Mobb Deep Rock the Stage at Chicago Venue the Bassment [Exclusive Coverage]
New York, N.Y. -- In 1995,
Mobb Deep
(consisting of Queensbridge rappers
Prodigy
and
Havoc
) changed the rap world forever with the release of their instant classic
The Infamous
. Fast forward over 15 years, and on a chilly night in Chicago, in a room of classic hip-hop heads and younger snapback hats, it may as well have been right back in those early days.
The night was in celebration of the 9th anniversary of local hip-hop mainstay The Bassment. and they spared no expense. It was kicked off by old school mixes from
DJ Boy Wonder
and
Rude One
. By the time the first act hit the stage (local artist
King Louie
), the room was already brimming with raw energy. King Louie is best described as a young “trap rapper” spitting rhymes full of the boasting and swagger filled content that is the staple of modern hip-hop. Following him was the impressive
, a young artist out of the line of
and
, but with a twist of hood style to round him out. His acapella pieces and passionate; sometimes in your face declarative rhymes really pulled the crowd in. The last opener was local gone big time rap group
. As they rolled through a set of the more popular tracks, you couldn’t help but see the comparisons of LEP front men duo of
Count
and
Moonie
to the main attraction of the evening, Prodigy and Havoc.
As soon as Mobb Deep hit the stage, accompanied by legendary DJ/rapper/underground king
. the Metro went from concert hall, to guerilla pit. They started their set with "Shook Ones Pt. 1," a foreshadowing of how the show would be cased in. They rolled through every classic track with the skill of a surgeon and built a state of fierce mob mentality worthy of their given name. By the time they made their way to the catalog and capped the show off with “Shook Ones Pt. 2” the feeling could not be described as anything other than thunderous. It truly was a show that cemented in the minds of all present they’re status as legends in the hip hop world, and showed us a side of hip hop that most of us can only remember or never knew in the first place.
