LAST NIGHT I WENT TO THE SLICK RICK BIZ MARKIE CONCERT AT VELVET ROOM. ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT WAS THE BUSTA INTERVIEW I SAW WHERE HE WAS SAYING PUFF WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIM CALMING DOWN AND HOW I FEEL SOMEBODY NEEDS TO TALK TO THESE GUYS CAUSE I DON’T THINK THEY UNDERSTAND. WE LOVE THE OLD SCHOOL BUT ITS GOTTA BE MORE THOUGHT INTO HOW THEY PRESENT IT. BIZ WAS DJING BEFORE RICK CAME ON PLAYING NOTHING BUT OLD SCHOOL WHICH IS COOL BUT THEN RICKS DJ CAME ON PLAYING MORE. THAT WAS THE KILLER FOR ME CAUSE THE CROWD WAS READY TO HEAR OLD SCHOOL SLICK RICK NOT KURTIS BLOW. I’M WRITING THIS BECAUSE RICK IS ONE OF MY IDOLS AND BY FAR THE MOST SWAG HAVING EST RAPPERS EVA!!!!! LIFERS HAVE ANY OF YALL EXPERIENCED WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT?
ATLALLDAY
yeah, seniority…i guess they feel that they don’t have to re-package anything.
DJ Luva Luva
Yeah the Old School guys just need to reinvent themselves just like LL Cool J does…he’s a perfect example of keeping up with the times.
Zena
I think the Old School cats do need to bring some fresh flavor to their shows, but then people would complain about not getting what they paid for. There’s a thin line their on I guess. I think it’s unfortunate.
Ellenoir1
I experienced this recently at the UCLA Jazz & Reggae Fest. Dude YOU would kill the crowd there. Anyway, between acts the DJ plays music. But nothing he’s playing complements what we came to hear. Right after De La Soul performed the crowd or maybe just me was ready to hear some old school Hip Hop. The DJ comes out and starts playing some Salsa Latin club music. Mind you this is before the headliner, Erykah Badu. I’m looking at the stage and the DJ is grooving to his own music selections like he’s moving the crowd. The crowd ain’t feeling him nor his music. I think sometimes DJ’s forget to establish a rapport with the crowd or they don’t know how to really read the crowd at all. It’s like as long as they are getting paid and the music is playing everything is cool. And then they wonder why people like me look at them evil when they kill a perfectly good groove with an obviously wrong song.
celeste
If you feel that strongly about it, then you should have discussed it with them f/f.
My husband is an old school rapper and I would never get on the internet and to critize him or his DJ.
Personally, I wouldn’t tell the performer to change a thing, that’s what makes them legends and their style is what made them popular when they were at their peak. If the DJ is playing someone else’s song from the era that the performer was popular, he’s probally trying to set a tone or atmosphere for the rapper, himself, and the audience, so that everyone can be on the same vibe and get in the right mood. People pay to see them b/c of who they were and still are, not to see if they can make music sounding like what young people listen to now.
You wouldn’t ask Lena Horne or Louis Armstrong to change. These guys deserve the same respect for being rap pioneers.
2ndComing
Some one mentioned a song “liquor and pretty women” on another blog entry. not sure if it’s just me but every song I hear from this guy seven, it’s jay-z esque. Can’t put a finger on it, don’t know if he’s biting or what
myopinion
I think it might be his flow, he only has a couple songs up but his flow on the college essential was nice. He might give asher roth a run for his money with the realest college song
l25boogie
I’ve experienced that same thing with the comment about the jazz and reggae at UCLA…. it was after a dub car show a year in Memphis…. the club was packed cool vibe…. the guest dj was nick cannon and he played ol skool and he played ol skool and he played ol skool and he killed the vibe…. it was cool for a while but he was only rocking his damn self and a lot of peoples buzzes and vibes got killed… jd I watch or rather keep up with living the life and u rock with ur own but u make sure that the crowd is feeling that vibe as well…. so yeah I agree djs have to keep up with a vibe between them and the crowd
Mike45
I think the college songs are from 2 different perspectives. Asher Roth was more drunk party type (fun) and I think Seven just kept it real.
Step
HELL YEAH I WENT TO A WEDDING YESTERDAY AND THAT ALL THE PLAY WAS BLUE ,JAZZ,ALOT OF MUSIC BEFORE MY TIME. AND THE COUPLE THAT GOT ARE YOUNG .YOUNGER THEN AND I’M 30. THE DJ WOULD PLAY ONE UP TO DATE ABOUT EVERY 8 SONG.
luvatl
I have experienced it first hand from old school and new school. New school when the south is dominating the crowd and the move up north that is a crowd killer, and people stop dancing. Then old school at the velvet room before and when the guess came in they play one song and go back to new school when we all were in an old school mood. When I use to go to studio 72, the dj there moved in the right direction everytime because he played the same song in rotation.
