A Historic Day for Hip Hop – Rock The Bells 2010

September 1, 2010 in Event Coverages, Feature, Music, Shows & Events by thefreshman-la

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August 21, 2010 was a historic day for Hip Hop. The acts that people have grown up listening to blessed the stage playing their classics. The only thing hotter than the acts that Guerilla Union put together for this year’s lineup was the weather. The thermostat showed 105 degrees at one point in the day and fans were passing out left and right. You never see crowd surfing at a Hip Hop show, but with that day’s heat fans needed some assistance to get to the first aid tent. On the main stage we were given a history lesson on The Great Adventures of Slick Rick and how Rakim ain’t no joke. This was a good way to start the day off.

There were a lot more ladies in the crowd this year because of the return Ms. Lauryn Hill. There was so much hype for her return prior to the festival. As her set time approached the crowd in front of the stage grew rapidly. She performed a fast paced remix of one of my favorites, “Lost Ones” and soothed the crowd’s mood with “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You.” Her set was cut short, but she was able to get in a medley of some Fugees classics. At this point I couldn’t wait for the acts to follow. I was already taken back to my high school days.

As the day cooled down the stage only got hotter with Wu Tang’s set. It was only fitting to have ODB’s (Old Dirty Bastard) first born son to represent the fallen soldier. He definitely looks like his father, but his rendition of the classic “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” needed to be a bit more old and dirty. ODB was definitely missed. They opened their set with “Bring Da Ruckus” and ended with “Truimph.” It was a matter of moments before the clouds of smoke started rising from the crowd.

The set that got it done for me that day was from A Tribe Called Quest. They always perform well and get the crowd moving. They played a medley of party favorites like “Electric Relaxation”, “Award Tour”, and “Oh My God.” Even Busta Rhymes came out to perform one an unforgettable classic “Scenario.” The thousands in attendance all jumped up and down to their set.

A festival of this magnitude should have a strong west coast representative. With the night nearly over the lights on stage turned off and an opening clip introduced the west coast legend, Snoop Dogg. Joining him on stage were other west coast artists Warren G, The Dogg Pound, and The Lady of Rage. From the emotional lyrics of “Murder was the Case” to the party track “Ain’t no Fun” Snoop reminded us of his DoggyStyle. I don’t know how Guerilla Union will top this year’s show, but we can only that they do next year. Keep it fresh. 

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