Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival’s ‘Show & Prove’ Preliminary Lights Up Littlefield

For a small group of MCs on Thursday, 622 Degraw Street in Brooklyn felt like South Beach, and their musical sets were as important as Game 7.

While we weren’t in a packed stadium, there weren’t fans all dressed in matching shirts and there was no championship trophy handed out at the end of the concert, Brooklyn Bodega’s Show & Prove still had all of the workings of a great competition that seemed to bring out the best in the competitors.

The four musical gladiators were battling for a high-profile position on the Main Stage at this year’s Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, but first they needed to qualify for the semifinal round. This Show & Prove happened to be the third in a series of four, set to culminate on July 11 when all of the semifinalists vie it out one last time. Even though the crowd that filled Littlefield was relatively small, mostly filled with family and friends of the artist, and the occasional overly eager hip hop fan, Cambatta, Kon Boogie, Noah Caine and Jahshua Smith gave their all on the stage, each likely gaining some new fans after their sets. They didn’t have much time, but they all impressed.

Littlefield is located near a couple of auto repair shops and some fish suppliers. When I first got to the venue, there was only a small door open, and I thought I was in the wrong place. I walked around the block three times, before asking a dude who was standing outside if I was close. This guy happened to be the percussionist and backup vocalist in Kon Boogie’s band, and he calmly ensured me that I was in the right place.

I arrived early, because I wanted to avoid the crowds so when I finally walked inside, I saw a pretty cool looking bar, empty, save a few Brooklyn Bodega staff and artists. Once again, my paranoia got the best of me. Did I come on the wrong night? I saw guitars and a drum set, thought, “This is Brooklyn, maybe tonight is some indie band’s concert.” Finally, I just decided to ask the first person walking my way what was going on. This dude happened to be Jahshua Smith, who enthusiastically informed me that Show & Prove was indeed about to take over the spot.

I became increasingly aware that I arrived way too early, in fact, none of the rappers had even done their sound checks yet. However, this provided me with a great opportunity to preview each act’s “real life persona” before watching them transform into the artist that would then perform for a crowd.

During sound check, Jahshua Smith really stood out. Smith is from Detroit, Michigan, and drove for close to twelve hours to be there. His rhyme scheme is complex, and filled with references to the bible, current events, conspiracy theories and references to famous hip hop songs. He has had some success in Michigan, but this was one of his first trips to New York, and like myself, most of the crowd was unfamiliar with his music. During his main performance, despite him not having as strong a fan base present, Smith put on a solid show, and was somewhat successful in engaging what started out as a somewhat unresponsive crowd. The highlight of his performance, for me, was the song he exited on. It dealt with the Brown v. Board decision, and began with a line like, “Tell me what you know about the Doll Test.” Immediately confrontational and powerful at the same time.

Next up was the MC that really brought me to the concert, Cambatta. Even though I’ve been hugely impressed with his Smoke & Mirrors mixtape, his performance actually exceeded expectations, especially for the topics that he normally raps about. Cambatta, who hails from New Haven, Connecticut, normally discusses things like conspiracy theories, smoking weed, traditionalist hip hop theories or politics, sometimes difficult topics to get a crowd into. I was certainly not expecting him to pull out a skit right in the middle of his set, or to run around in his socks for the rest of his show. It was actually refreshing to see and his playful energy brought people back to the stage. Everyone seemed to get really into his performance of “Jazzerterbation,” which was probably the only time Cambatta was still for more than a millisecond. His performance was impressive, alleviating any fears that he was going to be a boring live performer.

Kon Boogie was next, and took the stage with his band, Death By Plastic. They started their set with a reimagining of “Shook Ones” by fellow Queens natives Mobb Deep. Corona, Queens was definitely in the building, (or the liquor was finally setting in), as the crowd swelled in size and exuberance during Kon Boogie’s performance. The audience was treated to a very unique show, even to the point of incorporating some Latin flavor into their songs. The backup vocalist played a bongo-type instrument, which really gave some of the songs some extra flair. It was simply a cool atmosphere. Kon Boogie himself was energetic and animated with a commanding stage presence. (His attention to crowd participation was evident even during his sound check). During his set, Kon would lead the crowd in a call and response chant that he pulled out at random times, coolly swigging from his beer occasionally, to the delight of his supporters. I really enjoyed the band’s chill attitude. While they were not the hardest or the most conscious, a strong argument could be make that they were certainly the coolest in the building that night.

Last, but not least, was a performance by Noah Caine. Coming into the concert, I was slightly familiar with his work. He, like Cambatta and Smith, incorporates political and social commentary into his rhymes. This comparison is impressive, once one realizes that he was the youngest competitor that night. Caine definitely had the loudest bass that night, and there is never anything wrong with that and I was in the crowd bumping to his stuff, really feeling the 808s that laced his tracks. Although Caine is mature enough lyrically to battle for a spot at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, his stage show wasn’t necessarily as strong as it could have been. However, with a little work in this area, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Noah Caine gracing larger stages before long.

Towards the end of the show, it became increasingly clear that I was actually rooting for all of the performers to win the main stage slot. Each truly delivered strong performances which really made the whole experience an enjoyable one to attend and cover.

Ok, so maybe it wasn’t quite Game 7, but for those who were there, and especially for those hungry artists eager for a place in the spotlight that the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival can provide, and those rooting them on, it was just as competitive and exciting as any sports event.

For full information and to purchase tickets to the 9th Annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, visit www.BKHipHopFestival.com