for all who missed it.

the block party was the illest shit i ever saw.
jill and erykah singing "you got me" together
mos, kweli, pharoah, roots, dead prez, cody chestnutt, kanye, buckshot, jeru, dice raw, common...
the REUNION OF THE FUGEES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sickest shit i ever saw..9 hours of pure fire. wit crazy ass dave chappelle in between.

BUY THE DVD

did kweli and mos perform together and do some blackstar joints??


*In complete darkness we are
all the same. it is our
knowledge and wisdom that
separates us....don't let
your eyes deceive you-Janet
Jackson

*arguments are like the
Special Olympics. even if ya
win.....YA STILL A FREAKIN
RETARD!! so avoid being a
retard if ya can. think about
it...

yeah...they did blackstarr. common performed with them too. it was like a 3man set.

yall missed it bitches (in my best dave chappelle voice)

that's awesome! glad you had a nice time.


*In complete darkness we are
all the same. it is our
knowledge and wisdom that
separates us....don't let
your eyes deceive you-Janet
Jackson

*arguments are like the
Special Olympics. even if ya
win.....YA STILL A FREAKIN
RETARD!! so avoid being a
retard if ya can. think about
it...

damn...im jealous but at the same time just so happy that it came together. Peace to all those that went there and peace to all the performers

but it was well worth it.

I'll never forget this experience. Coming to NY for this was a good idea.

i was not playin

sitting on the corner next to the puddle?

