Yasiin Bey performance worth the wait: PHOTOS

Hip hop rapper Wangechi (left)and Rabbit from Kaka empire performing during the Yasiin Bey show held at Ebony lounge, Westlands, Nairobi on 28th May 2015. PHOTO| CHARLES KAMAU

What you need to know:

  • Bamboo showcased his prowess in both Swahili and English rap and freestyle.

  • Then Rabbit aka King Kaka presented his piece soon after, and he brought with him the high-flying pair Amos and Josh.

If you were at the Ebony Lounge on Thursday, you definitely had to wait a long time for the show to get started. My mistake for imagining the acts would start around 8pm, since Friday would be a work-day.

The concert venue was almost empty by the time we got there, though outside, at the KFC So Good Music Lounge, it was more than kicking.

Up2Scratch is a concept by Whats Good Live, where multiple deejays sync their gear and scratch music together. Most impressive to many at the tent lounge, some who went over to have a look and step-on, was the LED dance floor.

KFC went on to offer all present at their activation tent a sampling of their chicken, in original and hot flavours.

TOOK THE STAGE LIKE SHE HAD NEVER LEFT

G-Money got things started inside, setting the mood for the crowd to receive the opening acts, mixing to hyped hip hop tracks.

When Wangeci came on stage, accompanied by her vocalist, Joy, the crowd showed her so much love for not only having survived her horrific accident, but being fully recovered.  She took to the stage like she had never left, and at the end she gave an outstanding performance.

 “BADDEST” RAP DUO

Xtatic, who came on after Wangeci, had a theme of strength in adversity. She dedicated her new track “Let Me Explain” to her mother’s memory, who she recently lost.

After which she called on stage Fena Gitu to do the collaborative remix to “Jabulani”.

Bamboo was without a doubt the Kenyan MC for the night. Onstage with Abbas once again, the fans, who were of the generation that grew up on the rap-of-the-nineties-and-the-noughties were treated to what they have been missing from the “baddest” rap duo ever in Kenya.

Bamboo showcased his prowess in both Swahili and English rap and freestyle. Then Rabbit aka King Kaka presented his piece soon after, and he brought with him the high-flying pair Amos and Josh.

Their vocal prowess live was just as good as their sound on studio recordings.

CONFUSING START

Cometh the hour cometh the man. It was now Friday heading to 2:30 AM when Yasiin Bey, the artiste formerly known as Mos Def, finally came on stage.

He wouldn’t start performing until he was reunited with his favourite mike, Ruby, a red Shure 55SH. The legendary hip hop MC first had the lights set on red, then  took his devotees through his playlist of “good music”(mostly Fela Kuti’s), while dancing in a twirl. Even I was confused, as were the enthusiasts, on how to react; he wasn’t not-performing, but he wasn’t performing either.

At some point even some folks started walking out, even after he started his rap exhibition. If you left after the first 20 minutes or so, then yes the show did suck.

If you stayed, you will agree with me that after about the 25th minute, then we should be in agreement that Yasiin is one of the best performers to ever grace a Kenyan stage.

He did not lip-sync, he did not spend the whole time asking fans to sing his song while the playback went on (although there wasn’t a live band, he rapped the tracks from start to finish), he did all the fan favourites even though he had reservations about doing them, and he interacted well with the crowd (at one point, he looked into the crowd and so the guys standing next to the speakers were having a rough time with the sound).

“Can we have the sound taken care of?” said Yasiin to the organisers over the microphone,” I don’t take for granted that you came out to see me, and I want to give you a good show.” So he gave a rousing performance that the whole place was chanting his name as he left the stage more than an hour after he got on stage.