The Grand Star has gotta rep for being an establishment that pushes fresh hip hop. It plays host to the Beat Swap Meet a couple times a year, and every first Saturday of the month, Boombox crashes the gates in Chinatown at the Grand Star and lets the sound system thu-thump. Really though, it’s a big thing, cuz Boombox has now been cracking for 6 years. Count ’em… 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… 6. That’s one more than Dylan, Dylan and Dylan, if you know what I’m saying. I spits hot fire. Shouts out to DJ Inka One and all the DJ’s who fuck with the clique, cuz 6 years is impressive.
So the anniversary gotta be done right. You know… crushed pineapple and Stellas for the homies. Amen. The line wrapped around the little pagoda pavilion in Chinatown and peoples were waiting to get inside. I seen good looking girls, b-boys, stone cold players and macks galore. Gaslamp Killer was in the house on the low, just maxing, relaxing and showing love. One Man Jazz was on the decks bringing the funk. He played Led Zepplin’s “American Woman” and mixed that into “Ghetto Superstar” with Pras, Mya and Ol’ Dirty Bastard. That wasn’t all he played, but yeah… that shit was fresh.
Inka one was giving the play by play on the microphone like Chick Hearn as he introduced Pasadena’s finest… Dam-Funk. Repping Stones throw Records to the fullest, the new age funkmatician was rocking a Cosby sweater and some Ray-Bans. Word life… Dam-Funk asked the crowd to step in the mirror and take a look at they own self sometimes. You know, take a step back and examine your 360 so you can keep everything crispy. His set conjured up images of George Clinton freaking a SP-404 while Doctor Funkenstein goes all gangnum style in the background.
I stepped outside to breathe in the night air and before I knew it, Peanut Butter Wolf was at the podium letting the serato spin. And when it comes to turntablism, PBW can be the first to throw stones cuz really his set was without sin. I can’t talk about his personal life, but his mixology was PhD caliber. He took Pete Rock’s “The Official” instrumental, blended it with its own acappella and then mixed in A Tribe Called Quest’s “Award Tour”. Some might say that might qualify for blend of the year… I dunno. PBW had a couple other fast court breaks on the decks that could have won an Espy. He was playing some Indian vibe native culture 1970’s Baliwood sitar disco shit and then crossfaded that right into Mob Deep’s “Weird Science”. He dropped Premo’s skit from the Moment Of Truth album about staying underground and never dying like roaches before he played Gangstarr’s “All About The Cash”… you know how that one goes… “Take the money never hafta run!”
Inka One shouted out a RIP to Guru as Peanut Butter Wolf continued to mix in records that were produced by DJ Premier. He played a couple of Group Home tracks and then switched it up to some Jeru the Damaja. I saw that Aspect One was in the house. LA Stereo was there keeping everything culpastetic in the crowd. Flako Siete was in the building representing the Blow’d. I even saw Aceyalone posted in the cut. Peanut Butter Wolf kept mixing in big record at the Boombox 6 year anniversary. From Jeru, he mixed in Ghostface Killah’s Ironman classic, “Fish”. Then he dropped a Big L record, paused that and made the crowd shout RIP to another fallen legend in the game.
The 6 Year Boombox anniversary was turnt up. Not on some trap house ratchet shit, but on some true school hip hop shit that was centered around the elements that founded this culture. And yes, the crowd got caught sleeping a couple of times when PBW cut out some of OC’s lyrics on “Time’s Up”, but who really has every classic rap line ever spit memorized. My favorite moment was when Peanut Butter Wolf dropped The Fab 5’s “Leflaur Leflau Eskoshka.” Shout out to the Original Gun Clappaz and Heltah Skeltah. Word ’em up, Peanut Butter Wolf dropped bombs all night, just like how Israel does the Gaza Strip when the PLO style gets too much for Jerusalem to handle.
All politics aside tho… Hopefully Boombox can keep rocking for another 6 years, cuz as of right now… it’s one of the pillars of freshness for that real shit you’ve been looking for everywhere. Don’t let it fade away like Jordan behind the arc in crunch time. The crowd was definitely there to show love. What more can I say?
You know ya man’s @DropJewelz.
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