no puddles

lucky you.

~~~Tron~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"As someone who beat the odds, and as a musician who gave up the truth. My music ain't no contrived bullshit. It ain't no sci-fi shit. It's the real fuckin' deal." -Rick James R.I.P.

In *iPod* Rotation:

The Roots - The Tipping Point
Biggie Smalls - Ready To Die
Marvin Gaye - I Want You
Kanye West - College Dropout
Curtis Mayfield - Superfly
Beastie Boys - To The 5 Boroughs
Wu Tang - Enter The 36 Chambers
Ghostface - Ironman

"Trees for breakfast, dime sexes and Benz stretches." -Nas

"So for you lame cats tryin to get a hit out, try rockin back and forth.....it might be easier to get ya shit out." -Skillz

"Excuse me, flows just grow through me. Like trees to branches, cliffs to avalanches, it's the praying mantis. Deep like the mind of Farrakhan, a motherfuckin rap phenomenon." -Biggie

"You should retire, get that complimentary watch and be out!" -Talib Kweli

"Fat titties turn to teardrops as fat ass turns to flab. Sores that was open wounds eventually turn to scab. Trees bright and green turn yellow brown, Autumn caught 'em. See all them leaves must fall down, growin' old." -Andre 3000

"I hate Kobe Bryant. so, to number 8. You fake cosigning to shaq, never been MVP, finals MVP, ticky tack foul drawing, overrated D having, brandy prom taking, jumpshot shooting, not better than MJ, quasi-best player in the league, MJ wannabe, arrogant, wack rapping, no pre-nup having, white girl sodomizing, stupid post-bust arm tatooing, $4 million dollar "im sorry" not including 5 digit shopping sprees, bout to get acquited, vanessa making you cut yo stupid ass fro, most boo'd and hated hometown all star MVP, ice buying, sprite endorsement losing, Italian speaking, Fake ass Philly nigga, hurache wearing, soon to be LeBron's bitch, game 5 win guarenteeing lying fuck, headed to Memphis ass-nigga! Fuck you!" -OKP Money Man (I threw some gems in there though)

Man, failure makes the world go round! What was the crowd reaction??????????

*waits impatiently for the documentary*

They tore into their hit songs, some solos, remixes, and even a few freestyles. With songs like Fugee-La, How Many Mics, and Readoy or not, the whole crowd was rhyming along to the joints!

did the Roots back anybody up?

How was Kanye's set?

i said ONLY G rap and KANE.

and some played during the jam session at the end.

who mentioned Kool G and Kane? we're not talking about the chicago show...

there were at the block party as well!

Kane and G Rap came out and both did their verses from BOOM.

The place went nuts. Then they each did a couple of songs with the roots backing them.

I met a good bunch of you and it STILL seems like only a fraction of who was actually in the spot tonight...


http://www.cdbaby.com/omega

Tower Records, baby... whut.
http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=CDB0810860012

The Avatar? GET RID OF THE 'N' WORD.
N-Free™ - http://www.nunayufake.com/nfree
-----
Peace.
-----
Wow, you all up in Myspace... Cool.
http://profiles.myspace.com/users/5972691
-----
Omega Johnson: "The Stonefist Katas"...
#1. Thief's Theme
#2. Jesus Walks
#3. Made You Look

NEW! #4. On Fire

...all available for download at:
http://www.soundclick.com/omegajohnson
(That's whassup--I stay high up on the Charts!)

COMING SOON: "Spirit Bomb"
-----
I'd like to get good conversations started on my board too... join up! http://www.nunayufake.com/forum

What do YOU think?

and i saw humble mumble and dan aka aoxoxoxoa, but he was too far, i didnt want to loose my spot, i had a seat and everything.

Where the fuck was my OKPers at???? I had on the fucking t-shirt and shit, hoping someone woulda spotted me...

thats good, i know he was mad he didnt get the invite.

he knew cats up front in the crowd, so they let him in...then the nigga creeps up behind me and suprises me near the end. Gladd that many memebers of the Okayplayer fam made it out to see history, for real...

i was there, one of the token white guys.

Glad it popped off right.

I'm so pissed I missed the Fugees along with the rest of the performers...but I'll wait for the DVD. PLEASE POST MORE DETAILS AND PICTURES!!!!!

I honestly haven't had that much fun ( at a hip hop show) in years!!!!!!!!!!!! It was so moving, and such an experience! We got to the Pathmark, under the Manhattan Bridge at around 11:30 and the line was already 300 deep! Everything was well organized, peaceful, just beautiful!

Once we got there we peeped Central State University's band, practicing, for Kanye's set! I'm from Ohio so this was all I needed to feel in the mix!

People with wristbands were allowed to come and go, so we left got some food, came back and it was SOOOO ON!

I missed alot of performances, which didn't bother me, because I came back when Mos got on stage, then came Common and Talib, so of course they RIPPED RESPIRATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that's my shit!

Then Erykah got on stage ripped it and Common started straight singing the Light to her! That was dope! Common represented all night! I am officially giving him his playa card back, cause he came HARD!!!!!! SO super CUTE!!!!!

So of course you know that the Fugees came on, but how about Lauren RIPPED YOU JUST LOST ONE, in the direction of Wyclef!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I told you, Ya'll needed the female take on this!

Pharoahe ripped his stuff, and it was dope when the band came in playing his tune!!!!!!!!!

The finale was also good, and i'm done typing, PEACE!!!!!!

That show was off the hook.

Missed Kanye b/c I got the second set of buses, but didn't miss anything else.

the stage was setup in the corner of two small streets in Bedford-Styvesant. People with wristbands were allowed all the way up front, then the gated off an the front area and anyone could come in back (they took down the gates at the end).

There was a house band that featured a guitarist (the same one I saw play with the Jazzys at the Knitting Factory), three horns, bassist, and ?uestlove, and couple different cats on keyboards that played with most bands.

Erykah's set was unbelievable and had Common coming on at the end.

The roots featured Jill Scott and Erykah coming on for you got me, which was done a whole lot different than on Comes Alive (but was incredible).

Common/Mos Def/Talib shared the stage for more than an hour doing their own songs, black star, etc.. amazing..

and the fugees... dammnn... heard a rumor of this before and the crowd was talking about it all day... but when they came on, everyone went nuts.. they played all the big hits from the score and some solo stuff as well.

after they finished, dave chappelle said goodbye and most people left. However, everyone was on stage for another half hour and with a groove laid down, everyone took their turn on stage.. mos def, talib, jill scott, etc...

only complaint was that the left speaker was out for the end of the show.. oh well...

this really was unbelievable.. i was so lucky to be there.. buy the DVD!!!

Thanks Dave!

" .... buy the DVD"

Will there be a DVD available of the block party and its performances?

I hope so.

$$$ is no object. You hear me ?uestlove, D. Chapelle, Com, anybody?

Michel Gondry who directed Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind and also bjork and white stripe videos directed it... the block party was based off Wattstax which just came out on DVD as a documentary.. dave was going for the same type of thing.

gondry is doing the dvd?!

this shit gets colder and colder

i'm waiting for someoene to be like "and then Big and Pac showed up and did a set together"

you're right, shit just gets better and better. i hope this isn't the last block party that chapelle throws.

Sounds like they were the only heads that couldn't make it.
Damn the fugees stopped slinging mud long enough to jam...I know the world is ending now. Does that mean Lauryn stopped trippin?
********************************************************************

"What people think of me is none
of my business."
~O. Winfrey

http://afeni.com/

damn damn damn james!

period.

nm

i got it all on DVD dawg, straight from Dave!!

that's not funny. you ain't right.

...

review from me:

it was insane, sickest show ever. i showed up early and got up front, maybe 5-10 people back. i was standing is the exact same spot from 2-10, not to mention all the standing i did before that. that was the only downside, all the waiting and standing. for the first 4 acts, there was like a 30-40 min downtime in between sets, then once the roots came out, it was on.

kanye came on first @ 2:30 with a marching band on the side. he was alright, no one was tired yet so the energy was decent. a lot of people were still missing at this point, not that many in the crowd.

next, dead prez came out, they was hot. eryka badu was next and jill scott followed. both ladies held it down.

dave chappelle was comn out in between shit and he was fucking hilarious, cant wait to see the dvd.

the roots came on at probably 6:30, im guessing but it was around then. they were pretty sick, although they didnt do a long set. they did the movement, and then jill scott and eryka came out for you got me. sickest version of you got me, eryka and jill scott! it was nutty.

after the roots finished, the band stayed on, and chappelle introduced the 3 sickest mc's on the stage at once. common, talib, and mos def. they was sick. couldnt believe i was seeing blackstar + common w/ the roots playing in the middle of a street in brooklyn. anyway, they all did some classic shit, respiration, definition, the 3 of em just kept on rotating, doin a couple solo songs, then grouping together for a collabo.
talib did I try, the blast, get by, and another from train o thought.

after everyone cleared the stage, mad people left, thinking it was over for some reason, but it was DEFINITEly not over. they started changing ALL the equipment, and setup 3 mics. it was about 40 minutes of waitn and guessing as to who the suprise closing act was. my money was on tribe called quest, which would have been sick as fuck. but it was none other than.......the FUGEEs. they blew the place up. did mad classic shit, ready or not, many mics, killing me softly, etc...
thats some crazy shit though, chappelle got the fugees to reunite and perform. i read something today about maybe an album from them in 1-2 years (allhiphop.com)

