Tech N9ne slams Seattle
Veteran MC brings hip-hop crew to the "heart" of the Emerald City in support of new record
Katie Farden
Issue: 4/29/09 Section: Entertainment
A line of more than 50 people snaked around the corner of Denny Way and Howell Street Monday night. Members of the crowd ranged from middle school kids in painted white faces sporting red and black "Sickology 101" T-shirts to ponytailed middle-aged men in studded leather jackets and extra long denim shorts. As the sun set and the freeway roared overhead, shouts of "T" were answered with distant calls of "Nine!"
Tech N9ne lit up the stage of El Corazon last Monday, making Seattle the tenth stop on his "Sickology 101" tour, a series of over 30 performances in major U.S. cities to promote his new album of the same name.
MC George Zelaya opened the show with a solid performance; however his set served mostly to whet the appetites of a crowd hungry for the headliners.
Murs was up next. Vigorously, the former Living Legends MC performed several tracks off his September 2008 release, "Murs for President." From the outset of his performance, he saw a considerably higher number of hips swaying and hands waving in the audience than Zelaya. Interjecting Karate-style jumps during pauses in his set didn't hurt either. The energy the shirtless Murs exuded on stage waned, however, after his first four songs.
One teenager, back slumped against the wall, seemed to capture the feeling blanketing the entire club.
"Seriously, when the f*** is Tech going to come on," she asked a friend in exasperation.
Murs regained some of his steam, closing his performance rhyming over a Rick Ross beat. The song, Murs suggested, served a purpose greater than paying back Ross for stealing one of Murs' beats earlier this year-it displayed Murs' on the spot hip-hop prowess.
"I just think I'm a better rapper than he is," Murs said with a shrug and a smile.
Despite his confident demeanor, Murs bowed offstage humbly after informing his audience he hopes to become the president of hip-hop music when he "grows up." He received a hearty clamor of cheers and hollers at the end of his final verse.
Moments after Murs departed the stage, a fresh wave of excited chatter swept through the club.
Some expressed gratitude for being able to see Tech at El Corazon, an intimate venue with a smaller audience.
"I felt lucky to get to see [Tech N9ne] in such a small place," said crowd member Jennifer Sandburg. "I really got that old-school, underground Seattle hop-feel."
As Tech N9ne's set approached, sweaty bodies squeezed to the front of the stage in the 2,000 person capacity club, heads tipped back to quickly gulp the last drops of Miller High Life at the bar and feet shuffled in the darkness to get into prime viewing position.
Artists Krizz Kaliko and Kutt Calhoun joined Tech onstage. Together the trio released twisted rhymes at a lightning-quick pace over steady beats for more than an hour.
Skye Vodka kept them hydrated.
The set showcased the individual talents of each rapper, Kaliko and Tech at one point putting on a playful call and response freestyle. Calhoun got down from the stage and rapped in the crowd midway through the set.
Old favorites like "Monster" came early in the performance, while Tech saved new tracks from "Sickology 101" for the end. "Red Nose," one of the few singles released on the new album, had the crowd in an uproar.
The show reached its climax when Tech doused the first two rows of the club with Caribou Lou-a potent cocktail of 151 Bacardi Rum, Malibu Rum and pineapple juice. Gulping the remainder of his self-proclaimed drink of choice from a plastic pitcher, Tech declared Monday a night of celebration, and the show doubtlessly left the sold-out crowd at El Corazon feeling festive.
Leaving the club with content grins, the audience poured into the warm night air of Seattle, many with copies of "Sickology 101" in hand.
"Tech is smart, you know, going from city to city like he is," said concertgoer James Huff. "A lot of rappers don't really do that now. He keeps it fresh."
Tech's album new album "Sickology 101" hit stores April 28. He returns to El Corazon tonight for a second performance. Doors open at 7 p.m.
