Cypress Hill

There are certain bands with which you have to wonder if their unique selling point is going to be something that they’ll struggle with a little as they start to get a bit long in the tooth. I’m not talking about the Rolling Stones - they’re just a straightforward rock and roll band - but take blink-182 as an example; now that they’re all in their forties, married with kids, is there any real dignity and climbing up on stage night after night and delivering ninety minutes of toilet humour to those assembled? The same theory could very well apply to Cypress Hill’s stoner antics, although it apparently hasn’t slowed them down as time’s gone on; 'Black Sunday' feels like a long time ago now, but the South Gate outfit continue to pull in the crowds. The classics remain present and correct - "Dr. Greenthumb," "Hits from the Bong," "I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That" - and, of course, the focus on weed is still heavy, to the point at which I’d suggest that you might feel rather detached from proceedings if you don’t indulge. Marijuana and Cypress Hill go together like The Flaming Lips and acid; when they delivered a storming set at Leeds Festival in 2010, B-Real even shared his blunt with the stage-side cameraman, to the crowd’s delight.

Over the course of a twenty-odd-year working relationship, Method Man and Redman have only managed two studio records, but it certainly hasn’t stopped them touring; they’re on the road across Europe once again this summer. The significance of the pairing is obvious to most hip hop fans; back in 1999, when they dropped the excellent Blackout!, it marked the first time that Method Man had really delivered what he was capable of outside of the Wu-Tang Clan; he’s always been the group’s real star and was accordingly tipped for solo greatness in the early nineties, but that never really materialised, with Tical and Tical 2000: Judgement Day only ever meeting with a lukewarm reception. As far their upcoming UK dates, expect a slew of material from Blackout! and its 2009 sequel, Blackout! 2, especially those tracks that have proved such firm favourites that they’ve made it into Wu-Tang setlists - ‘Da Rockwilder’, especially, is guaranteed to have every room bouncing. There’ll also be a fair few Meth-heavy Wu cuts - expect ‘M.E.T.H.O.D. Man’ for sure - and the best of Redman’s impressive catalogue, too. Meth himself has always been the most entertaining live member of the Clan; the man knows how to put a show on, making any gig with him on the bill an enticing proposition.

De La Soul seem to be in perpetual touring motion; whether it’s anniversary tours for their classic 3 Feet High and Rising LP, hip hop super tours like the Science of Speech festival of a few years back, or large-scale outdoor festivals, they seem to have a set to suit any surroundings. Most recently, an extensive European tour culminated in a hit-packed performance on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury, with Maseo, Dave and Posdnuos backed by a an extensive live band, with plenty of percussion and a brass section - the latter, anybody would tell you, is essential to the De La sound. They also reminded the crowd just how deep their back catalogue runs; 3 Feet High classics like ‘Me Myself and I’, ‘Eye Know’ and ‘The Magic Number’ were of course present and correct, but a run through the Grammy-winning Gorillaz track ‘Feel Good Inc.’, on which they featured, was barely distinguishable from the original, proving that it was De La, rather than Damon Albarn, that were at the heart of that hit, with Maseo even reproducing his signature maniacal laugh on the track. The trio are back in the UK in August for a slew of club shows; currently in the live form of their lives, you’d be ill-advised to miss them.

Digable Planets was completely dazzling. They came to the stage, introduced themselves, and immediately jumped into their hit single, "Daytona Beach Jams", and the trippy, warped urban beat began blaring, with jazz fusion drumming, and hip hop, sample based production highlighting the great poetry delivered by the vocalists.

I began to get the vibe that this band wasn't an ordinary hip hop group; the crowd around me actually seeming pretty similar to people who you would expect at an avant garde show or a poetry slam, I felt relatively comfortable, and began to pay more attention to Digable Plant's modernist sound.

The poetry felt like it was speaking to me, and the high energy music was giving me a great buzz. I felt excited to listen to what they had to say, and the rest of the crowd was even more intent, obviously familiar with who Digable Plants were. I really got the vibe that who this band was and what they stood for was important to a lot of people. Overall, they were a great experience. Digable Plants was among one of the most inspiring, unique shows I have gone to. I left feeling stimulated and tired from jamming a little bit too hard.

I've been a Hieroglyphics fan since I was a freshman in high school and they dropped '3rd Eye Vision.' I was visiting a friend in Philly when the album was released and picked it up at a record store out there. So funny since I live in California and was purchasing an underground Cali group CD on the east coast, but that just goes to show you that good music travels fast. To take it back even further, I was just 11 when my brother rigged our radio so that we could hear the Wake Up Show on KMEL in our closet (which is a bay area station 65 miles from home) and heard Souls of Mischief for the first time, which is a group consisting of 4 of the members of Hieroglyphics. I've been addicted ever since. I went to my first Hiero show at Planet Rock 1997 in Oakland, CA. I was 15 and struggled to stay awake, but it was well worth it! They give off so much good energy when they perform that you can feel it transcend to you. I've been to countless shows since and each one surpasses the last. It's hard to explain, but if you could imagine good vibes, hands in the air, heads nodding, and some of the freshest beats and rhymes you've ever heard then you can halfway picture what it's like to see Hieroglyphics perform. They're most def chillin' like that from 93 'til infinity!
I love them because they are humble people and still put out good music, yet the classics never die and slap harder than ever! If you hear them, you will never go back to the mainstream because they make mainstream rappers sound lame - you'll want to throw that mainstream CD out the window and ask for your money back.

This one’s a little bit complicated, so you might have to bear with me; there are effectively two different iterations of The Pharcyde currently touring and playing shows. The first, under the original name, is comprised of Imani and Bootie Brown, and they sporadically play gigs, including a handful of European festivals this summer. The other version of The Pharcyde - and the one I’ll focus on here - involves the other two original members, Fatlip and Slimkid3, who played the group’s seminal Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde record in its entirety at The Roxy in Los Angeles two years ago, and found it to be such a success that they’ve since taken the show on the road. Flanked by the record’s producers, J-Swift and L.A. Jay, and performing in front of a modest video screen, the pair deliver an affectionate tribute to the album that saw them break through into the mainstream, with plentiful crowd interaction and thrillingly energetic renditions of the likes of ‘Oh Shit’ and ‘Passin’ Me By’. Granted, this isn’t officially The Pharcyde, and perhaps it’s a tad disingenuous to label the shows as such, but I can’t imagine there’s been too much in the way of post-show demands for refunds; Fatlip and Slimkid3 are well-versed in the art of showing the crowd a good time, and that’s ultimately all that matters.