Concert Reviews

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Once again Madness2012 is back at it, throwing some of the wildest hip-hop parties/concerts in all of New England. This time around, the Unit 11 stage introduced heads to many up-and-coming acts, both local and national. By the time I arrived, there was already a line out the door, and apparently people had to be turned away due to overcrowding (who says Boston doesn’t love hip-hop?).

With all the talk of the decline of the music industry, particularly in hip-hop, it’s comforting to know that no matter what, no one will ever be able to bootleg the live experience (at least, I hope not). Hip-hop began as a live art form, and to this day the live element of hip-hop remains perhaps the most complete component of the culture. There is a physical interaction between the artist and the audience that simply cannot be duplicated. That said, there may very well be few people in New England who understand this better than rapper/beatboxer/hip-hop aficionado, Madness2012, who puts on some of the most fun and energetic shows (although party may be the more accurate term) in Boston.

It’s not every day that international hip-hop or neo-soul acts make their way over to America, and when they do, it’s usually just to hit the most major cities (New York and Los Angeles). Therefore when I heard that Nigerian/German songstress Nneka would be performing in Boston, I immediately cleared my schedule, and made sure nothing would get in the way of me attending her show.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Although the album came over a month ago, Saving Seamus Ryan, the new solo album by MC Esoteric, finally had its proper release party in Boston (well technically, Cambridge), MA. The show got off to a late start though, so an eager crowd was gathered outside waiting to get into the Middle East Upstairs venue – an extremely tight and loud space, known for putting down some of the best shows in the Boston area.