o well, that was my review, i wrote it quickly, but the show WAS the ill shit.


p.s. forgot to mention pharouh monche busted out, and people please back me up on this, was that andre 3000 that popped out, i swear it was, but my friend doesnt think so. freeway also showed up, jean grae kicked it at the end, bunch of heds i didnt recognize also freestyled a bit during the finale, i also think i saw damen dash, i dunno, show was sick though.

did Kanye do Get Em High or 2 Words with the respective guest appearances, since everyone was there?

for those that didn't see it anywhere else. Kane and G Rap came out with the Roots. Each did their verse off Boom and the place went bananas. Then they each did a couple of classics with the Roots backing.

like everyone said... it was a dope SHOW.

our very own 'hoodstock

missed kanye cuz we were on the second set of buses (why did the buses take so long to come back?)

highlights for me:

erykah
--when the wind kept blowin her afro wig she was like EFFIT and pulled it off and kept on sangin... like I got more important thangs to do than worry bout this damn wig
--her and common doin love of my life

jill
--i need you. it is my favorite jam off of beautifully human and her delivery of it yesterday gave me goosebumps

fugees
--dave's intro... "I know yall heard we were going to have lauryn hill... but we ran into some technical difficulties" i was like ohhh lawd here we go with another lauryn no-show... but he continued: "columbia recs did not clear her performing her songs, so lauryn came up with an alternative.... the fugees" the crowd went nuts!
--all the classics were a highlight, esp lauryn performing lost one straight at wyclef's face while he strummed smells like teen spirit on his guitar that was WILD!!

my only complaints were:
--the delay in the second round of buses coming
--the dang speaker in the front that kept going out... which means most of the vocals were drowned out by the music :-/

thats very true, the speaker kept going out, for the beginning and end. i was right next to it too, i hope the dvd has some good recordings from the soundboard. for the person that asked, kanye DID do get em high, common and talib both came out for that. kanye also did jesus walks, things fall down?, and some others

did anyone bootleg this?

i dont know all the names of songs and i didnt take down everything but i jotted notes in my blackberry throughout the day.

1. Kanye West
- Dave Chappelle (DC) welcome and introducing Kanye West
- Marching Band playing Jesus Walks
- Drug Dealin just to get by, stack your $$ ...
- Two Words feat. Mos Def
- Get Em High with Common and Kweli
- Buy Me a Spaceship w/ John Legend
- John Legend, maybe Im Selfish
- All Fall Down with chick from the record
- Jesus Walks (i think Common was on stage)
- Freeway, Even though what we do ... A Cappella
- Freeway does his verse over Two Words beat

* 1st interlude.
DC tells jokes and is making everyone laugh with his dancing, gets on the keys, does congo poetry freestyle ... needless to say, Dave is non stop laughs all night every time he takes the mic. The interludes between acts was pretty lengthy as of course they are shooting for a movie. But the vibe all over the place was laid back mellow. Dj Dummy spun records and got on the mic throughout the night. DC does some comedy and introduces each act...

2. dead prez
Turn Off The Radio
Mind Sex
For The Hood
Bigger Than Hip Hop (RBGs on stage)

3. Erykah Badu (im bad with her song titles and this is incomplete)
- Soul Flower
- Outside Game
- song...
- Love of My Life with Common
... stage dive...

4. Jill Scott (incomplete ... amazing performance)
- The Way U love me (rock version)
- Golden
* i was meeting up some people and didnt take down all the songs for Jill but she was stunning

5. The Roots
- Web
- Boom feat. Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap
- The Mic with Dave Chappelle and Truck North
- Love of My Life with Common
- Next Movement > spacey interlude
- You Got Me ($2 Bill version) with Jill Scott and both Jill and Erykah at the end

* 5th interlude.
DC stays on the mic for a while ("RF, RF" ... LOL @ KMACK!) ...
Dave calls an impromptu emcee bttle and invites a dude with a brohawk who he is calling MR T onto the stage to do a rhyme off. The dude is not dope but lays into DC with battle lyrics and gets hella boooed. Dave raps two bars and just starts saying funny shit that doesnt rhyme but is hillarious. Dude leaves stage. Dave performs...
- Piss on You (james poyser on keys, others)
- Piss on You remix (short)
- Blues Jam with Mos Def on drums. Back and forth with Mos Def on the mic
- DC introduces Common, Mos, and Kweli who perform in medley,

6. Common, Mos Def, Kweli, Black Star, Pharoah Monche
- its hard to imagine but this trio performed all sorts of songs in what was a like a live mixtape of their work. here goes some notes...
- Common, Resurrection
- Kweli, Move Something
- Black Star, Re-Definition
- Mos Def - Universal Magnetic shit
- Kweli, I Try
- Kweli, The Blast with Erykah on background vocals
- Common, The Light (erykah on stage and bilal at the end)
- Kweli, Get By
- Mos Def, Umi Says
- Latin Jam
- Pharoah Monche, Simon Says (1st verse and chorus only)

7. THE FUGEES
... unbelievable ... wait for the DVD

Dave Chappelle sums up The Fugees performance and the night with two words... "HOLY SHIT" ... then thanks everyone

8. Monster Jam featuring Cody ChesnuTT
-Jeru, Black Thought, Mos Def, Kweli, Jean Grae, Phonte, Dice Raw, Mack Dub, Truck, more.

Phonte and Bilal do a back and forth gospel blues

Mos Def sends love to BK and his neighborhood to end the night

Some notes about the band that played behind most of the artists and jam sessions all night. Eryhah, Jill, and Fugees had their own bands.

Band Leader, Drums - Questlove
Percussion - F. Knuckles
Keys - James Poyser and Omar
Bass - Adam Blackstone
Horns - Jeff Bradshaw, Chris somebody, and another cat (ill!)
Guitar - Kev "Spacey"

James played with a bunch of acts, many of whom he has produced. He killed the Universal Magnetic synth line ... just had to say that.

- The Sound. the sound was a little weird at times and it did cut in and out a bunch from Jill on. It didn't always seem that the band was together at certain points. there was a lot of music to cover. who knows how the sound was on stage and while there were rehearsals, the roots have been non stop on the road since i can even remember. Still, the show was so incredible and the vibe so high, it was amazing to see all these people together.

- The Set. The street corner they choose was perfect. it was not easy to find and they had it blocked off perfectly. there didnt seem to be much of a crowd trying to get in. It was well organized and kept under control. Behind the stage was this crazy ladys house with all these bizzare installations. She was acting crazy all night and you could see people watching the show from balconys, windows, stair wells, and roof tops all around.

- Conclusion. I know people who saw this are excited and those who didnt maybe a little salty that its getting rubbed in a little. Im sure my details don't help. sorry! this was definitely one for the books. I can't help but to think that this concert was the live show experience of everything Okayplayer is about. Hopefully this is signs of more greatness to come from this group of artists. Big ups to all the organizers and staff for pulling it off smooth. Can't wait to see the DVD.

wow. that sounds fan-fucking-tastic.



~
why don't you go ahead and my EP:

Feat. Nicolay & Syntifik

••••

sounds like an amazing concert.thanks for the set list, i can't wait for this DVD.

waiting for:
talib kweli-the beautiful struggle
john legend-get lifted
common-be
mos def- new danger
joss stone-mind body soul

I'm rich biatch!

"Apparently, the type of
performance-enhancing drugs
the Raiders were using aren't the
kind that help you pressure the
quarterback, stop the run, or
establish a goddamn passing
game." ---What Do You Think?
from the Onion

http://
www.mrmuztafa.blogspot.com

Avril Lavigne's music is like
bubble gum. It's good for awhile
but eventually you gotta spit that
shyte out.

Reality TV is outta control. Soon
everybody is gonna be famous.
That's right, the milkman is
fucking your wife and now the
viewers 18-34 know it.

.... and the descriptive way of telling show tales, it's obviousl you are/were a big fan of the Dead.

paxout
...

"they say the end is near, it's important that we close...to the most, High. Regardless of what happens, on him, let's rely"
-common

"my dream is big and in it, my team is rich"
-jay-z

"A-E-I-O-U...and sometimes Y"

"for every mission that seems impossible, spit the gospel, to remind me what God can do, when it's not logical"
-common

days are too short, i'm completin all my goals.
stay amped up, be alert, secure the foundation.
seek more education that money can never worth.
-cappadonna

"just to see you smile and enjoy yaself, to keep you in health, this for all a ya'll"
-BT

I'm happy for those who went and had a great time. I'm also happy to hear the performances were off the hook. It's been a long time since many great hip hop & soul acts were ever given the opportunity to come together and put on a real show without the glamour & glitz. I mean, the range of people that were there from platinum plus acts to hip hop legends to one of the top comedians of our time all in the neighborhood kickin' it puttin' on a show for the people. That's love and an example of what a true show involving hip hop can be. I'm amazed at all the acts showing up, especially the Fugees, and getting down and showing love for one another. True m.c.'s, true singers, true musicianship, and great performers has to result in classic performances and I'm glad to read that it did. Even though I wasn't there, I'm glad to hear that it was a success.
By Dave helping the show happen kinda goes to show how down he really is. Nothing corporate could pull off a show like this....I think. Only those that are down and who understand good music could put on these types of gigs. I can't believe that even after the main show was over, they were still up there doing a jam session. Would have loved to see Jean, Buckshot, and Jeru take stabs at the mic. I wonder how long we'll have to wait until a show of this magnitude comes around again.

