It’s not often a good hip-hop shows rolls through the Dallas/Fort Worth area but this year Christmas came a little early as 2 of the genre’s most notable MC’s headed up this year’s World Wide Rollers Tour presented by The Smokers Club. Redman and Method Man have taken their infectious grooves across the country with B-Real (Cypress Hill), Berner and Mick Jenkins. With a potent lineup of this caliber it was no surprise to see the House of Blues packed and ready to light it up.
This show has been highlighted on my calendar since I first saw the announcement. I owe a lot of my love for hip-hop and rap to my college roommate. He got me into Cypress Hill and Wu-Tang back in 1994, as well as other artists like Gang Starr, Public Enemy and Jeru the Damaja. Cypress Hill was one that stuck with me and I saw in ‘97 and ‘98 on the Smokin’ Grooves tours, as well as 2004 when they opened for Blink 182. B-Real has such a distinct voice and along with Sen Dog and beats by DJ Muggs they created some funky songs that continually find their way into your stereo.
Obviously, Method Man’s (a.k.a. Mef, Meth, Tical) status is well chronicled as he is part of one the biggest groups – Wu Tang Clan. Their debut release Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is heralded as one of the greatest rap/hip-hop albums of all time. Mef was also the first member of the group to release a solo album and with 4 total solo albums under his belt is one of the most successful members. Just take a listen to “Bring the Pain” from Tical or “Fall Out” and “Ya’Meen” from 4:21…The Day After and hear how smooth his flow is while he drops it over some of the dopest beats. Yeah, you have to crank it up because the bass is thumping.