Last night radio brands Hot 97 and WBLS 107.5 brought you Christmas in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center, presented by: AT&T and FOX’s new show Empire, airing this January! The two highlighted performers were LL Cool J and RUN DMC, however there were some other special surprises throughout the night.
The night began with Diggy Simmons, young Drake as I like to call him. For those who don’t know Daniel Dwayne Simmons III, Diggy is the fourth child of Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons from RUN DMC. Diggy was actually pretty good and entertaining. Too bad the stadium wasn’t packed yet for his performance, which started approximate at 7:30pm. His performance should have been towards the middle for him to get more exposure.
The opening act should have been Lecrae, who for a new guy was also pretty good, talented and dressed sharp. He spoke some positive words, brought out some of his friends to sing with him and entertained the crowd for a bit. The party was just starting until K. Michelle seen above came on and put us to sleep. I’m sure some people enjoyed her performance and think she is a great R&B singer, after all she has a number 1 hit song right now. However, her performance last night was nothing to brag about. The only thing entertaining was her outfit and huge butt. Anyway, enough about her.
One of my favorite DJs came on last night and it brought me back to my childhood. DJ Marley Marl is one of the most important and influential producers in the history of hip hop. He is well known for being the house producer of the Juice Crew, known for The Bridge Wars, a feud with Boogie Down Productions seen as one of the earliest and most influential hip hop beefs. The Juice Crew included Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Roxanne Shanté, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, Craig G, MC Shan and Masta Ace, and produced many songs for outside artists including King Tee, LL Cool J, and Lords of the Underground. He was also an important figure in the careers of Eric B. & Rakim, producing their first hits “My Melody” and “Eric B Is President”. Marley Marl sure has put on some weight but listening to him spin last night reminded me why I love hip hop.
Now that we were back on track with a great concert, Uncle L took the stage and gave an excellent performance. He got the ladies screaming, sang his famous hits like “Knock you out”, “Going back to Cali”, “Rock the Bells” and so on. It was sure a surprise and enjoyment when LL Cool J brought out an old enemy now friends, Canibus.
Why I said an old enemy? For those of you who aren’t hip hop fans, the beef between them started in the late ’90s after Canibus threw an underhanded jab at LL while recording their duet “4, 3, 2, 1”, which was the same track they performed last night during the reunion.
The two rappers hugged it out on stage after their performance but while Canibus was leaving the stage, LL Cool J told him that his career was starting again, which sounded a bit backhanded. So, is the beef really over?
Who cares, that is old news. Uncle L, however did bring out newness to the stage last night with Troy Ave singing his hit, “All About the Money”. Bell Biv Devoe wowed us and humored us by trying to make LL dance, which of course he didn’t.
Raekwon from Wu-Tang Clan also made his presence during LL’s performance. Seems like L’s performance was the main and only event because it sure was long, upbeat and definitely the highlight of the concert.
After Uncle L’s performance the talented but annoying DJ Funk Master Flex made us get off our seats and danced before RUN DMC came on.
It’s now 11 in the evening and this concert wasn’t stopping anytime soon. Finally, what everyone was waiting for, RUN DMC come out, performed for a bit before their mics turned off. Part of the crowd booed them trying to get them to realize we couldn’t hear them. It was funny to still see them rap with no clue. After 15 minutes or so the mics came on and they continued the show but without an apology. They sang their hits, made a tribute to DJ Jam Master Jay and ended the night with “My Adidas” and “Walk This Way” song.
Overall the concert was entertaining, fun, energizing and filled with some old school memories. I loved watching the B-Boys breakdance anytime they came out and even though everyone couldn’t wait to see RUN DMC perform it was really LL Cool J who stole the night and gave the best performance.
Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Pinstripe Magazine. Creative thinker and menswear designer who has been writing articles dedicated to men’s fashion, lifestyle, luxury items, home design, gear, grooming and gadgets since 1998. For info on PinstripeMag, any editorial needs or to contact me please email at marv@pinstripemag.com.