i wasn't there either, but you basically summed up how i feel about the event very nicely. i hope they do it again too.

OR BETTER YET PROZAC FOR THE DEPRESSION!
*******************************************************************

"What people think of me is none
of my business."
~O. Winfrey

http://afeni.com/

than I think I've ever been.

And I'm not a jealous guy.

I'm not happy for any a yall muhfuckas - shit was like everybody I care about ever. Like the show was taylor-made for me and shit.

I know these fools be East Coast biased like a muhfucka, but I'm tellin ya a West Coast replay would pop off. In the bay? It would be all over. Shit you could put it on my block in the town. 400? My mama'll make kool aid and grub fo erryone.

>I'm not happy for any a yall muhfuckas - shit was like
>everybody I care about ever. Like the show was taylor-made
>for me and shit.

yeah, it was taylor made just for you.... and the thousands of other people who love good hip hop.

please son...

I'mjussayintho

That would've been my shit

>shit was like
>everybody I care about ever. Like the show was taylor-made
>for me and shit.

I feel you there. KOOL company has been doing on a series of separate concerts here in Chicago with a good handful of those acts, that kicked off Wednesday--so I'm peaceful 'cause I was blessed to get Comm + Roots on Thursday, and Lauryn (Fugees?!?)tonight. But B l a c k s t a r would have been w i l d.

>I know these fools be East Coast biased like a muhfucka, but
>I'm tellin ya a West Coast replay would pop off. In the bay?
>It would be all over. Shit you could put it on my block in
>the town. 400? My mama'll make kool aid and grub fo erryone.


Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!

Who knows, maybe the "Dave Chappelle" who posts on here is the real one, and he saw your post, and is sending correspondence to you as we speak about getting it jumping in Oaktown... They'd pro'ly prefer San Fran, don't you think?


B u t t a

____________________________

http://unclebutta.tripod.com
my concert bootlegs collection.

ain't nobody practicin the lost art of postin on the block out in Frisco like in the town. Only people posted out in Frisco wished to fuck they was doin anything else. Postin is an artofrm and a lifestyle in Oakland. Call it silly, but it's a perfect city for a street function.

I CAN GIVE THE BAY LOVE FOR THEIR THANG THEY WORKIN - HARD AT THAT.
BUT A BUNNNCH OF EASCOAST CATS IN THE STREET IN THE O, STOP.
THIS IS THE ISH NYC IS MADE OF!!!

I REMEMBER WHEN ROCK STEADY (REUNION) USTA BE SO BANGING.
********************************************************************

"What people think of me is none
of my business."
~O. Winfrey

http://afeni.com/

I'm talkin bout a show for us.

Tell me Dead Prez don't got pull in the bay.

And if you don't think it's crackin in the streets, go home with it - that kind of shit defined the town for a while.

It's really nathan though. I'm just sayin even all the great West Coast artists ain't even linked together on that kind of a level out here, let alone all these okayfamily cats. I think we need to get down like that. Audiotistic ain't no functions in the streets with true performance/audience co-appreciation and support. We need some of this "hella unfuckwitable quality but still for the people" shit. I just feel like we sell ourselves short a lot on the West.

after hearing now amazing it was yesterday.
i would have stood on one foot in the rain all day watching that concert rather than have to feel this. :(

however, it was about damn time that a group of conscious minded (hiphop) artists decided to get together and pull this off. now we're all just waiting for mr gondry to immortalize the damn thing and share it with poor souls like myself who were unfortunate enough to be at home while history was in the making.

hmph.

I might have to lay in my room and eat pretzles for weeks to get over this.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I had the powers to teleport. Dammit.

********************************************************************

"What people think of me is none
of my business."
~O. Winfrey

http://afeni.com/

http://www.downonlove.com/daves/davesparty.html

(not mine, ill put mine up another time, i was pretty far)

>http://www.downonlove.com/daves/davesparty.html

whoever took these needs to invest in a zoom lens =)

YEAH TELEPHOTO

AND A PRESS PASS!!!

********************************************************************

"What people think of me is none
of my business."
~O. Winfrey

http://afeni.com/

i wish i was there so bad, man i fucking hate california.

we got this, hah!

true but..., fuck i have nothin good to reply with

ill spare you with all the initial july conversations about this event (dave calling and seeing what's up---)

i will say this though.

i fucks with dave chapelle.

why? cause he could easily associate himself with the "rapper elite" and leave us po folk behind. but he is harriet tubmaning this whole shit. and his put his money where his mouth is: investing in a film about music and lifestyle and use his celebrity to help us out.

even my tyrant ass business manager told me that "i was right about this one" (i accepted the music director for the chapelle show for lower than standard price simply because of the prestige that a job like this could bring and more than that i just wanted access to a whole slew of skits and stuff.....but i knew chapelle was bubbling under the megastardom radar and when it was time for him to graduate to movies, i wanted to be first in line to score for him. so thus i knew his comedy central show would be the "audition" to whether or not i could handle future projects---sure enough i got that call)

i'll say (beside my training the illadelphonics the songs (of course i knew that the arrangments would be changed once i got in front of the artists)) that the real "first" night of this "project" was the "phone meeting".

member how in high school you would call someone on three way and they would call someone on three way and so on and so on?


well this was that (except this was an ATT conference call) and so much fun.) it was me, erykah, riq, mos, talib, stic, m1, com, jill, dave, michel, and some producers and corey (the same corey that "bailed out" talib in "get by") who coordinated all of us. we laughed and joked, voiced some concerns. remembered that all of us did songs together and perhaps (in his best french) "tha that that youll peoplee shooould shud shud perhaps collaborate on songs together like like like a like a rill jahm seasssion" (mos: "everybody on the phone, this man is a genius, i trust anything the french say....i mean come on now you gotta love a man whose country gave us baggetes" lol)---

i asked them were there any concerns about the music. i figured that most of them wouldn't mind being as though this was really the okayplayer 2000 tour all over again.-- most said "no". but i knew better. i knew that some that wern't used to this experience (kanye who couldn't make the call because of usher tour commitments) could be a potential disaster if not treated with kid gloves. he could get overexcited about hearing his music played to the t by a non arsenion type band (he did). he could get picky on us re creating certain samples that were impossible (he did). he could call out songs that wern't in his initial 5 (he did). he could have guests that wern't cleared for the shoot (he did)---the key is to be prepared (i was)--

i will say that the next day call between the fugees was a lil shakey being as though this is the first time that the 3 of those guys were in communication with each other for 6 years. so to go from the miseduaction accusations ("that was about me" "this was not about him") to crack accusations to lawsuits to--precher's son album to donald trump doing skits on your album to mudslinging to the unplugged album to current 3.0 lauryn to "hey can we make this work?" was done with careful precision. and only a man like dave could pull this off. just like with the previous night's conversation (our lasted near 2 hours) dave's voice alone (the greatest voice in comedy since pryor) could have us bowling over.---and he used that same humor to keep the tense atmosphere with his cash cow from boiling over.

my money was on it just being a clef set.

i was given a 5 song request set from each artist that i backed (everyone except the fugees) and 2 days to prep my delphonics--the same okayplayer tour/jay z/extra ciricular cats i been rolling with since day one--(james p on keys, omar e on keys, kevin on guitar (aka "spacey"), me on drums, adam b on bass, jeff bradshaw on bone, matt on trumpet, and chris on sax)---because i had japan commitments i made james man over the crew til i got back (2 days before we shoot mind you).

so with MUCH BITCHING i told the production people i need more prep time ("the workout plan" alone took 6 hours of prep out of my day)---the only soulution was since erykah and com was was in chicago the same time i would be (rehersal was in new york on friday and the show was saturday) using my roots soundcheck for full prep rehersal (production people flew the illadelphonics out to chi town to meet me---thus why we used the horns and big daddy and g rap at the chitown HOB show....i mean they was there...so....might as well do a test run huh?)--

i had a feeling the erykah and jill would be somewhat problematic. and somehow i understood. i mean i had a list of demands. i demanded my crew should run the sound and that we mix this movie down (its a movie first yall before its a dvd)--cause i want to present the BEST presentation that i can. and i know that these two tyra---(jokes yall) i knew these two wanted to be on their best foot. so much to the chagrin to shawn gee (who already along with jill thinks that i "feel a certain way") i resigned from both jill and erykah and let both of them have their bands. for starters----both of them got mad cues and tricks and dynamics to the arrangments of their songs--and that was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay much more than i could remember. so it was a relief. a big relief.

