Grand Rapids Hip Hop at Founder's, The Review!

If you’ve never found yourself partial to the hip-hop genre, Saturday June 7th at Founders was sure to inspire you to at least respect it. If you do love hip-hop and missed this to attend some insanely subpar event allow me to narrate your absence. Featuring some of Michigan’s most renowned emcees, the evening’s lineup was a collective of lively performers who by compelling audience and simply rocking the stage participation assured the $5 cover was money well spent.

My timely arrival was simultaneous with the onset of the performance of artist March Forth, who’s soulful fiber of hip-hop sown with an alternative stitch served for a diversified sound that was very well pieced together by an ensemble the artist revered as, “the illest band ever.”  Accompanied by an exuberant character for an electric guitarist and a drummer who after a technical difficulty quelled served as the pulse throughout the set, March Forth was a premier act. Along with the faint mixes of DJ Dean Martian on the ones and twos and a surprise feature pulled straight from the audience, this artist’s bars though sometimes unintelligible, were revived by the activity of the of a bevy of supporting features from his crew. His latest album entitled, “Soon They’ll See” is available now. I was entertained enough to incline ear, I’d recommend doing so.

Subsequent in the lineup and embraced by a following that descended upon the stage in their anticipation, Grand Rapids’ natives and Hip Hop duo, The Action Figures ushered in a refreshing dose of pure hip hop. The capacity crowd did not shy from the two’s invitations for audience participation as they paid homage to artists past and new and served up a sample and rendition of their single “Coral Blue” over  J. Dilla produced track “On and On” by Janet Jackson. That was dope. The raucous depth of Marq Beyond’s voice paired with vigorish flow of Kysean equips the pair with a rare appeal.  Antonymous with boring, these two share an artistic chemistry that only fuels their tag team delivery of lyrics in a game that not only leaves us all begging for a chance to play but explains their moniker, The Action Figures. The group’s latest project a mixtape entitled, Powers, which features production from Young RJ of Slum Village, Statik Selektah and Mozaic is due to be released June 24, 2014. I clearly do my homework on these two. Stay tuned and I will  keep you posted.

The bass thomping base line of the infamous Convotronics left no one in attendance free of satisfaction as the group composed of Jous82 and  4NSix, topped off my evening’s experience with intoxicating sounds of Hip Hop originality. The authenticity of the Convotronics sound conjures up memories of adage hip hop in a sonic delivery aromatized by dungeon themes. The smell of Hip Hop never sounded so good. As complimenting as a third group member, the producers of the group’s monstrous beats deserve the title of best supporting role for this night’s performance.  Their lyrical delivery which alternates in speed and tempo accordingly is worthy of respect and appreciation.