Mos Def, Talib Kweli live!

Zune Presents: Live At The BBQ
Union Park, Chicago
Sunday, July 22, 2007

It’s tempting to dismiss corporate-related shows. This is particularly true when the host is a mammoth like Microsoft’s Zune trying to recreate the community aspect of hip-hop by throwing the “ultimate park jam experience.” On the second stop of Zune’s Live At The BBQ concert series, Microsoft’s MP3 player was no doubt being advertised all throughout Union Park, from the “Zune” stamped dominos available for play to the actual Zunes available for use in the Microsoft demo tent. But product placement or not, all in all, these folks pulled off the planned park jam atmosphere pretty well.

With Robinson’s ribs on the grill, basketball games going, and attendees of all ages present, Live At The BBQ really did feel like an ideal outdoor summer jam. But more importantly, the lineup of talent and number of surprise guests was remarkable. Openers Qualo were the only the local act of the day, but they set the afternoon off right for the few hundred who arrived early. Coming out wildly rapping over their live band’s rendition of The White Stripes’ thumping “Seven Nation Army” was an entertaining and effective move. When the backing musicians stepped off stage, these four MCs, who met at Lane Tech, often opted to borrow other people’s beats (e.g. Kanye), which was wise considering that not everyone is up on this erratic quartet just yet.

When North Carolina’s Little Brother appeared next on stage, the crowd was still somewhat sparse yet MCs Phonte, Rapper Big Pooh, and their backing vocalist Darien Brockington got one of the best responses of the day. Their soulful-meets-traditional hip-hop approach proved to reach the backpack crowd and beyond while their humorous moments like covering “Greatest Love Of All” helped make the mood even more upbeat. Even if their last album, The Minstrel Show, wasn’t outstanding, they made sure every moment kept the crowd moving. The same can’t be said for the next performance by not-so-prolific neo soul singer Bilal. Sure his voice sounded good, but his lifeless presence was a downer following Little Brother’s magnetic set.

Thankfully things picked up when surprise guest Talib Kweli appeared next. Talib has long been criticized for his sloppy stage show, and while he was a little all over the place, he kept up a strong presence whisking through his booming classics like “Move Somethin'” and covering a segment of “The Message” for the now larger crowd. His guests, like the fiery Jean Grae and Kanye protégé GLC, also proved to be a welcome surprise. But nothing could top the reunion of Talib and rapper/actor Mos Def, who make up the long departed group Black Star.

Together, Mos and Talib crafted one of the independent heyday’s best recordings with their self-titled 1998 debut. And when Mos appeared on stage with backpack and b-boy attire to perform the Boogie Down Productions-inspired “Definition,” the audience went wild – many of whom knew the optimistic raps verbatim. Hands down, this was the moment of the Zune BBQ. What was weird is that after performing one more song together, Talib stepped back and played the hype man as Mos did his solo set. As a soloist, Mos has more charisma than Talib and arguably much more lyrical precision. The problem with Mos’ set was that he was up onstage alone a little too long.

Thankfully, Talib came back and the pair performed a couple more Black Star classics like the lush “Brown Skin Lady,” which had the ladies beaming. After Mos did a few more solo joints, the night concluded and the crowd dispersed from the park grounds. And from the satisfied looks of the attendees’ faces, some teenaged, others 30-somethings, it appears as if Microsoft achieved their goal of creating a community-like atmosphere centered on good music. Big business money isn’t always a bad thing, eh?

— Max Herman

Category: Live Reviews, Weekly