thursday at the house of blues got off to a false start being as though i was still on japan time up at 4am. preping for erykah (who was NOT told she had rehersal at 10am--she didnt even leave dallas until 1pm). i called com's room (yes even though he got a crib in the chi he still stays at hotel when performing) and asked him to come instead so that the day wasnt a total waste. it was his daughter's first day of school so he had to do the daughter thing (and he went to register to vote too) but said he could come around 2ish.

it was suggested to me that i recap dead prez. but i told my people that sony was going to "stick it" to them by not signing their release forms (we begged "why? it can only help them") but they just did some revenge "because we can mUAHAHAHAHAHAH!!" ish)--so i held off until 1ish. we learned the new mos sutff until com came around. since we knew all the songs (and omar was his band leader) it was a breeze.---i found out that erykah's band was in the chi (not erykah) so thus i prepped with those guys instead.

once i realized that the "and on.." was not the "and on..." that i had worked on some 4 years ago--with all these gaps and stops and starts and stops and i'm like damn.....for a guy so hell bent on some prince like stop on the dime "good gawd (smack!) shit---i am really feeling rusty. and i did not want to feel the wrath of e. so i knew then and there that i was not gonna drum. but its not that easy to drop out because this is a movie. not a concert. everyone has to be cleared for performance because of union rules and whatnot.---so it was not easy telling production people that took 2 months to clear me with aftra that we will be needing more budget money for plane tix for flights and rooms for the drummers.

kane and g rap came in around 4ish. both acts have rocked with us before so i knew this was no thing. i will be honest. i was a lil jealous that riq gets to rock with his rhyme forfathers (both who were FLOORED once we played them the final "boom" sometime back---also both thought that riq nailed the "other" guy more...)--i got mad pictures dont worry. i mean what capacity can i work with clyde stubblefield or steve ferrone? surely not this....--strangest things was the songs that stick with me like a tattoo: "halfstepping" "men at work" "symphony" "set it off" "road to the riches" etc--did not come easy to these two (more g rap than kane)---so we had to overprep em by telling them ahead of time what we wanted them to spit and have dawn (my assistant whom i had to friggin muzzle from asking kane about the madonna/naomi threesome sex book shoot--she gave in day of show) have cd's and lyrics all ready for em. we went through it about 4 times. slowed it down a bit and riq assisted them with no sweat.

i took a nap and woke up at 830 in time to catch com's set. i went upstairs to prep my horns when i heard the opening refrain to "love of my life". i ran downstairs like a bullet cause it just hit me that i saw erykah's whole crew in the house--and remembering that the two wern't on amicable terms--i wanted to see if she would sing the song with him.

no dice. confused as to whether she should walk onstage to sing her parts (its been a year since they spoke/seen each other) she played the back.

rats. how am i going to get through this weekend with these two playing cat and mouse? i aint about to play divorce/favorites (they both help me with the mortagage payments if you know what i mizean)--but michele and dave suggested collabo's and just natuarally assumed on the phone call that the two would do their grammy award winning number one single (dead air on that request was the only awkward moment of the first phone call)

i really felt good about the chitown shows (despit the mc not comfirming if we were even ready to start yet (thus him getting booed after he stalled the set change)--but i knew i still had work ahead of me. (i got an 11th hour call from corey "bailed me out" smyth that dead prez was back on (damn!!! we aint learned one note!!!)

the show was over at 2ish (after party too) and lobby call was 5am. and i had about 30 hours of sleep to do--and once i was out....i was out like a rock.

i stayed up all night and barely made it to lobby call, because i still had 7 big ass bags from all the shit i copped in japan.

my first line of priority was copping my olympic nikes (gold dunks, silver/red/yellow/black/green/blue airs, and bronze air max) and then making sure we nailed "universal magnetic bboy" to sound JUST LIKE THE RECORD (yes we did it NGERO WHIUT!!!!!!)

i arrived at SIR at 12:30pm on friday. i wanted to get mos' stuff down pat with the band and then get jill's shit straight too.---so i had 2 hours before all of the aritsts came barging in for the initial "talk" and filming (rehersal was filmed too). we had initial trouble with the bassline and i wanted to make sure we had it right. i reach for my luggage bag and oh-my-god-where-is-my-17-inc OH FUCK!!FUCK!!FUCK!!!FUCKEDY---FUCK!!!!!!!!!!

that shit is at the security checkpint in chicago! if it wern't for the responsibilty on my hands with this movie id go apeshit...but i gotta keep it together. besides i got my lacy with me (harddrive of 160 GB) and all my important shit is saved.---

we all pow wow (sans fugees, kanye (ursher), kweli (beastie boys), and erykah (chitown show) and michele and tiffany (limos, actress in larry "kids" clark flim that has yet to come out) start the interview process. this goes on for an hour and i realize that i could have a potential disaster on my hands. simply because it would be so easy to sit to hear dave speak about world issues (my god this mofo got true knowledge of self)--but i am here for a reason. and i have yet to even start on jill's 2pm slot and its now 3:50!!!

as i watch jill fake it though "i need you" i realize its curtains for me and frank. her band is all in tact except the drums (adam is her bass player already)--and once you rock a comfortable pair of shoes--do you really wanna go down the runway in some shoes that you can't strut in? my pride aint that big. and on the real? id rather shoot these acts with my 8.0 pixel than play for em.--so a song into it i pull jill to the side and we BS with it (its ok ahmir its okay....and im like negro please im calling your drummer now)---that settled i got myself a lil 40 min break in.

mos came next. next to kayne i thought that mos would be the hardest to curb his enthusiasm for jamming past his time limit.

did i mention that we also got a 9pm sound curfew and a 20 min time limit to each artist?---i didnt know until corey "bmo" smyth heard our half hour version of "umi says"--pulled me to the side and now im a bad cop

20mins??!?!

20?!?!

"green eyes" is 14 mins in concert according to my rehersal cd.

the hell?

working with the mcs proved to be the easiest of the experience. because they welcome mistakes (with dilla as a muse....the more mistakes the better) and us "freaking some shit"--wheras a singer needs to know every move they are going to make ahead of time and only jazz singers can revel in surprises from their musicians.

we had so much fun doing the mos shit--it broke my heart to cut 4 songs away.

common told me to do DPs and roots next and he would come back from his meeting around 10.

all woulda been well until.

dave.

thank god for dave.


dave joined our post umi jazz jam and was scatting up a storm (the extra footage is priceless)--this led to skit ideas and the next thing i know...im holding off DPs for 90 minutes so that we can do some skits with mos and dave.

dave is also a jazz piano player on the low (wait til film comes out)--

dp's was the easiest to do cause they worked with us on the okayplayer2000 tour. we learned 2 new joints and came with some classic shit. i could sense that riq was getting restless (having been there since 2pm and it now being 8pm)--but once g rap came (after dinner break) which was 930, we got busy. kane told me that we need to do the brooklyn anthem ("warm it up kane") when we rock tommorow--and money was right. we did that shit JUST LIKE THE RECORD horns and all. EVERYBODY came to watch this moment.

so magic.

i ended the night recapping with common. freaking some shits in his verses and doing some ideas.--it was 12:30 and i have yet to come up with a setlist.
so i made one on the spot

kanye

-jesus walks
-two words (w/ freeway and mos)
-get em high (w/ kweli)
-through the wire

dead
-food clothes and shelter
-turn off the radio
-mind sex
-windows of my mind
-its bigger than hip hop

erykah
-otherside of the game
-on and on/and on/cleva
-green eyes

the roots
-boom!/poison/warm it up kane
-in love with the mic
-the next movement
-you got me

jill
-a long walk
-whatever whenever
-i need you
-slowly surely

com mos kwe
-my philosphy/ressurection
-i live in brooklyn/my life is real
-move something
-respiration
-universal magnetic bboy
-i used to love her
-the blast
-definition
-the light
-get by
-umi says

fugees
-?

but of course we KNOW this aint how it worked out.

the sound of god having gas woke me up. the most VIOLENT wake up call. i just knew this shit was canceled. it was a flood outside! and yet the show still went on. we got held up 45 minutes.

kayne was there since morning time. we rehersed. he looked like 4 songs? i tried to explain that between his 50 memeber marching band and his needing to be out by NO later than 3pm to catch his flight for the chicago ursher show--it would behoove him to leave well enough alone.

but this is kayne.

he said "do yall know spaceship?"
i looked at james like "what i tell you?!?!?"
we freaked it.
"selfish"?
same thing.
then i knew that he just wanted to see if we freaked his shit right.
but he was adding more and more and more

and im good with that. but he dont understand union rules and time deadlines and 7 other acts going on and movies and etc.--but hey...once he was on a roll (despite keith yelling at me like "RAP IT UP B!") he was calling them shits like james brown. i was fun. and he wasn't that hard on us (although he asked for the impossible replica of the sound of delay on the horn stabs for "we dont care"--) i think the best song was "spaceship". we realized that the union was going to have to look the other way while we used the lunch break to keep the time up.

@@@1/2 out of @@@@@. the opening act has it the hardest because they are the "soundcheck" of the show. thanks to his arsenal of hits the crowd was with him all the way. talib and common was hype. well common performed like he had 5 shots of red bull flavored blue mountain coffee. i also noticed his weirdo fashion sense has come down to earth even though him and mos now got this 40s shit going on.
