Few things can warm a frosty Melbourne Friday night better than heading down the Esplanade with tickets in hand. DAS EFX and Black Sheep, supported by a solid cast of local talent, packed the Prince Bandroom with bodies for what was to be a ruckus of a night of quality hip hop.
First up for the evening, UK born/Melbourne bred MC Joe Motley instantly sparked the crowd, his determined delivery successfully loosened hinges on necks throughout the room.
Motley’s rhymes are full of fun, energy, and spat with style. Words form from that deep Brit timbre in his voice and are laid on the crowd with ease, receiving a great response in return. Definitely one to watch.
Primed for the night, punters refuel; lungs with nicotine and hands with fresh frothy pots and excitedly reassemble for next up, Adelaide emcee Dialect.
Local Melbourne beatmaker Discourse mans the decks as Dialect unleashes his fierce and effortless phrasing. These two have been passionately promoting, creating, and fostering Aussie hip hop around the traps for years, which is evident in both the skill and range of their live performances. Key track ‘Prolific’ is addictive and instantly perks up even the back corners of the room.
His voice contrasting that of Motley’s, yet equally engaging, Dialect has a rougher tone etching words onto brains, as the crowd try to keep up with what they’ve just heard.
With barely a break, Discourse is back up on the decks and Preston local Maundz jumps straight in with his signature unstoppable sound.
Hailing from hip hop heavyweight collective Crate Cartel, Maundz kicks things up a level dropping large, hard and acid laced rhymes.
With fresh aggression on the mic, this is not for those who like their tunes watered down. Best likened to the tequila shot of Aussie hip hop. Lick the lyrics, skull down the skill, and suck on the beat. Classic track ‘No Concern’ is instantly memorable and is embraced with cheers from the crowd.
Hustling forward eagerly, punters stake their claim on the best piece of floor they can find ready for Black Sheep. One half of the original 90s duo, Andres ‘Dres’ Titus, leapt into the set taking the room with him. Despite being at only 50% of the original number of band members, Dres’ defining and undeniable charisma carried the show well.
Still focussed and polished, it quickly became clear that – at 50% or not – Black Sheep has still got it. The Bandroom was filled with the nostalgic brilliance of tracks like ‘The Choice Is Yours’, reminding everyone of that undefinable quality that makes 90s hip hop classic.
As with good seductions foreplay is key to any quality gig, now teased all night to the brink of insanity the crowd were ready for a healthy serving of DAS EFX domination.
Emcees Skoob and Dray may have a few more years under their belt than when they started back in the day but their skills on the mic remain as tight as ever. This show was pure fun, the crowd dropping and sweating completely in the moment to classics like ‘They Want EFX’ and “Real Hip Hop’. There was much hype talk between tracks, yet this was ultimately embraced by the crowd who were keen to soak in as much DAS EFX as they could.
A brief slice of the iconic Ice Cube collab ‘Check Yo Self’ provided a perfect climax for the great night.