SOURCE: http://media.www.su-spectator.com/m...ainment/Tech-N9ne.Slams.Seattle-3730970.shtml
Veteran MC brings hip-hop crew to the "heart" of the Emerald City in support of new record
Katie Farden
Issue: 4/29/09 Section: Entertainment
A line of more than 50 people snaked around the corner of Denny Way and Howell Street Monday night. Members of the crowd ranged from middle school kids in painted white faces sporting red and black "Sickology 101" T-shirts to ponytailed middle-aged men in studded leather jackets and extra long denim shorts. As the sun set and the freeway roared overhead, shouts of "T" were answered with distant calls of "Nine!"
Tech N9ne lit up the stage of El Corazon last Monday, making Seattle the tenth stop on his "Sickology 101" tour, a series of over 30 performances in major U.S. cities to promote his new album of the same name.
MC George Zelaya opened the show with a solid performance; however his set served mostly to whet the appetites of a crowd hungry for the headliners.
Murs was up next. Vigorously, the former Living Legends MC performed several tracks off his September 2008 release, "Murs for President." From the outset of his performance, he saw a considerably higher number of hips swaying and hands waving in the audience than Zelaya. Interjecting Karate-style jumps during pauses in his set didn't hurt either. The energy the shirtless Murs exuded on stage waned, however, after his first four songs.
One teenager, back slumped against the wall, seemed to capture the feeling blanketing the entire club.
"Seriously, when the f*** is Tech going to come on," she asked a friend in exasperation.
Murs regained some of his steam, closing his performance rhyming over a Rick Ross beat. The song, Murs suggested, served a purpose greater than paying back Ross for stealing one of Murs' beats earlier this year-it displayed Murs' on the spot hip-hop prowess.
"I just think I'm a better rapper than he is," Murs said with a shrug and a smile.
Despite his confident demeanor, Murs bowed offstage humbly after informing his audience he hopes to become the president of hip-hop music when he "grows up." He received a hearty clamor of cheers and hollers at the end of his final verse.
Moments after Murs departed the stage, a fresh wave of excited chatter swept through the club.
Some expressed gratitude for being able to see Tech at El Corazon, an intimate venue with a smaller audience.
"I felt lucky to get to see [Tech N9ne] in such a small place," said crowd member Jennifer Sandburg. "I really got that old-school, underground Seattle hop-feel."
As Tech N9ne's set approached, sweaty bodies squeezed to the front of the stage in the 2,000 person capacity club, heads tipped back to quickly gulp the last drops of Miller High Life at the bar and feet shuffled in the darkness to get into prime viewing position.
Artists Krizz Kaliko and Kutt Calhoun joined Tech onstage. Together the trio released twisted rhymes at a lightning-quick pace over steady beats for more than an hour.
Skye Vodka kept them hydrated.
The set showcased the individual talents of each rapper, Kaliko and Tech at one point putting on a playful call and response freestyle. Calhoun got down from the stage and rapped in the crowd midway through the set.
Old favorites like "Monster" came early in the performance, while Tech saved new tracks from "Sickology 101" for the end. "Red Nose," one of the few singles released on the new album, had the crowd in an uproar.
The show reached its climax when Tech doused the first two rows of the club with Caribou Lou-a potent cocktail of 151 Bacardi Rum, Malibu Rum and pineapple juice. Gulping the remainder of his self-proclaimed drink of choice from a plastic pitcher, Tech declared Monday a night of celebration, and the show doubtlessly left the sold-out crowd at El Corazon feeling festive.
Leaving the club with content grins, the audience poured into the warm night air of Seattle, many with copies of "Sickology 101" in hand.
"Tech is smart, you know, going from city to city like he is," said concertgoer James Huff. "A lot of rappers don't really do that now. He keeps it fresh."
Tech's album new album "Sickology 101" hit stores April 28. He returns to El Corazon tonight for a second performance. Doors open at 7 p.m.
SOURCE: http://media.www.su-spectator.com/m...ainment/Tech-N9ne.Slams.Seattle-3730970.shtml
