It's no secret that independent hip-hop and the collegiate experience have been inexorably linked for some time now. Succulent scratches over soulful beats seem to always be heard cleverly dissecting the silence of residence hall corridors, emanating like a funky odor from grungy dorm rooms. This ever-solidifying connection was on full display as West Coast luminaries Blackalicious thrilled and entertained a crowd packed into the Tavern Friday night.
Despite the near criminal lack of publicity surrounding the free campus event, hundreds of students crammed themselves tightly around the stage, doing well to largely fill up the spaciously cleared out dining area. The amazing crowd density, combined with the fortunate non-existence of dull Tavern lighting, proved to create a welcoming environment for a musical style that would rather be kicking it on the corner than crooning it up in a concert hall.
Ambiance would have mattered little, though, without the undeniable presence of Blackalicious' endless coed appeal. While plenty of hip-hop acts have used the college music scene for its fruit-bearing potential of self-promotion, few of the genre's protagonists have left more campuses echoing than emcee Gift of Gab and producer/DJ Chief Xcel. But it isn't just that they consistently make time to serenade student bodies across the country on nearly ever tour that provides Blackalicious with such a fervent collegiate fan base.
Instead, it's the Gift of Gab's ability to simultaneously enlighten and enthrall listeners with rhymes that are just as likely to carry a poetic license as they are to hold multiple college degrees. Coupled with Xcel's beat craftsmanship and ability to create everything from bouncy romps to somber and introspective soliloquies to his trademark, hard-thumping West Coast boom bap, Gab's universal and often ethereal flow fosters an intoxicating, timeless effect, giving generations of collegians the chance to connect to the band's music.
And connect they did. Despite delays in opening doors to the concert and having their patience tried with a woefully overextended and often uninspired DJ set that served as the opening act, the crowd was happy to release a great gasp of anticipatory revelry as the duo took the stage. Most hip-hop bands might demand more of a lead-in, but nothing could stop the audience from being boosted from a state of mild euphoria to one of outright giddiness- the kind that only a college show could provide.
Without letting the crowd have a chance to revaluate their ebullience, Gab immediately commenced with the lyrical blitzkrieg that defines his style, flexing his prowess with everyone's favorite group of 26 with an improbably sped up rendition of his early cult favorite, "Alphabet Aerobics."
The crisp snare drum rolls and glorious brass fanfare, provided by a stoic Xcel directly followed the opener, signaled the beginning of another fan favorite, the appropriately performed "Paragraph President," which saw Gab vigorously defending his claims to the title of hip-hop commander in chief with greater aplomb than the current namesake residing in the District ever has.
Even with paltry time to catch their collective breath until the first pause in performance came, five songs into the set the audience was eager to follow Gab on his lyrical journey. He continued with a diverse collection of numbers from the band's early EP releases through their current major label record, "The Craft."
As the band closed with an encore performance of "Chemical Calisthenics," its Cut Chemist-crafted ode to the periodic table that would make even the most tight-collared scientists bob their heads in approval, it became obvious why Blackalicious is so revered among those seeking a higher education. Like modern pied pipers, they mesmerize listeners with rapid fire factoids and otherworldly visions of different dimensions of space and thought, always keeping the kids enraptured and engrossed while unknowingly breaking them off with unparalleled knowledge. Who knew getting schooled could be so fun?