freeway coulda made "2 words" a classic--but he came late. and we made that song a two parter. i think we didn't do "through the wire"

dead prez came next. to cut time i cut "food clothes and shelter". i felt like "turn off he radio" was a way stronger opener. the crowd (and cops) were thrown off by the fuck the police banter but man oh man---when we got to stic's verse in "bigger than hip hop" the place was on fire. i made him spit that shit acapella so the kids on the block could hear loud and clear.

@@@1/2 out of @@@@@.

my first break of the day and what do i do? i search for the alt room where i got jean grae and phonte and a few notables about to do some rooftop jamming. but--the rain started again on erykah's set. and michele wanted to wait it out to see if we could shoot it when it cleared.-- it seemed safe enough to go into the crowd to take photos. i make it around the stage, past the barricades....all through the crowd unscathed. i go alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the way to the top of the entrance gate to take photos and i here erykah go into "love of my life"--i didnt think much about it til i heard "yes yes yall you don't stop....."

me and res looked like "WTF?!?!?!?"---i ran to that stage with the quickness cause i knew this was too good to be true.----im so proud of this nigga. he is the definition of a real man who puts pride etc to the side to make magic happen. this was a highlight.

@@@@1/2 out of @@@@@

i ran back to prepare our entrance when ii discover that jill is now set to go on. erykah went on so early cause she had a show in trenton later that day. but i didn't want the both of them to go back to back.

but too late. eff it.

i get backstage and jill is pissed at her songlist. i assure jill i just spit out 4 song titles for the list sake and told her just follow the guidelines for time and she could do whatever she wants.

noone told jill about the 20 mins.

she's stressed so i run and hide realizing that jill scott is the only enterainer in this world that i am honest to goodness afraid of. she throws list away and goes off the top. she killed shit and im sure she has a large audience.

@@@@ out of @@@@@.

the pressure is on. its all black people and im performing at the kindergarden of christopher wallace (little cease was backstage rapping to us)---riq and mal are bitching that everyone is going over 20 mins and we are the only ones following the rules. so we add "web" and "the love of my life". being as though noone saw the $2 bill mtv show it is the law that we freak "you got me" the way we did it. and boy did we. and kane was so right about "warm it up". hub messed up by doing the "warm" bassline before we did "raw". the crowd went apeshit when kane came out. i said "this is the jay z moment" (jay was comfirmed to rock with us til the BOBW2 shit came up)---kane killed it. and even better, our saxaphone player chris freaked them bomb sqaud horn shrills so damn perfect.

i knew we had killed shit when a well known personal rival of the group was all up in arms on some morris and jerome shit watching prince do "i would die for u"/"baby im a star" at the end of purple rain. i felt we were the highlight (ok we cheated....erykah got the first shrill on "on and on" when she pulled hair off (afro wig) and reveal a mowhawk. but the first rebel rousing of a non participant was kane. that moment alone gave us a 5. and jill and erykah dueling at "you got..."

@@@@@ out of @@@@@.

we rocked black folks in BK.

no moment moved me more than seeing the erykah and common stepping to "the light" and then fred hampton jr. spoke to the crowd during "umi says" and the climax of celebration that occured was priceless. i remember C"BMO"S all in my ear making me do "i try" for kweli (side note to kayne--dude, make sure the sample you use is at least in 4/4 meter so that the general public can have a clue as to what the deal is with a pace of a melody (in other words that shit was hard to learn) we freaked the ronnie laws/"who got the props" loop on "i used to love her" hoping that buckshot (black moon) would take notice. but no dice.

@@@@1/2 of @@@@@

because of the nature of the fugees getting back together it was almost more tense than anything else. i mean sure it was an incredible site. but to me the experince of being around my peers was magic enough. unfortunately the only act i never got a feel for was the fugees. i was in a stall next to clef for a sec at rehersal. and lauryn was more guarded than ever. so it was a bitter sweet moment. and after talking to corey "fill it in" smyth the say after....lauryn was too happy with yesterday. i was curious as to where the "lost ones" pointing at clef while she sings was somewhat mind boggling.---but the night went off without a hitch. i could go on and on but this tool all night to write.

@@@@@ out of @@@@@.


if anything happens i will remember it and add it.


gnight!

i dont know all the names of songs and i didnt take down everything but i jotted notes in my blackberry throughout the day.


KAYNE
-marching band freaks jesus walks
-we dont care
-2 words (w/ mos)
-get em high (com and talib)
-spaceship (with j legend and consequence)
-selfish (with john legend)
-all fallsl down
- jesus Walks
- even though what we do is wrong (just drums and acapella)
- two words again

DEAD
-turn Off The Radio
-mind Sex
windows of my soul
-bigger than hip hop

ERYKAH
- back in the day
- otherside of the game
- on and on/and on....
- love of my life (w. rash)

Jill Scott
- is it the way
-golden
-whenever whatever
-i need you
-slowly surely

ROOTS
- web
- boom/poison/warm it up/raw
- in love with the mic (dave and truck north)
- love of my life w/ com
- the next movement
- you got me (mtv2 version with jill and erykah)

com/mos/kwe
-dave did extended intro with "piss on you" (both versions) and some jokes
-my philosophy/ressurection (com)
- i live in BK/my life is ill (mos)
- move something (kwe)
- respiration (black star and com)
- universal magnetic bboy (yes we freaked it to the bone mos)
- i used to love her (common)
- the blast remix (erykah)
-definition (black star)
- i try (kwe)
- the light (erykah and bilal come in)
- get by (kwe)
- umi says (mos and fred hampton reads)
-pharoah does a bit of simon says

fugees
-ready or not
-how many mics
-zealots
-oh la la la
-killing me softly
-call 911/lost ones
-ready or not

he did rock accapella

Questo,
I gotta say, after livin in philly for 5 years, growing up on public enemy, cube, big daddy kane, kool g rap, gangstarr, tribe, outkast, the roots and various other artists and then bein musically enraptured by black star, common, erykah, jill etc...i would've loved to go to this concert. I damn near did everything i could to get there-but just couldn't get tix. and i was really really really really disappointed not to be able to go, and needless to say, salty...but then a good thing happened. the show went off and you posted that review-and now i feel better. it let me know how much effort, how much work, how much love went into it-how fantastic it must have all been-i can't really explain it, but i'm kinda at peace with the fact that I'll have to just wait for the DVD....thanks questo

Thankz for da detailed wrap up of da event Questo. :)

but i'ma say this here... yo that concert was the best i've ever seen bar none!!!! I appreciated all the work that went into it and I truely hope you cats get the credit you deserve for putting something this great together...
and i fought like a f'in pit bull to get one of ur drumsticks ... lol
great show mayne i could only hope something like this can happen again

I hope some of this rehersal and backstage ish makes the dvd... bonus features or extras or somethin.

Shit.....that was the best part...and with all the cameras back there...fukkit.....i aint even gonna give it away.....

* Yng. Tkr *

If ur scared go to church

and what about the jam session?

thanks for the info, i was wondering why kanye went last. and i know jay-z is sorry he missed this. how could he miss this, sucka.

I appreciate the bts info.

i woulda thought it was all love between com & erykah. i was front & center...they looked to be vibin'-but now it's a lester brown & billie holiday momment. glad i was there to witness it.

For that.... You always come through for your folks who couldn't be there mane. Word up.

the things you do for us, your fans, is amazing. thanks!

the new mos def material - i had no idea he still had it

the roots killed it as well

or was that just a record playing back???

And were you expecting Cody to do his little act at the end, or were you just as clueless as Chapelle was and just rushed over to the Drums and dropped a beat?

-pharoah came out and rocked "simon says" at the end of "umi says"--they played record intro...then we took over.

-taimak (bruce leroy from the last dragon/rapist from a different world/ and rahzel's cousin) found time to let rosorio out of his site to come onstage to demonstrate some "sock it to me/sock it to you" martial rats for the crowds delight (amusement?--money gets my respect cause he got to freakout vanity (http://www.denisematthews.com/) in her prii(nce)zzzime.

May what you give us real lil people return to you 3 fold!
especially ish like your postings...damn I could evcen "get it" this time.
besos&gracias!
********************************************************************

"What people think of me is none
of my business."
~O. Winfrey

http://afeni.com/

>>
>>
and after
>talking to corey "fill it in" smyth the say after....lauryn
>was too happy with yesterday.

wow firts of all thanks for the review.....everyone needs to know the work that goes into this kind of thing and the sacrifices individuals make......like com etc

I can't wait to see this shit

just curious though are you saying Lauryn wasn't too happy the next day or she was happy? cus i noticed you were getting kinda tired at this point in the thread. I just wanna know how feasible a wax reunion would be for them.....

thanks

Very descriptive and detailed. Reading what happened behind the scenes makes the event even that more special and real. Being a non affiliate of the music business, one would never know what goes down before a show. Of all the qoolquest posts, this would have to be the best one 'cause I understood it with no problem. It gave me everything I wanted to know and more.

