Big Boi + Killer Mike + The People | 4.24.13
“If I die tomorrow, I was in Brooklyn tonight.” – Killer Mike
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. And when a man the size of Killer Mike speaks, there is no option but to listen. Opening up for one half of the legendary hip-hop duo, OUTKAST (Big Boi), Killer Mike represented hard, spitting out lighting fast, effortless, crystal clear lyrics in the tradition of the big men that paved the way ahead of him. Biggie, Big Pun and Rick Ross would all have been proud. Hip-hop is a hard arena to perform in. It’s high production value can lead to trouble when translated to the stage because there’s a tendency to lose what the artist is attempting to say behind big bass beats. Now imagine if you have more than one performer rapping too, the scale of difficulty only goes up. But in true lyricist fashion, Killer Mike brought to life several of his best tracks – “Regan,” “Southern Pride,” and “Ric Flair” – and thrillingly took Brooklyn Bowl to “Church” with his flawless, lovable and fun style. Amen.
Now if Killer Mike is hip-hop’s Sunday morning preacher, Big Boi is like one of Jesus’s disciples. With the crowd all raring and ready to go, Big Boi got in the mix and turned the party out. Performing alongside Dungeon Family partner BlackOwned C-Bone, Big Boi put out banger after banger after banger, ripping through a 20-year plus catalog of hits that included the likes of “Wheelz of Steel,” “Rosa Parks,” and “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik,” just to name a few. The crowd was singing, dancing and wylin out for the entire set. And for this writer, it was like stepping in a hip-hop time machine and going back to the golden era – where’s Andre when you need him?!
Taking a break to catch their breath, Big Boi and Co. preceded to bring out not only Killer Mike for a track or two, but filled the stage with VIP’s left and right, making you feel like you were at a Girl Talk set. And just when you thought it was over, he encored with his new work “Lines,” “Raspberries,” and utterly destroyed it with “In the A.” Goodnight nurse! It was the perfect cap to an epic eve. If you get a chance, don’t deny yourself a shot at this classic show. No lie, no rumor.
Writer + Photographer | Rene Ramirez
Killer Mike Preaching Rap Gospel
