuses of Outkast, Cee-Lo and the whole Dungeon Family crew. Keep up the good work, and I expect more solid records beyond Oneirology. Keep up the good work, fellas. Out.
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