Charloetta
If the old school rappers reinvented and packaged themselves in the right way they would have a movement!
4LIFEENT215
No doubt…there should be a balance/bridge of music at today’s venues. However, in this instance I think that it’s an easy medium to display a timeline of hip-hop music. Too much of one era at any given venue will over kill the crowd…more that just old school fans attend these events. Therefore, the DJs have to be mindful and not stir away the faithful with redundant spins. Back to the Future!!! Remember that dumb asses!!!
Dionne
I am 39 yrs old and if I go to an old school concert I don’t my hearing old school music….I actually saw Biz and Dougie Fresh a couple of years ago and they didn’t play one current song and I was cool with that..they played all the songs I heard growing up and that was a wonderful experience because you just don’t get that too often….I personally don’t enjoy alot of the music that is out now….the beats are usually pretty good but they cannot rap….if you took the music away and they just freestyled it would be horrible…so I don’t need to hear Swag Surfing or Guccie Mane at a Biz Maarkie set …I would prefer to hear old school hip hop uncut sometimes.
Jamie
I feel that it’s okay to give people what obviously got u to where u r but it’s also smart to be balance to keep that interest as well as grow ur fanbase. I’m a 24 year old aspiring singer and/or songwriter. I was raised by my grandmother and I think that’s why I have an old soul. I sing soulful r&b but at the end of the day, I know my generation wants to dance too. So I keep that on mind when recording. I feel like when I do make it in the industry, I’ll be a success because I can sing or write it all. I can sing a soulful song and then on the same album sing some dance music and sound nothing like a soulful singer but still sound good.
CHI
AINT NO BODY THAT PAYS TO SEE TRUE VETS OF THE GAME TRYING TO HEAR, SOULJA BOY, SWAG SURFIN, GUCCI MANE, SHAWTY LO OR ANY OF THE GARBAGE THAT IS CIRCULATING IN THE HIPHOP WORLD OF TODAY. JD YOUR FEELINGS AT THE SHOW PUT YOU IN THE MINORITY. THERE PROBABLY WAS ABOUT ONLY 10 PEOPLE THAT CAME TO THAT OLD SCHOOL EVENT THAT CAN EVEN STOMACH TODAYS MUSIC. ITS AN OLD SCHOOL SHOW, NOT A POOLE PALACE REUNION.
Jamie
ME SINGING SNIPPET OF “CHANGE GON COME” BY SAM COOKE
RAHEAM T. ADDISON
NO I HAVE NEVER. I WISH I COULD HAVE BEEN AT THAT CONCERT AND EXPERINCE THAT SAME FAITHS AS YOU HAVE…. THOSE ARE TWO OTHTHE MOST AMAZING PEOPLE…
jeremy jones
most people going to an old school concert are not expecting to listen to current music. biz and slick arnt going to reinvent themselves because people come see the old school rick and biz. People dont wanna see no new reivented rick and biz that they never heard or seen b4.
D-Swauve
That’s the thing about our beautiful Hip Hop culture. We as the “Ex-audience” have to appreciate and respect our forefathers of the game. That’s bottom line. Some of the old school artists go a little bit overboard. You just except it for the love you have for hip hop.
Janea
i think every true hip hip fan is just so picky in what they want to hear. I hear exactly what you sayin Jd about keepin the crowd invovled and not overdoing one playlist or time table of music. Its like they try to push their oldschool music on the audience instead of easing it unto us slowly. we can bear 5-10 song from the late 80’s to early 90’s but throw some new stuff in their to keep us with you…it doesnt have to be souljah boy or TI it can be mary j or another current artist. the Dj just has to be aware of how the audience may take the music being played in each setting.
NastySteve
after reading this and watching your video i feel what your saying. As a house DJ, you normally play 1 hour to 2 hour sets. some one will be on before you and after you. The problem with that and house period is that if you a dj that plays the same exact style. more then likely you will hear the same record played 5 times by 5 different djs before the night is over. that shit use to piss me off cuz even tho im a dj my self, im still a fan of the craft. so having all these negatives against me, i took about 2 weeks off and during that time i did nothing but search threw 100s apon 100s of white label records. i went store to store, website to website just spending hours looking for rare unheard shit.buy the end of that 2 weeks i had spent over a grand on white labeled records. my first gig back i mixed in these un-heard records with some of the hot shit that was out at the time and completely tore the roof off that place! even the other djs were coming up to me asking what that record was called that i just dropped.
so what it all boils down to is that you can be like i described and what JD was saying by being that dj or artist that does the same shit as everyone else. or you can be original and continue to be original by practicing your craft or talent to set and raise the bar.
Practice makes perfect! Know your music inside and out. so that if you do hear that same record or sound that you were planning to play, you already know not to play that and have its replacement already in mind.
Mag
yoo me in da buildin wazzup