Of course the movie will be movie length, but ...

the DVD should be on some 4-disc-cover-the-whole-shite type thing!

tell me i'm wrong.

Hi Quest -

Will the pictures that you took at the block party be posted?

I read your jawns from time to time...I appreciate the size of your rolodex...and your usage and desire..to share..with actual word sounds that are powerful...

stay centered my brother..




Nathan Thomas
-artist/songwriter
-25 year old
-Homepage
http://angelfire.lycos.com/droid/n_thomas

This movie/dvd cannot come fast enough (and directed by MICHEL GONDRY? Its hard to believe that this isn't just some collective Okayplayer fantasy we all dreamt up). And its very much looking a gifthorse in the mouth, but will we be getting a CD release of all the performances too?


Francis.

"Why do they say I changed for a girl
Why you worry about my clothes if my flow gon change the world
Why you wait 'til you're 30 to try to be hard
Why I gotta have religion if I believe in God
Why is Bush acting like hes trying to get Osama
Why don’t we impeach him and elect Obama
Why ain't Rick James remembered for classic hits
Why do we remember Rick for smackin' a *****
Why did Ricky Williams retire, they mad in Miami
Why did Justin sell Janet out and go to the Grammys
Why you kill on every song while you frown at the screen
There's so many thrones, why we argue who is the king
Why it's over for the gangsta, why it's over for bling
Why they hype Britney up, they know she can't sing
Why a whip and a chain the black American Dream
Why I know it in my heart, it remains unseen"
-common.muthafuckin.sense.

pure fiya..the whole show was amazing..start to finish..to top it off I had monch's hat in my hand..to the 3 ladies behind that attacked me..your welcome..I wouldve been heated except for the fact that i got one of quests drumsticks too..lauryn in wyclefs face for "lost ones"..mos, common, talib..all on one stage..kool g rap and kane with the roots..nothing WILL ever compare to this..thank you dave for getting this shit to happen..thanks to all performers, most definitly quest..you are one of the hardest working people in the business..man..i still can't believe i was a witness to this..seriously a piece of history..i havent been able to get this shit out of my head since saturday..

btw..were there any guests at beat society..i left real early

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/20/arts/music/20bloc.html

The Weather Makes Way for a Reunion
By KELEFA SANNEH

Published: September 20, 2004

One of the best outdoor concerts of the summer took place on Saturday, at the last possible moment, as a drizzly afternoon gave way to the year's first chilly autumn night. The concert, starring the reunited Fugees, was billed as a "block party" by its organizer, the comedian Dave Chappelle. But it was also - perhaps mainly - a movie set: the director Michel Gondry was recording the whole thing for a concert film, which helps explain both the impressive lineup and the slow pacing.

There were no second takes, but there was lots of down time, which meant Mr. Chappelle had to find creative ways to kill it. Early on he commandeered the bongos for some fake protest poetry. "Five thousand black people, chillin' in the rain," he intoned - an overstatement. "Nineteen white people, peppered in," he added - an understatement.

The location was a well-guarded secret - a bit too well-guarded, perhaps. Tickets were free, but to get them you signed up online, filled out a casting questionnaire, then showed up at a secret location in Chinatown at 11 a.m., from which you would (eventually) be bused to an out-of-the-way street corner in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, at the L-shaped intersection of Quincy and Downing Streets. The whole process sounds as complicated as one of Mr. Gondry's playful but rigorous music videos, so maybe this was his idea. Who else would turn a concert into a treasure hunt?

There weren't nearly enough people to fill up the block (despite radio announcements on the day of the show advertising the location), but hundreds of concertgoers stuck it out, partly shielded from the elements by free ponchos that resembled oversize sandwich bags; no doubt Mr. Gondry enjoyed the strange sight.

Still, none of this was any stranger than the reunion of the Fugees, the rap trio that has only grown in stature since the release of its second and - so far - final album in 1996, "The Score." The group's name has come to symbolize hip-hop bohemia, and it was memorably adjectivized by Kanye West in a rhyme about a materialistic lover: "Five years ago, you was so Fugees/Now you don't want nothing unless it costs a few g's."

Yet the members themselves don't seem to spend much time happily reminiscing about the early days. Just last year one of them, Wyclef Jean, was offering gentle correction and friendly advice to his former bandmate Pras on a track whose title labeled Pras a fake. And since the huge success of her 1998 solo debut, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill," Ms. Hill, the third member, has mainly avoided the spotlight, surfacing for a tumultuous "MTV Unplugged" acoustic session during which she broke down crying.

So it was a shock and a thrill to see all three of them creeping through "Fu-Gee-La" once again. A few songs later Mr. Jean rhymed, "Jay-Z said, 'The Fugees gon' break up'/He ain't even know, one day we'd make up," and the crowd ignored the form (the easy rhyme, the clunky meter) in order to cheer the content.

Then it was Ms. Hill's turn, starting with, "Killing Me Softly With His Song": she sang the first verse nearly a cappella, building tension, maybe even despair, that dissipated only when the joyful hip-hop beat finally arrived. Near the end she circled around a marvelously ambivalent three-word phrase: "Singing my life, singing my life, singing my life."

What came next was even better: Ms. Hill's "Lost Ones," which has always sounded like a thinly veiled swipe at Mr. Jean. On Saturday night Mr. Jean strummed his guitar and smiled while Mr. Hill rapped on one side of him ("It's funny how money change a situation/Miscommunication leads to complication/My emancipation don't fit your equation") and Pras angrily (and half-seriously?) gestured on the other; it was the kind of performance that made you glad someone was filming.

The Fugees were joined by like-minded hip-hop and R&B acts: Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, the Roots, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Dead Prez. These fellow travelers are often tagged with the stultifying label "socially conscious," and they used to present themselves as an urgent alternative to money-hungry mainstream hip-hop. But on Saturday they seemed more like friends than comrades. Mr. Kweli spit tightly constructed verses from his forthcoming album, "The Beautiful Struggle" (Geffen), and Common and Ms. Badu, apparently recovered from a rather public breakup, reunited for a couple of love songs: "Love of My Life" (hers) and "The Light" (his).

In some ways, though, the day's most important performer was the rapper-producer Mr. West, whose brilliant debut album, "The College Dropout" (Roc-A-Fella/Island Def Jam), proudly courts both Fugees fans and "costs a few-g's" fans - slyly admitting along the way that most listeners are a bit of both. Backed by a band led by Questlove, Mr. West rapped his way through "We Don't Care" (an ambivalent ode to drug dealers) and "Spaceship" (in which he recounts a disastrous - and larcenous - tenure at the Gap).

Mr. West noted that he would probably be the only rapper onstage all day wearing diamonds, but he seemed to like being slightly out of place, the way he always is. Best of all, in a day filled with special guests, Mr. West had the best and weirdest one: Freeway, a fierce, bearded ranter from Philadelphia, who showed up 20 minutes too late to perform his verse in Mr. West's track, "Two Words."

No matter. Freeway rapped anyway, barreling through a verse from "What We Do," rhyming a cappella until Questlove joined in. "When the teeth stop showing/And the stomach start growling/Then the heat start flowing," he snarled, giving the friendly block party the one thing it might otherwise have lacked: an antihero.

i have seriously felt like ive been dreaming ever since this shit was first announced. im sad its over, now i just have to wait for the movie/DVD.

now that i think about it, i couldn't have been dreaming, cause i dont think i could have dreamt a better concert.

thats all i hope for, that EVERYTHING is on the dvd. fuck it, make it $50 if you include 4 discs of all the nonsense.

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"What people think of me is none
of my business."
~O. Winfrey

http://afeni.com/

i know it's the times but to make the whole thing formal callin everyone MR.

mr.west, mr. kweli.

and i know that the fugees were the closing act and the big secret but to make the whole article mostly about them doesn't speak true to what went on

and Kanye had the best perfomance of the night GIVE ME A BREAK

i only agree he might have been the antihero, somewhat of the odd man out but you still got love for.



Why is Bush actin' like he tryin' to get Osama? Why we ain't impeach him and elect Obama?

************************
Cause it's I you understand. I'm your sedative
*****************************

"popular artists" and it seems like the editor just threw in the other names to seem like he wasnt making it all bout The Fugees and Kanye...I wanna see a real article from a real fan retelling the event right.

I think them and the Wall Street Journal are the only papers that still use formal titles. Everywhere else you just see West, Kweli, etc. I think it's kind of cool, respectful to everyone involved in a news story, and something that sets the Times apart.

On the way the article was written, the Fugees reuniting is a national story. Yeah, the block party is too, but the Fugees haven't released material together in 10 years. From the standpoint of a national newspaper (even though this was in the Metro section, so they could have spun it for NYC), the Fugees are the story here. What they could, and should have done, is split the story into the Fugees and the Block Party, but they didn't. From a news writing standpoint, I can't with what the Times did here.

