23 October 2006

Big Night Out

Last night I had the absolute privilege of seeing Jay-Z in action. For those of you that don't know I am most definitely a fan of hip-hop/rap music. It started with MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice and has progressed to Kanye West and Jay-Z. My interest in Jay-Z started when I was working with the Sakatchewan Hawks semi-pro basketball team. I was always at the arena early hanging out with the players during warm-ups. They were mostly big city African American dudes that were connected to the hip-hop scene. Before the doors opened they would have the P.A. guy play their favorite tunes. At the time Jay-Z's Blueprint album was out and they couldn't get enough of it. And since I was a poser big city baller wannabe I fell in line as a bandwagon Jay-Z fan. I've listened to his stuff ever since and now appreciate his legacy as one of the best that ever was. The show started with my favorite song, "U Don't Know"...I jumped off my seat and started dancing like a mad fool and rapping each word with the master himself. It was a great moment for me but a bit awkward when I looked around to see that not many others were sharing in my enthusiasm. It's not really a radio type hit that the average Taiwanese hip-hop fan would be familiar with. I continued to enjoy my moment and then sat down to recover. The fans eventually picked up the pace with songs like, "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" and "Crazy In Love". And we all went crazy when he played "Encore" to end the show. Another highlight was when he did a tribute to some of rap's fallen heroes: Tupaq, Biggie, Jam Master Jay and r&b's Aaliyah. He had pictures on the video screen and guided the fans to sing some of their famous songs. It was a moment that was unexpected but appreciated. It was a world class show!

1 comment:

Melissa said...

I'm so excited that you went. I meant to ask if you were going. Glad you had a great time.

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