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Photos: Mobb Deep, Common & More Rock The Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival
By
Scott Heins
Published Jul 12, 2015
Modified Jul 12, 2015
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Scott Heins
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By
Scott Heins
Published Jul 12, 2015
Modified Jul 12, 2015
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The 11th annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival came to a close Saturday with a day-long concert featuring some of the biggest names in the genre's past alongside a smattering of rising local stars. With headliners including Common, Mobb Deep, and Freeway topping the bill, the show once again proved to be a bargain buy for old school hip-hop heads, but some amongst Saturday's crowd wondered aloud: "Where Brooklyn At?"
Brooklyn was, it turned out, at the beginning. Emcee Stro delivered an admirable early set as crowds still filed in, shouting out Bed-Stuy repeatedly before yielding the stage to Skyzoo, whose set packed a live trumpeter and a bevy of songs from his much-acclaimed Music For My Friends release. Still, the Queens presence was undeniable at yesterday's festival, with Mobb Deep representing the borough's iconic housing projects and celebrating 20 years of their brilliant LP, The Infamous. The duo tore through their catalog while a posse of over 20 strong filled the stage, rapping along to "Temperature's Rising," "G.O.D. pt III," "Thug Muzik" and more.
Rising R&B duo Lion Babe brought a welcome break from the day's pounding bass and drums, persevering through a set that was plagued by technical difficulties and delays. House DJs Rob Swift (another Queens artist) and Mr. Sinister of the X-Ecutioners served as the day's downtime entertainment, juggling beats like so many burning torches and testing the physical limits of their turntables. The duo backed producer legend Large Professor, who seemed to have simply dropped in, unannounced and on a whim, to rap his own solo material and, later, host a multi-rapper cypher.
Politicians were also quick to get in on the festivities: City Council members Jumaane Williams and Laurie Cumbo made brief speeches, along with Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. All kept their remarks positive and brief, although Jeffries did wade into commentary about the Confederate Flag.
Sadly, downtime was plentiful Saturday, with numerous mics clipping out, speakers failing (and in one case, falling) and myriad delays. Dismayed fans spent well over an hour standing and waiting while techs frantically worked to fix the issues. "They could have played music or said something," said Daryl King of Brownsville. "My feet were hurting."
When Common finally hit the stage over an hour after his scheduled time, the Chicago-raised, Brooklyn-trained rapper brought a surge of energy to a weary crowd and ran through hits from all throughout his extensive catalog. Brooklyn native emcee Foxy Brown served as the evening's surprise guest, who joined Common to perform "Oh Yeah." Still, some were left wanting; last year's festival saw Jay Z joining Jay Electronica on stage unannounced, and many expectations for another mega-surprise went unsated. Gothamist spoke with multiple fans during and after the festival, and all agreed that last year's festival remained untouched.
Opinions on the day's shows were primarily an even split: thousands walked away thrilled at having rocked to "Shook Ones" and witnessing Mobb Deep prove that they've still got it, but the intensity of Common's set could not be denied. His finale was "Electrifying," said fest-Hollis, Queens resident Jamal Carryl. "He always brings that high energy, that true hip hop." As the sun set and the Manhattan skyline began to flicker to life across the river, the last strains of Common's Grammy-winning single "Glory" faded away as he raised a clenched fist to the sky. And despite the day's salute that's as necessary today as it's ever been and the perfect period to end a day of beats, rhymes, and life.
Additional reporting by Nathan Tempey.
Tagged
Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival
common
Freeway
Lion Babe
mobb deep
Skyzoo
Stro
Scott Heins
Scott Heins is a freelance photo and video journalist based in New York City, and a frequent contributor to Gothamist + WNYC. His work often centers around labor rights, housing, and policing. In 2018-2019 he traveled to four states while covering a wave of public school teachers strikes, with work featured in The New York Times, The Intercept, Getty Images, Splinter, and Bloomberg Photos. Scott is a dues-paying member of the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project.
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