Taking the short trip to Boulder to see a show always comes with a lot of nostalgia for me. This time it was on a mild Wednesday night, and The Hill was alive with students going about their mid-semester business - many heads were buried in books while others were looking to blow off a little steam. After a nostalgic meal at Half Fast Subs, I headed up 13th Street and lined up behind mostly college age concert goers to enter the Fox Theatre. It took me back a few years, reminding me of when I first started listening to the music I was about to see. It was definitely fitting to see this show in Boulder, as the music featured in this show was a large part of the soundtrack to my life when I lived there.
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| Kosha Dillz |
The night began with an opening performance from New Jersey rapper Kosha Dillz. With the help of crowd-pleasing beats and plenty of swagger, Kosha Dillz was able to engage the early crowd with a high energy and humorous opening performance. This multi-cultural Israeli American rapper showed he can provide steady, memorable raps that create crowd participation while also laying down some quality, witty freestyle rhymes. Whether he was coming up with clever flows for random objects placed on stage by audience members, or getting the crowd to laugh and dance along to songs like "Sweatpants Song", he kept the energy level high and got the audience ready to party.
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| Prime Element |
Up next was Denver's own Prime Element, a local underground do-it-yourself style hip-hop group. This trio consisted of A.V.I.U.S. (MC), Es Nine (hype man, production), and DJ Cysko Rokwel (turntables). Together they create energetic hip-hop that pays homage to the storied history of the genre while delivering a fresh, upbeat, dynamic performance. Their sound seems to have a lot of west coast influence, but does encompasses elements from the genre as whole, bringing about that classic hip-hop sound. The production was solid, the rhyming came out fluid, and the DJing encompassed the essence of hip-hop.
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| Prime Element |
Before A.V.I.U.S. and Es Nine came out on stage, DJ Cysko Rokwel set up behind the decks and showed off his DJ mixing skills. He played an eight minute introductory set that displayed DMC worthy cutting, scratching and beat juggling skills. He spliced in a little bit of everything - soul, funk, hip-hop and even a little bit of the Gorillaz. Then the stage lit up as A.V.I.U.S. and Es Nine emerged from back stage. As A.V.I.U.S. commanded the microphone, Es Nine conducted crowd participation. They did a phenomenal job at getting the crowd into their music, building up energy throughout their set and getting the crowd to explode with excitement by the time it was for the headlining act to perform.
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| People Under The Stairs |
When it was finally time for the headliners to hit the stage, People Under The Stairs came out to an already well-hyped crowd. The duo of Thes One and Double K burst onto stage with a wave of energy only a pair of veteran performers like them could possess, taking crowd excitement to soaring heights. Since People Under The Stairs now have eight albums under their belt, I was curious how they would mix up their sizable music catalog. Would it be mostly new material or a mix of everything? I suppose the experience of years of touring helped shaped their decision, as People Under The Stairs seemed to know exactly how to do it best.
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| People Under The Stairs |
People Under The Stairs exploded onto stage with the performance of the leading track off of their new album
Highlighter called "Selfish Destruction". From there they went backwards into their catalog, selecting their best laid back party anthems along the way. Their seventh album
Carried Away came next with a performance of "Trippin' At The Disco". Then "Step Bacc" and "Up Yo Spine" from their sixth album
Fun DMC kept the crowd live. By the time they got to "Tuxedo Rap" from their fifth album
Stepfather, things started to kick into overdrive.
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| People Under The Stairs |
They cut out of "Tuxedo Rap" and into a Double K beat box and Thes One freestyle. Then they went back to one of their latest hits, breaking out some 40-ouncers on stage as they performed "Beer". Those in the front row got a bit of a beer bath as Thes One showered himself with a little brew while Double K sprayed the crowd with beer champagne style. Then People Under The Stairs started performing a collection of some of their classic tracks and live call-and-response hooks in a medley style.
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| People Under The Stairs |
For the next handful of songs, they mixed in classics from their earlier records spliced with some things they only perform at live shows. On top of that, they also added bits and pieces of songs that are almost like remixes, but got the crowd involved by reciting catchy choruses, both from their own songs and other classic hip-hop tracks. Everything came to a peak when they ended on two of their most loved songs, the iconic "Acid Raindrops" from
O.S.T. and "San Francisco Knights" from
The Next Step.
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| People Under The Stairs |
Of course, a crowd as wild and hyped as was in the Fox Theatre that night didn't want the party to end there. All night long People Under The Stairs had been expressing how much they loved Boulder and Colorado, and the crowd seemed to feed off of that love. So when People Under The Stairs left the stage, the crowd expressed their love back by stomping their feet and cheering "People! People! People!" so that they would come back to the stage and perform one more song.
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| People Under The Stairs |
People Under The Stairs felt the love, returning to the stage for a little bit more. Before they broke into their encore song, Thes One motioned for the crowd to keep chanting, and the beat-maker went to work on a sampler pad laying down a tight kick-and-snare beat to the rhythm of the people's chanting, essentially turning the call for encore into a song on its own. Then they exploded into one of their latest tracks, "Too Much Birthday" to end the night, further emphasizing the party atmosphere and making everyone in the venue feel like it was their special day.
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| People Under The Stairs |
This People Under The Stairs show had all the right ingredients. For long time fans like me, it was the perfect balance of new material and old favorites - showing that they still have what it takes to make fresh tracks with their characteristic sound but also an understanding of all the great songs that keep propelling their careers. I'm sure they earned a lot of new fans too in their all ages crowd, thanks to their ability to get the crowd involved early and often, making sure everyone in the building has a great time.
People Under The Stairs are a true force in hip-hop - creative and talented hard working artists with a do-it-yourself attitude that keeps them afloat. If you are a fan of hip-hop and somehow haven't seen this group, I suggest you do so immediately. Lucky for you, they perform again in Denver tonight at the Summit Music Hall. The doors to the Summit Music Hall show open at 8:00PM. This all ages show is $20 and tickets are
available online here.
