It’s testament to how far Riki Tik has come recently that they’d even consider putting on live hip hop. Tonight’s Kung Fu features not only local Rum Com hero Gi3MO but also London heavy hitters The I.R.S. That’s a fairly serious UK hip hop showing even before Dirty Dyke pops up and takes to the mic. So we’re looking at a top class night of rhymes that most full-sized clubs would be pleased to host. Which might explain why the upper level of Riki Tik is rammed with hats and hoods and hands in the air.
The vibe is good even when the tunes get dark, with everyone nodding their heads to the MCs, even if they’re not breaking out into dancing. To be fair, we’ve seen many of the best hip hop acts in the world and it’s only when they leave the DJ to his business that the dancefloor explodes. With a mix of live hip hop and the best DJs we’ll see how the floor holds up next month.
FYI
NEXT EVENT: Fri 18th, Audio
WEB: facebook.com/BrightonKungFu
THE I.R.S. LP: tinyurl.com/IRS-SpeaksVolumes
TOP TEN
Evil Ed ‘The Tournament’
Dirty Dike ‘Pork Pie’
A Tribe Called Quest ‘Check The Rhime’
Busta Rhymes ‘There’s Not A Problem My Squad Can’t Fix’
Jay Dee ‘Sittin’ On Chrome (Masta Ace Remix)’
Fallacy And Fusion ‘The Groundbreaker’
Bahamadia ‘Uknowhowwedu’
Herbaliser feat. Roots Manuva ‘Very Mercenary’
Danger Doom ‘Space Ho’s’
Leaders Of The New School ‘International Zone Coaster’
WORDS & PHOTO BY JAMES KENDALL