Bangin' On Ya Eardrum!!!!

It seems around this time every year, one of my favorite artist peforms a free live set at Amoeba Music in Hollywood. Last year, it was The Roots. This year, it's none other than BK representa, one half of Blackstar & Reflection Eternal, Talib Kweli. As you should know, Kweli new and long overdue L.P, "Eardrum" is dropin' in record stores tommorrow. So Kweli decided to show the Left Coast coast a little love and perform a free set at Amoeba.

For my outta state readers who don't know about Amoeba, let me tell you about this store real quick. It is simply put a music lovers paradise. I really think I could spend my life saving in that place if I am not careful. This store is wall to wall of new and hard to find LP, CD, tapes, EVEN 8-Tracks!!! Yes, you read right, 8-Tracks. It is also stores thousands of videos and DVD's a well. There are three locations in California: one in Berkeley (by the Bay Area), San Francisco, and the one in Hollywood. Amoeba is also a indie record store with a purpose. A percentage of you pay for your product goes to their organization to save the rainforest. Now who couldn't say music couldn't change the world?

I have never seen Kweli live before, so I really looking forward to see him live and up close. The store was pack wall to wall, and the homie A.D (this was his first concert by the way) and I barely got their to get the last back row in the store. They have a stage build in the first level of the store, so the performances are in the store itself. Simply put, Kweli did the damn thang. It was my first time hearing some of the new material from Eardrum (outside of the million street singles he has put out in the last year), and this album sound bananaz. He showed how a true MC should move the crowd. I have never seen an known artist, with an set list, freestyle so much, and kill it everytime he opens his mouth. He even brought out Blacksmith signee's, (and West Coast Representers as well), Strong Arm Steady to rock the stage a little bit. I hoping he would bring out Jean Grae, but I guess I gotta go to a full Kweli show for that. This was the setlist if I can remember (and a lot of this is out of order):

1. Move Something (From RE: Train Of Thought)
2. Listen! (From Eardrum)
3. Say Something (From Eardrum)
4. The Blast (From RE: Train Of Thought)
5. Old School (From DangerDoom's "The Mouse and The Mask")
6. Get By (From Quality)
7. Hostle Gospel (From Eardrum)
8. NY Weather Report (From Eardrum)
9. Hot Thing (From Eardrum)
10. Go With Us feat. Strong Arm Steady (From Eardrum)
11. Give 'Em Hell (From Eardrum)
12. Too Late (From RE: Train Of Thought)
13. Funny Money (From Liberation with Madlib)

That was cool for him to do a full, 45 minute for free like that.

Now for the question I know most of you have been asking yourself while reading this, "How did I get a copy of Eardrum (autographed at that),when it doesn't even come out until tommorrow?" Well, he's what Amoeba did. You paid for the CD then, and they gave you the album booklet, so you can meet Kweli and get it signed. Then you can come back to Amoeba when the album drops tommorow and pick up your copy with your marked receipt. At first, I was a little annoyed by the idea having to drive all the way back to Hollywood to pick up my CD (that a hour long drive with traffic where I am now). I mean, shit, the album was leaked on the Internet over three weeks ago, and drops tommorrow. You could have said "fuck it," and started to sell the CD tonight. But I was planning to buy two copies anyway if I went: one would be the signed one I put away, and the other one will be the one that gets the daily rotation, so it was cool. I'll just buy my "rotation" copy at a store close to me this week, and go pick it up at Amoeba this weekend when I have time.

Kweli is a real cool dude in person. I had to keep the conversation short to keep the line moving. But when I ever meet an artist that has impacted and inspired me, I always make sure I thank them for that and to keep making music true to themselves; because regardless of what soundscan may say, there is and will always be an audience for real music. I wanted to get a picture with him to put up here, but because he had a plane to catch (and I believe he missed it), the store said no pictures so everyone can have time to get their covers signed. But it that did not take away the great experience it was.

One other thing, I always say regardless of any Hip-Hop show I am at, I will always see one of two things: a Wu-Tang shirt/hat and or a dude with a Dilla shirt. As I was in line to meet Kweli, the dude in the Dilla shirt goes, "Hey, didn't I see you at the Common Secret Show last month?" That when we stated to talk and found out we have been going to same shows for the past year and never ran into each other. The Tribe show, the Roots/Lupe/Jill Scott Show, the Common Show @ LMU, and the Common show for Yahoo, we were both at them shows and never ran into each other. Turns out, he is a DJ/Producer like I am and we started to chop it out about music. We even exchanged Okayplayer names, lol!!! He is intending U-Penn and is leaving next week. We plan on kickin' it when he comes back to go diggin for some records.. lol!!! It's a DJ/Producer thing, some of ya'll wouldn't understand. I feel really bad that I cannot fully remember his name right now, but this always happens with when I meet new people. I need to hear the name a couple times to remember it. But yo dawg, you got my info... holla!!!

Special Dedication...


To my homegirl, Happy Birthday Shawty!!! (8.21.07)

And on that note... I'm out.