Concert Experience Review - Black Star Shine Their Light On The Toronto Heads

"Watch the throne!" a dapper Mos Def proclaimed as he walked on stage, pointing out his partner in rhyme Talib Kweli and eventually bringing back the attention to himself. This was witnessed as "Intro" from the essential "Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star" sonically adorned their arrival. This was the kick off to possibly the tightest hip hop show that Toronto has seen this year. Maybe even the last few years.

This evening, November 12th At The Kool Haus In Toronto, was a last minute blessing in disguise. My fiance discovered that Mos and Talib were appearing near the crib at the Kool Haus within the following 24 hours. The decision to check out the gig was unanimous and instantaneous. The tickets read that the doors opened at 9.

I mention this for one main reason: we didn't want to miss the beginning of this set. Let me drop some context on you: I checked out eLZhi with the P&B crew this summer. The Elmatic mix tape got me very excited about seeing the former Slum Village member drop science. Doors opened at 9. As we always do (being fashionable and all), we arrived close to 10. Which was the end of the set. We heard 2 or 3 songs and he was done. No encore. Lesson learned.

Equipped with this new found wisdom, we arrived at the Kool Haus at 9:30. Hosted by MC Sir LanceLot , the slot before Black Star was filled by DJ Fase and DJ Wristpect. Both DJs were representing Toronto. DJ Wristpect absolutely killed it, digging up some old school nuggets while dropping contemporary bangers. This cat was feeling it. Wristpect isn't a "hype man" type of DJ. He kept his head down working on his decks while syncing his branded laptop to the right cue. Dude was feeling the crowd and kept giving them more. I threw out quite a few "Ohhhhhhhhhh"s during his set. On the flip, DJ Fase is a hardcore hip hop head's disc jockey. He wasn't playing for the crowd as much as Wristpect, instead dropping more select tracks that I didn't recognize. Unlike his brother in arm, Fase looked for reactions from the awaiting public. If the vibe in the crowd is any measure of success, Fase came in second. I was under the impression that he was spinning for himself. Wrispect played for the folks in attendance.

Two and a half hours later, Black Star took their place in the spotlight. As they entered from stage left, the love from the fans ensured the energy needed for a memorable set. Mos and Talib were dressed to kill, as they both looked ready to close a business deal. Talib rocking a vest, while Mos adorned with tie (tie pin included) over a white shirt and blazer. Black Star did not waste any time and proceeded to fly through their much loved collabo album in chronological order.

The first big energy jump from the witnesses came as the horns from Astronomy came out of the speakers. It continued to build up as Black Star kicked out Definition and RE:DEFinition, the song so nice they wrote it twice. It felt as though they have been doing this non stop since '98. They played off each other as efficiently as I've seen from a hip hop act. Never missed a beat on any of the tracks they belted out. Talib amazed the crowd with his high octane cadence as we heard every distinct syllable. Props to the dudes working the sound board on this as well.

Black Star's set was all killer. Minimal stage set up, with their DJ (can't find his name anywhere) propped on a riser over looking the crowd keeping everything in check. The led light display covering the back of the stage was largely unnecessary, as it showed a rotating screen saver-ish "Black Star" rotating on itself. Mos, Kweli and the DJ all rocked old school microphones of different colors. Def was red, his partner white and the DJ was holding gold.

I was pleasantly surprised when Mos performed "Auditorium" from the Ecstatic, which is a Mad Lib produced cut. It was like I was the only one feeling it. The Ecstatic is an underrated album that you should visit (or revisit). Mos Def oozed cool with every action he took on stage, whether he was rhyming or delivering his trademark vocals. The greatest Kweli moment of the night is when he kicked into "Blast" from Reflection Eternal. He totally brought it to everyone in attendance, and we were eating out of his hands.

This concert was truly a treat for fans of hip hop in Toronto. Despite issues with their original promoter and ensuing cancellation of shows in the US, Black Star rose above and delivered a memorable experience. 2 MCs on top of their game in their own fashion, bringing it back to earth and delivering what hip hop is all about: simplicity, beautiful grooves, execution, and dynamics. If you missed the show, I feel bad for you. It was a glimpse of what hip hop was, and can continue to be.

Here's the setlist:

Astronomy (8th Light)

Definition

RE:DEFinition

This Means You

Auditorium

Children's Story (Slick Rick Cover)

Brown Skin Lady

The Blast

B Boys Will B Boys/Check The Rhyme (A Tribe Called Quest Cover)

K.O.S. (Determination)

Hater Players

Respiration

Thieves In The Night

Twice Inna Lifetime

Encore:

History

Move Something

Get By

Umi Says

-Paqman