Live Review: Raekwon with JD Era and guests - Review
April 23, 2012 Fortune, Vancouver, B.C
Certainly no stranger to the stage at Fortune, Raekwon certainly draws an energetic crowd, and for those a little cold, on this clear Wednesday night, a superb crew of opening acts helped warm up the pan for the Chef.
Starting out the night was local Vancity veteran, Kilo Cee, who laid down a more than respectable set, leading into a trio of heavy hitters known as Conscience with help from Noah B of the Random Humans, who certainly added a unique layer to this very special show. Stack Steady, Dunn Hustle and John Saint all rounded out a very Canadian night with a diverse mix of crazy in your face antics, and steady to the point beats and rhymes.
If Canadian Hip Hop is to make a splash in the US, solid Canadian acts like these are a great step towards that goal.
Hailing from New York, LA the Darkman, also known as LAD really took to the host city, showing love to our fair Metropolis as if it was his home town. After an intense bout of sublimely spit rhymes including “C.R.E.A.M” for which Raekwon graced the stage teased the eager crowd, the stage was set for JD Era.
The intensity of JD Era showed through with a tribute to ODB’s “Shimmy Shimmy Ya”, along with an equally strong set consisting of tracks like “Goodfellas” and “Soldier Story” befitting of a headlining act. If there is anything ahead for this superstar after an intense 2011, its more time at the top on stage riling up crowds, as he proved he was more than capable of tonight.
While one sour note, in the form of some poor girl brought up by The Chef’s crew to play the part of Method Man during “Protect Ya Neck”, and subsequently being booed off stage by those who pulled her up, Raekwon delivered a performance worthy of his name within the halls of Wu. Sending a shout out to the Clan for their 20th year doing what only Wu-Tang does, The Chef closed the night down with a little sautéed greatness with a side of yummy beets.
Make that beats.