As far as who killed it the most, I wasn't there, so I couldn't tell you. Most people here are responding best to the Black Star and Common set, as well as the appearance of Kool G and BDK.

but--

it really does downplay the whole focus of the event.

the event was that dave chapelle and michele gondry wanted to bring light and focus on the left to center hip hop.

and all the times did was mention the two "former but got rich" left to center artists.

leaving the rest of the artists (dave himself) as mere footnotes.

the fugees were the cherry ontop of the worlds greatest sundae that was already established some hours before. i am chagrined at the article because not only did it seem like a miracle that the show even happened......


but mofos actually managed to turn in some of the most inspired performances of their career as well.

i think toure should've covered this one.

at least he gives great detail.

And actually, I'm reviewing the article again. Gondry and Chappelle get most of the shine for the first 5 grafs (which, in a newspaper article are the most important, because you start losing people after that). Granted, after that you only get Fugees and Kanye, which is a shame, and makes the reporter look lazy, frankly. I do wonder how much of it was edited down though. In that case, it's the editor's problem, and the best thing to do would prolly be to have Gondry, Dave, and yourself all write in or call the offices asking where the rest of the show went in that story. I mean, in the paper, there's a pic of Mos rocking the stage, but they don't mention him otherwise. So that would really lead me to believe that the story got severely edited down.

Fugees for the majority of the article, and in the article itself, they only mention the other artists as side peformers...and Im thinking WTF? This was Mos Def, Erykah Badu, and fam's show god dammit! And uh, could someone help me with this, but how did Kanye steal the show over everyone else???? If anything, all these "side Acts" stole the show. The Editor really musta not liked the original draft cause for him to butcher it down (and it seems like they even extended some part of it) to only the most "commerical" artists seems not only rushed, but maybe even closeminded.

You know, imma give them a call in the next few days, cause I used to work there, and asked what was up with the article...Imma only keep it cause they got a good shot of the Fugees, otherwise id recycle it.

I can't wait until I move to NY. I will definetely be buying the DVD.

What's up with free copies for the guests with black bands?

not much, better then nothing.

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=3605855093

heh... this sounds awesome... totally wicked... too bad I live on the other side of the world :)

so... is dvd going to be available?

i enjoyed them!

im just used to having my zoom lens cam with me, but it was gonna be hard to sneak that big-ass camera in there. security already caught me with my "spy" cam. i guess i aint that slick.

cant wait to see quests pics, if he ever puts any up.

thanks !

GREATEST HIP HOP SHOW EVER... POINT BLANK

Co-SIGN..above..

point blank..the BEST HIP HOP SHOW EVER

please.

is the only thing keeping me alive at this point

lajadl;fweprueouay3p4q8ffa;lakfj fuck!!
i hate feeling like this!

I missed half of it. Frankly the dogs were tired after Jill came on.I caught up with some friends after, pointed some people in the correct direction (yes it's that way...oh and here's my bracelet) walked to a friend house that was nearby...10 blocks... but I called my peeps for the rest of it and heard some on the phone(what the FUGEES?! aww daymn)so i'll catch the rest on dvd. With that even missing half the show I am truly a happy woman and I am floating on the high of that night two nights later...thank you Dave!

that's just the jealousy talking people....that's all....

if i had only known i would have been on a train down from school, definitely. dammit.

the fugees better do a fucking tour cause i need to see that shit

i hate you all

reading that makes me hate you all just a little bit more

i'm in massachusetts

help

In hear ya, I missed this epic event because I'm at school in Mass too, where you at? I'm at UMass Amherst.

>reading that makes me hate you all just a little bit more
>
>i'm in massachusetts
>
>help

wheaton college- it's in norton which from what i hear makes amherst look like a tokyo sized metropolis

http://www.thecrusade.net/gallery/images/gallery_177/PIC00156.jpg
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this was the best event ever in hip hop history, by the sounds of it.

we can hope for a brighter day, when Dave Chappelle does his next level revolutionary shit, like use comedy to tell the truth about Black American history, get 40 million dollars, then put on the best FREE, HISTORIC, LEGENDARY STREET HOP party where

the fucking FUGEES reunite.

wow. the one thing that everyone thought would never happen... happened.

rap is outta control, but God bless hip hop culture.

i would have been crying in joy if i was at this show

THANK YOU FOR LETTING US INTO YOUR WORLD, ?UESTLOVE... THANK YOU.

thanks! people have been askng me for pics but i didn't bring my digtal...i thought it would be taken...i'm showing them this site so they have an idea what the dvd will be like...

After the show I was standing around and a BIG, WHITE Bently pulls up. It was Wyclef, and everyone just kinda waved and stood there. As he drove away he yelled, "Stay off drugs, kids!"

WOOOO!!
http://photomail.photoworks.com/sharing/album.asp?Key=1~FQQ4aBru.cJv/bHdJdqJqN4t2W7ym1rA

l-boogie spits 'lost ones' in wyclef's face, right? look at his face, hahaha. oh shieeeeeeeeet. great!

to see all these amazing artists and people in my neighborhood. I was happy to see all of those people in peace and having a great time. Hip Hop has a very bad rap and this event played a big role in improving it. THANK YOU DAVE CHAPPELLE!!! You are now my favorite person in the industry.

The entire day was perfect from the clearing of the rain and flooding, to the OKP Red Carpet, the Chicken Bus and last but not least, the Concert. Incredible. I know that I witnessed history. I will be telling my kids about it.

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The world is so magnificent, the way it keeps rebirthing itself to you, if you're amenable. And if you are amenable, the way the world comes will be exciting, new each time, in different colors and different shapes. - Asha Bandele

If your name is "Jim Jones" and you think it is a good idea to go into the fruit beverage business...You sir, are indeed in Dipset. - OKP Jeff Foxworthy

____________________________

http://unclebutta.tripod.com
my concert bootlegs collection.

____________________________

http://unclebutta.tripod.com
my concert bootlegs collection.

As we all know by now, the Block Party was historic!

It was over for me when when Big Daddy Kane came out during the Roots set, my heart damn near bust out of my chest. To the brother with locs, standing infront of me, in the white wife beater, THANK YOU for being understaning when I damn near pounded and grabbed you to death when Big Daddy Kane came out :)

But nothing prepared me for finale featuring the reunion of The Fugees. OMG! We heard that LBoogie was the "surpise", but a reunion....damn! Wyclef had me so close to tears when he started freestyling about missing working with his fam. I was so happy to see beautiful L. And ofcourse her kids were not far behind. Pras looked healthy and rocked it too, although the chemistry between L & Wyclef was so THICK.

As for the other acts. Erykah Badu singing with Jill Scott, untouchable! Erykah diving into the crowd, priceless. And
Miss Scott, she didn't walk to the stage, she floated, she is absolutely gorgeous! But not just physically her whole spirit comes thru her face, her smile. And I want to bite her outfit. And she made a very positive and funny commentary on marriage. So good she had to lick her fingers, to let the world know how much she enjoys the state of her relationship. More power to you Jill!

The Roots, Kanye, Dead Pres, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Common, Bilal (sang his face off!!) & Cody C (who I was waiting for to come out during The Roots set) -- Nothing can be said that hasn't already been said about all these beyond talented beautiful brothers. and Mad respect to the godfather DJ Kool Herc!

From the start of the day, I knew it would be something to remember for a lifetime. From talking to people on the bus line, me and my girls sitting in the last row of the bus eating our Pathmark chicken, and catching heat from some cats from Boston, who called us out, for not sharing :) and being the first bus to pull out! We had a camera crew on board and this production guy, his name is "Ben" if I remember correctly.

The vibe thoughout the entire event is just so mellow. We got were up at the front of the center stage, and our neighbors were great! We had a tight crew in the front. We didn't exchange any # with those we spent 8+ hours with, but we still looked out of each other when one had to leave and come back. We did have to check several people who THOUGHT they could move up the front and block those who were standing there since the begining. I'm sorry don't come with a fake sob story as to why you should be infront, especially that lady talking about "i'm short, I can't see, Can't you let me up there so I can see better?". Come again???

Yes it was a very long day, a wet long day, but worth every second. One thing though, I'm tired of hearing people of people complaining about something that was so satifying and on top of that "free". You could not put a price on what it was to witness all that! Especially some of the youngin's around me, complaining about how long it took to set up between sets. Quality takes time, this wasn't no fly by night operation.

This was one of the best concert experiences I've had in my life. Much props to Dave, for putting this amazing event together. I can't wait to replay on the DVD Dave's freestyle poetry on the congos! Plus I have to buy it, cause I hope to see myself and my girls having a ball in the front of the stage !