Audible Treats Puts On Solid CMJ Showcase: Review
Three Boom Bap Sets Well-Worth the Time
| By AMIR SAID (SA’ID) |
The 2nd annual Audbile Treats CMJ Showcase took place almost a couple of weeks ago, here in New York City at Sullivan Hall. The line-up included Black Sheep, Rah Digga The Niceguys, Big Pooh & Hall of Justice, Chip Fu, The Left, Davinci, Von Pea, Moe Green, Nottz, and Diamond District. Unfortunately, I arrived late, so I was only able to catch the sets of Diamond District, Nottz, and Rah Digga. Even still, what I did catch was entertaining and worth the trip.
For me, the clear winner of the modified show that I saw was Diamond District. Their set was electric and forceful. The two songs (sorry don’t know the titles) that I saw them performed were both deeply soulful. And I’d be remiss if I failed to mention how comfortable Oddisee appeared on stage. He pretty much represented as the front man, which was particularly impressive, given the fact that he’s the beatmaker (producer) of the outfit.
Nottz’s set was solid. He warmed the crowd up by playing songs from his production catalog, no doubt a smart move, considering the fact that Nottz is primarily known as beatmaker (producer). After running through several well-known songs of his catalog, Nottz broke into a performance of a couple cuts from his new album, You Need This Music. First, he rocked “Blast That,” then he followed that up with the Colin Monroe produced “Dontcha Wanna Be (My Neighbor)” feat. Asher Roth. Roth hung on the stage for one more song, afterwords, Nottz launched into “Shine So Bright,” and the energy in Sullivan Hall roared back up again. Having gotten the crowd presumably where he wanted them, Nottz moved into a dope performance of “Cars.” It was at this moment that Rah Digga first came out, rippin’ up the “Cars” beat with an ill rhyme. Unfortunately, this marked the end of Nottz’s set. I was hoping to hear a couple more joints off the new album, but it was clear that it was time for Rah Digga to get her shine.
Demonstrating every bit of the show veteran that she is, Rah Digga engaged in conversation in between delivering performances of her new album, “Classic.” The stand out of Rah Digga’s set was her live take on “Good Music.” Indeed, the crowd responded well as Digga weaved through the verses.
Collectively, Diamond District, Nottz, and Rah Digga made the Audible Treats showcase a success. The venue allowed for a level of “up-closeness” not always afforded at other spots around NYC, which was a plus. And the atmosphere was made up of true hip hop/rap fans. So even though I wasn’t able to catch the full line-up (still upset I missed some of the earlier acts), I went away thinking that Audible Treats put on a good showcase. I also remember thinking that it was a good night for boom bap.
