Our Dues Have Been Paid
April 21, 2010 in Event Coverages, Feature, Music, Shows & Events, Video by thefreshman-la
If Hip Hop is your forte then the 2010 Paid Dues Festival was probably on the to-do list. The Assemble team was fortunate enough to catch some of the biggest independent hip hop acts. With Murs leading the choice of which artists played on April 3rd, hip hop heads were treated to a dope mix of beats and rhymes from all over the nation. Headlining the show was west coast royalty, Ice Cube, amongst other west coast heavy hitters like Tha Dogg Pound. It was good to finally see Daz and Kurupt on stage because I never knew how hype their set would be. The main stage was lit up nicely and you could feel the bass of every track from way in the back. A surprise during their set was a guest appearance by the Lady of Rage, who sang her big hit “Afro Puffs.” As soon as “Who ride wit us” came on people went crazy and hands were waving high. We will be seeing a new Dogg Pound album, but out today is Kurupt’s new solo album, “Streetlights.” 
Anyone that says they know underground hip hop knows Dilated Peoples. Seeing their set just reminded me of old mix tapes I put together with friends. Babu on the cut! Dilated was definitely a ride back in time when beats were the illest. It’s good to go back once in awhile, but there are refreshing joints now that seem to keep the underground spirit alive. Jay Electronica’s beats were dope, but his lyrics really moved the crowd. I became an instant fan. I feel a bit guilty for sleeping on this cat for as long as I did.
In any hip hop festival there are opening acts. These artists, who are hungry for the mic always come out with a swagger that may win over the crowd. It was cool to see an artist from the Inland Empire represent at Paid Dues. MC Prototype is just a character plain and simple. His rhymes are comical yet there exists a message there. Like he said in our interview, his music isn’t meant to be so serious and he wants people or particular subjects that aren’t rapped about to be rapped about. Prior to the show I was able to hear one of his cuts, “can’t hide” and found his vibe to be exactly how he explained it. Also another artist I was really curious about was Hopie Spitshard. The fact that she was the only female mc on the bill and being Filipino are two things that aren’t easily welcomed in the rap game. I was curious to see the reaction of the SoCal crowd. Fortunately, she lived up to her name and spit some dope rhymes. “Yummy” is one of the cuts on her latest album, “The Diamond Dame.”
Big ups to Guerilla Union and Murs for putting together a dope show. Check out Assemble’s exclusive coverage on the event. Keep it fresh.
Paid Dues 2010 from Assemble on Vimeo.
This event was the sht. Good job Guerilla Union. Thanks for having us.