Hip Hop Legends Concert Recap: Slick Rick Headlined Throwback Extravaganza

By
Steven Ortiz
-

The Hip Hop Legends concert threw down last night at the B.B. King Blues Club and Grill last night (3/24) in Manhattan. Hosted by Funkmaster Flex, the evening started with Diamond D and ended with Slick Rick, with a little Boot Camp Clik in between in the form of Black Moon and Smif N Wessun & Rock from Heltah Skeltah, but no Sean Price.

Funkmaster Flex

Unbilled guests included A.G. who dropped some verses during Diamond D’s set, and Parrish Smith, of EPMD who also surprised the crowd and did some rhymes from the EPMD archives. Sadat X brought the house down with his verses from Brand Nubian, while Inspectah Deck came through with some Wu-Tang Clan verses, shouting out the Shaolin collective, promising that the Wu will “never break up”.

Parrish Smith

The packed house seemed to revel in these Golden Era tunes and DJ sets in between acts. The crowd was rocking with the energy like it was the early nineties all over again. Buckshot, the hardest working CEO in the rap game, is amazing live, truly an artist you must see to believe. 5FT came out, which was a surprise as this was the fourth time I’ve seen Black Moon live, but only the first time I ever saw him on stage.

Hip Hop Legends

Finally, it was made a show to remember as the Ruler, Slick Rick finished off with Lodi Dadi and a multitude of his classic hits from The Great Adventures of Slick Rick LP.

Slick Rick

Funkmaster Flex hinted at more Hip Hop Legends shows to come., and judging by the vibe of the crowd, the Golden Era lives on. These people are hungry for these shows and the veteran artists know how to deliver and provide a live hip hop performance fix. With a crowd that was completely into the evening, it just shows that the Hip Hop Legends series can deliver on its promise to give fans a quality rap show from some of the genre’s most talented and legendary artists.

Highlights of the night included:

Diamond D: “Fuck What You Heard”. Sadat X came out for the hook.
A.G.: “Next Level”
Sadat X: Verse from “Slow Down”
Smif N Wessun: “BuckTown”
Black Moon: “Who Got The Props”
Rock: Verse from “Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka”
Parrish Smith: Verse from “Crossover”
Slick Rick: “Children’s Story”

B.B. King Blues Club and Grill

Photos: Steven Ortiz