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Thankfully, hip hop tours are now commonplace in Australia; everyone from Odd Future to Masta Ace has made their way down here recently, putting on crowd-pleasing performances all across the nation. St Jermone's Laneway Festival has taken the rap tour a step further; this year's indie-fest enjoyed their strongest hip-hop line-up to date with Danny Brown, Earl Sweatshirt, and Run The Jewels all proving to be highlights on the tour; so instead of promoters putting on three different headline sideshows, they put on one big concert at the Enmore Theatre, giving us all three acts back to back.
In what was a night of excellent value for Sydney rap fans, the “motherfucking hardest rap tour of 2014” (as stated by Killer Mike) reinforced the tremendous staying power these three acts have, with each set – even the support – keeping the incredible atmosphere at an all-time high.
First up was Canberra-based hip hop artist Citizen Kay representing well for Australia with a passionate display of trendy production and impressive raps. Kay's energy is admirable, instantly putting him ahead of his peers with the kind of stage presence that is necessary for a support set to get the attention it deserves. Closing up with 'Yes!,' Citizen Kay left us well and truly ready for the onslaught of rap to come; a job well done indeed.
Despite only being given a criminally short 45 minutes to rock the mic, Run The Jewels - the duo of El-P and Killer Mike - opened their set with 'Run The Jewels' and made sure we all recognised the incomparable chemistry between the two – the primary reason why their performance was so fun to watch. Each and every track they pumped out – with the help of the awesome Australian born DJ Trackstar - had the crowd putting away their annoying need to shout 'schwag” constantly and just go wild.
It was awe-inspiring just to see how powerful Killer Mike actually is on stage, his booming voice and passionate, raw and meaningful lyrics on tracks like R.A.P Music cut 'Untitled'– which he dedicated to a large amount of people that he's lost recently – really do showcase him as the Southern incarnation of Ice Cube; Killer Mike was every bit as great as I expected him to be. Besides, he hasn't been cosigned by the likes of OutKast, T.I, and Bun-B for nothing.
Producer-rapper El-P is every bit as ferocious, often out-rapping his compadre with a rapid-fire flow, never missing a beat and staying completely in sync with Killer Kill. 'Tougher Colder Killer' made a very welcomed appearance, and although the sung hook is a bit awkward with both murmuring the lines, the verses were every bit as sharp as they are on record.
A longer set would have meant a bit more material from the modern classic that is R.A.P Music (or Killer Mike's consistently great body of work), but the hard-hitting and aggressive RTJ material sufficed just fine.
Run The Jewels Set List:
Run the Jewels
Banana Clipper
36” Chain
DDFH
Sea Legs
Job Well Done
Tougher Colder Killer
Untitled
No Come Down
Get It
A Christmas Fucking Miracle
The cult-status of Earl Sweatshirt will always be a sight to behold at concerts, watching the crowd turn rabid in absolute adoration for the ridiculously talented emcee was fun in itself. The effortless swagger of Earl and his surprise guest Domo Genesis reiterated the unquestionable talent that makes up Odd Future; hell, even Taco proved his worth as Earl's capable DJ, helping the show flow along with a perfect sense of timing and a handful of on-stage antics.
Earl never stumbled, even if he sometimes rapped off-beat to his own recordings. Starting with the aggressive 'Kill,' the 19 year old spit with a talent far beyond his years, and despite his often detached flow when rapping through expressive cuts like 'Chum' and 'Sunday,' the kid definitely cemented his status as Odd Future's best emcee.
Domo burst out onto stage during '20 Wave Caps' and stayed until the end, often chiming in for others verses or his own tracks like the Mobb Deep-sampling 'Benediction' to give Earl a breather. The two are a lot more composed than de-facto leader Tyler, the Creator, and this lack of animation is only missed because Sydney is all too familiar with the entertainment value Tyler brings to stage. Despite that, Earl knows when to get hype on tracks like the set-closing 'Drop,' which was followed by the three OF members jumping around to Schoolboy Q's'Man of the Year.'
Earl Sweatshirt (Feat Domo Genesis & Taco) Set List
Kill
Blade
20 Wave Caps
Hot Soup In My Motherfucking Bowl/ Yu (Mellow High)
Sam (Is Dead)
Molasses
Sunday
Centurion
Sasquatch
Orange Juice
Elimination Chamber
Benediction
Chum
Woah
Hive
Burgundy
Pre
Rusty
Earl
Drop
Watching Danny Brown live is both interesting and off-the-wall insane; the man enters with a composed stance despite the DJ hyping the crowd with Waka Flocka Flame and Chief Keef; this quickly changes. Brown's set is less of a rap show and more of a straight-up party, with him playing emcee and hype-man all by himself; switching between using his trademark comical flow and pushing his lyrics on us with a booming, commanding voice.
Brown tore through cuts the acclaimed Old, beginning with the full throttle of 'Break It' and even turning more mellow tracks like 'Kush Coma' into rowdy, bouncy super jams. Brown – with his aggressive voice - could easily play frontman to a metal band, or at least have a group of musicians adding an extra oomph to his ridiculously energetic performances; but he doesn't necessarily need these. Brown and his DJ managed to make the stage seem bigger than it was; the venue to seem like a stadium, full of fans aching to out-jump each other with no regard for safety.
At the start of the concert I was wondering why Danny Brown was ending the night over Earl Sweatshirt; I now realise that this is because none of these acts could follow the absolute carnage of Brown's set. Closing with 'Dip,' the Detroit party-starter made sure we would all gladly come back to a Danny Brown concert; maybe next time I'll be a little bit more prepared.
(Incomplete) Danny Brown Set List
Break It (Go)
Molly Ringwald
Smokin & Drinkin
Express Yourself
Blueberry (Pills & Cocaine)
I Will
Side B (Dope Song)
WitIt
Monopoly
Blunt After Blunt
Kush Coma
25 Bucks
Dip