Slum Village & Co. cause lyrical wreck

By Dustin Seibert

Daily Arts Writer

It was my humble decision to attend the Fantastic Voyage concert from the standpoint of the true hip-hop fan, and not the press. No notepad, no tape recorder and no inhibitions. In all honesty, I would not have enjoyed the show any other way. I find the ambiance of any show that demonstrates actual conscious hip-hop truly euphoric: The energy of the always-multicultural crowd is truly overwhelming, it is more than likely that you will get to meet the artists after the show, and above all, it's nothing but love.

Emceed with grace by the always-"vivrant" duo of Mr. Marshall and J. Key$ of Black Vibes fame, the show was opened by S.U.N. and Prime Numbers, a Roots-esque group consisting of the MC flowing over a culturally diverse live band, performing songs from their albums School of Thought and Silent Underground (Silent Records). They definitely had my head nodding to the excellent band, despite the poor mic given to S.U.N. I don't doubt that he would have made a better impression had the crowd not had to strain their ears to hear what knowledge he was spitting. Kill the soundman!

Next up, The Athletic Mic League, representing their hometown of Ann Arbor, blessed the stage seven-deep, performing tracks from their first LP, along with joints from their upcoming album. These cats range in age from high schoolers to twenty-somethings, but that in no way tainted their lyrical or production abilities. Their crowd interaction skills made the wallflowers get up and play their roles accordingly. Even fellow duo Binary Star made a cameo appearance on the stage. Look out for AML; they are on the come up something vicious.

East Detroit natives Slum Village were last on the stage as the night's headliners. The group's member and sole producer Jay Dee was absent from the show, but that in no way hindered the performance of members Baatin and T3, the former being one of the most amusing rappers that I have ever seen pick up a microphone. They performed tracks primarily from their sophomore release, Vol 2. - Fantastic Voyage (GoodVibe), including the lead single "Climax" and the crowd-stirring "Raise it Up." This was my fourth time seeing them perform on stage, and I must say that it was refreshing to witness them finally headline a show. Their whole "simple" rhyme style is reminiscent of their predecessors A Tribe Called Quest, and they are critically praised for their excellent grass-roots production. Of course, seeing them perform on stage is an experience all it's own.

Unfortunately, the sound that night was not completely on point, and the way that it blended with the Michigan League ballroom played hell with many of the songs performed - no fault of the performers themselves, yet the crowd suffered the negative effects. In addition, the crowd was surprisingly small and unexcited - not representative of a good hip-hop concert in which the crowd is always hype and ecstatic. I attribute this to the general non-popularity of the artists. Regardless, hip-hop in Ann Arbor seems to be so underrated, and it bears a negative reputation. Shows like these demonstrate the best things about the art. Underground is a force to be reckoned with. Book them and they will come.

Courtesy of Athletic Mic League

The members of Athletic Mic Club get their freestyle on behind what used to be Taco Bell.