America might be the home of hip hop, but heads have been turned in recent years by the rise of the UK scene. Kent-born MC Jehst is one of the main reasons for this. His latest album, ‘The Dragon Of An Ordinary Family’ takes a new step musically, with Jehst handling a lot of the production himself. Topically and lyrically it is on-point, with Jehst rapping about issues such as racism and social problems.
On the other side of the pond, US emcee Lord Finesse hails from the Bronx, the birthplace of the first hip hop record. Two decades after it all kicked off, Finesse released his debut album, ‘Funky Technician’ and soon became one of the main pioneers of the early east coast boom bap sound.
Many may know Lord Finesse as the leader of the infamous D.I.T.C crew, a posse made up of a whole host of hip hop heavyweights including Fat Joe, Diamond D and Big L. Lord Finesse is not a bad producer either, having worked on a number of early classics, including Biggie’s ‘Suicidal Thoughts’ and ‘The Message’ from Dr. Dre’s ‘2001’ album.
Jehst played first, his set clocking in at a disappointing thirty minutes. Despite this, he still managed to pack in some of the tracks from his new album as well as some older classics like ‘Alcoholic Author’ and ‘Nuke Proof Suit’. Jehst’s partner in rhyme, Micall Parknsun, took the stage with him, joining in on his songs as well as rapping some of his own.
Shortly after, Finesse came out with his early hit ‘The Funky Technician’ to start off his show. The instantly familiar James Brown sample, which emerged on a later-performed Finesse track, ‘Bad Mutha’, provided an excellent backing for Finesse’s lyrical dexterity.
Finesse then worked his way through his discography, giving autobiographical rundowns in between. At the midway point, he told us that he was originally a DJ before he became an MC. As is the wont of rappers, he also bragged about his skills on the decks, claiming that he wasn’t just “pushing buttons and shit”.
Finesse’s DJ, Boogie Blind, lived up to his partner’s standards. His impeccable ability to mix soul and hip hop tracks together proved he was indeed a ‘real’ DJ. The Lord then got a piece of the turntable action, joining in with a five minute impromptu session on the decks. It ruthlessly reminded us why Hip Hop DJs are far more entertaining to watch than House DJs – they scratch the hell out their records!
As well as his eloquent comments on turntablism, Finesse offered his wisdom on the original hip hop culture, its disorganisation as a genre and the importance of respecting your hip hop elders. He then suddenly and successfully switched back to braggadocio mode by going on to tell the story of how he discovered Big L, one of the genre’s greatest ever talents.
Whatever else you might say about him, Lord Finesse is good to his fans. It makes sense when you remember that a lot of them have been around since the late 80s, back when he started making music with DJ Mike Smooth.
How can we tell he cares? Well, not only did he get a lucky fan on stage to rap along with his anthem ‘Hip 2 The Game’, but he also hung around for a good hour after the show for signings and photos. The small but loyal crowd of hip hop heads which made up the audience deserved all the attention they got – they were the ones who made this show’s atmosphere truly unique.
Concorde2, Sunday 11th November 2012
Words By Jack Dutton
Photos by Mike Tudor @ Studio 85
