I don't know how else to begin this entry, so let's just do it like this. DJ PREMIER WAS MOTHERF**KIN' AWESOME! Damn right son! Truly, this beats every show that I've ever been to, I kid you not. I haven't lost myself so completely in music in a long time and the very thought of being there at the gig still brings a wide grin to my face – two days of ringing in left ear notwithstanding.
My friends and I got to Zouk well ahead at about 10 pm out of concern that we might miss Premo (fanboys that we are) in case he got on earlier than expected. It was a valid concern though – KL clubs have been known to put international DJs as warm-ups for local DJs and limit their sets for fear that they might not bring in the crowds.
Fortunately for us he came on at about 1 am. We stayed away from the dancefloor initially cos it was teeming with people from the warm-up set. But the moment we heard the opening salvos of Group Home's 'Supa Star', we kinda gave each other knowing stares that we simply had to get our asses down there so we fought through the crowd and eventually ended up about a few feet away from the DJ booth.
From then onwards it was the ultimate hip-hop fanboy wet dream. Joint after joint of classic hip-hop. Man, scratch that. It was timeless hip-hop. Gang Starr's "Mass Appeal", KRS-One's "MCs Act Like They Don't Know", Common's "6th Sense", Mos Def's "Mathematics". It's like a DJ Premier best-of collection, with the added bonus of having the man himself spinning it in person for you in your 'hood.
Somewhere in the middle Premo decided to school the audience with, "the stuff that we were listening to back when there was none of that hip-hop shit" and proceeded to drop lots of funk and rare soul. It was yet another fanboy wet dream (well, mine at least) – all the famous and not-so-famous hip-hop breaks, from Marlena Shaw's "California Soul" and Bob James' "Nautilus" to Rick James' "Mary Jane" and Michael Jackson's "Rock With You" (at which point he had to rewind the record twice to ask if, "... all y'all motherf**kers know the lyrics to this song?!").
Music aside, the other highlight of the show was the boundless energy emanating from Premo's burly frame. Addressing the crowd on the PA system frequently with audience call-and-responses, shout-outs to hip-hop heroes who've passed (J Dilla's got me raising both fists in the air) and rapping along with the records, Premo's rapport with the crowd was amazing. And considering that 3/4 of them have probably never heard a Gang Starr track in their lives, it was very much needed to keep the party moving along.
While there was a clear number of genuine fans up front and the smattering of devotees forming the requisite impromptu b-boy circle in the middle of the floor, there was also an equally obvious amount of amusingly clueless casual clubgoers disappointed that they weren't hearing Usher or Pissydoll Cats. Adidas sneakers – $300. BAPE hoodie – overpriced. Not knowing how to move to 'Sound Of Da Police' – priceless. Guess that's just how it is with gigs like these. It's a clear, straight line down the middle. Like Marmite. One can only hope that Premo got more love in KL than when he played in Singapore a few months back where the most he got were probably 'big shrugs'.
Anyway, back to the program. Of course, you can't play a hip-hop show without some 2Pac, Dre and Snoop, and Premo gave the audience lots of that. You can't do it either without Wu-Tang's "Method Man" and M.O.P's "Ante Up", the latter of which absolutely brought the roof down. He finally ended his set at about 3 am with Gang Starr's "You Know My Steez", not before having the audience with their hands in the air calling for 'one love' over an instrumental beat. By then my friends and I were basically on the DJ booth trying to slap hands with him and grab some freebies, none of which I got, regrettably.
Regardless, it was a night unlike any other. All your hip-hop hand signs, rapping along to the music – in any other situation it would've looked embarrassing and pretentious. But this was DJ Premier. You literally waved your hand in the air like you just didn't care. I sure as hell waved mine, so hard that it probably would've popped off my shoulders if I had waved any harder. And that feeling of not caring, I've been in need for it for a long, long time, even if it was just for that fleeting two hours.
In comparison, DJ Shadow live was pretty awesome, but the fact remains that his music is best listened to with a pair of headphones in private. And while Public Enemy's energy was incredible, their music wasn't the stuff I grew up listening to, simply because it was a few years too early for me to have had any connection with it. But acts like Gang Starr, KRS-One and Jeru The Damaja formed the basis for much of my love for hip-hop, and for the most part because they were backed by Premier's beats. So for me to be able to witness a personal music hero play live in my hometown and completely exceed my expectations is something that I don't expect to be topped anytime soon.
A friend that I bumped into that night told me the next day that he left early cos the music was too 'old school' and the girls he came with couldn't dance to it.
I thought to myself, you know what, that wasn't old school. That was real school. And you and your b**ches just got schooled. So recognize, motherf**kers!
Big up to Kulen for the (mostly out of focus) pictures!
