As I walked in, 3 of the best female MCs in the city were commanding the stage as the crowd waved their hands in rhythm with the beat. From stage right, Adrift Da Belle tore it up. Rita J and Boog Brown had everybody in the audience ready to party by 10 o’clock. Meanwhile, back stage, Senor Kaos and his supporting all star cast were preparing for their set. After a warm round of applause for the first ladies of Atlanta hip-hop, D.R.E.S. the Beatnik came out to hype the people up for the fellas. Upon his intro, Kaos took the stage with the confident stride of an MC who knew his show was going to be hot. With DJ Grandman at his back, along with Flux on the other mic, the show started with a bang. He brought out 4-ize and Punchlyne and the show went up a level. Soon after… Killa Kalm stepped to the stage and took it up yet another level. The show continued to build as Kaos and friends rocked songs ranging from “Girls Rock Too” to “Automatic Classic”. He also rocked some joints from his new release, “Walk Softly and Carry a Big Brick”. It was a carefully crafted show full of pristine talent and well written songs. The participation of the large crowd was also impeccable.
Jax got a lot of love on this performance dedicated to his memory. In fact, when Brian Knott, the director of A3C, presented Lisa Thurston with a plaque honoring her late husband by dedicating the entire 2009 festival to his memory, you could truly feel the influence of this great man pulsing through the room. After admitting that he would not have a rap career without his mentor, Kaos asked the crowd to make some noise for the fallen local legend. The Icehouse reached its highest decibel level of the weekend. It seemed loud enough to reach heaven. I was blown away.
The festival has been a great experience. East Atlanta was a hip-hop lover’s heaven for three days as locals and people from across the land with a common passion came together. Hip-Hop is very much alive at the grass roots level, we just need to continue to keep our focus on our common desire, SUCCESS. We can help each other to achieve that by working together as we continue to rebuild the ATL underground hip-hop community.
Tags: 4-Ize, A3C, Binkis, Brian Knott, DJ Grandman, East Atlanta, festival, hip hop, Jax, music, Punchlyne, rap, Senor Kaos
