This past Saturday in Brooklyn, a crowd of Hip-Hop fans gathered ’round for the ninth annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival. Entering the gates of the festival was like walking in into a melting pot of Hip-Hop culture. From hand painted Yankees caps to traditional clothing and jewelery from Ghana, the festival was the place to be. In addition to the catering environment, was the presence of some of the tri-state’s most decorated rap legends, such as Redman, EPMD and Das Efx, in addition to the acclaimed XXL Freshman, Dizzy Wright, among others. However, the man of the hour was Pusha T who headlined the event. The artist was first spotted in front of the stage raping along Eric Sermon and Parrish Smith before his own performance (see below.)
Pusha T Full Performance from the Brooklyn Hip… by BKHipHopFestival
Push began his 45 min set with his 1,000 watt verse from Kanye‘s remix of “I Don’t Like.” His sharp vocals were strikingly comparable to the studio recordings itself.
Redman performed before Pusha T, he successfully elevated the energy level. However, as soon as Pusha put one feet on the stage the crowd lost it. His “crazy eyes” were compelling. In addition came some of his smooth dance moves, including but not limited to his signature “cooking cocaine” hand gesture the crowd eagerly mimicked. If you have yet to see the artist live, you should look for tickets once his My Name Is My Name drops. Following “Don’t Like,” Pusha performed verses and hooks from two classic Clipse’s tracks, “Popular Demand” and “Grindin.’” The knowledgeable crowd spit each line back to the rapper.
The artist spoke during the show about his rise as a rapper, going back to when he met Kanye. He recounted the event saying: “Some of you may know that I went out to Hawaii for a week to work on an album called My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. I came back a month later signed to G.O.O.D. Music.” Simultaneously “So Appalled” began playing. Once Push was done running through a wide range of his G.O.O.D. collaborations, he rapped “My God” and “Cook It Down” off his acclaimed Fear of God tape. While he was performing “My God,” he appeared to directly address himself to God. The artist then spoke to the crowd exclaiming: “Enough with the fuckin’ history lesson,” and shifted into an acapella version of his guest verse on Alley Boy‘s “Your Favorite Rapper,” wherein he threw some clear disses towards Lil’ Wayne. The artist then rapped “Exodus 23:1,″ and shouted out “They not like me, they not like me!” ending his performance the way it began: crazy-eyed and energetic.
Thanks for the shout!!
"@JuliaHlna: If you have yet to read my review of @PUSHA_T – You are missing out on a taste of the event- … http://t.co/cATWMWsiko
— PUSHA T (@PUSHA_T) July 17, 2013