Return of the Rebels

So last Thursday i had the good fortune to visit the Electric Brixton for the ‘Return of the Rebels’ tour. The set included Harlem based rappers Swave Sevah, Mazzi, Poison Pen and Dj Static, one of UK’s finest namely Lowkey, and the main event himself was Immortal Technique. Those who know who he is and have heard his music will probably realise that it must have been an incredible gig. And boy it was.

I should say a little bit about the venue. Not familiar with the Brixton area, I thought it was the O2 Brixton just under new management, but it wasn’t. Formerly The Fridge, Electric has undergone a major £1,000,000 facelift and is set to become the latest state of the art music venue to open in London, hosting both DJs and live acts. It really was an intricate and intimate arena, which wasn’t overcrowded and yet felt full of energy. A quick visit to the website will provide pictures, videos and a list of interesting upcoming events, including Sub Focus in December.

Some probably saw the word ‘rapper’ and turned the page, but for those still reading everyone knows the rap/hip-hop genre is not universally approved of. And some of the mainstream crap with no musical ability coming out these days (yes you, Drake) doesn’t help. As a lover of lyricismand word-play, quality has gone down in my opinion over the years, along with the concept of “socially conscious hip-hop”, which even prompted Nas to release an album called “Hip-Hop is Dead”.

So when I heard some of Immortal Technique’s stuff back in 2005, I was amazed. In his first two albums Revolutionary Vol. 1 and Revolutionary Vol.2, he attacks capitalism and the power of corporations, the flawed power structure in America, life on the streets, drug trade, slave labour, media bias, going to jail and even philosophic ideas. If you don’t like the angry/passionate tone associated with hip-hop and rap, I strongly advise at least reading the lyrics if not listening to the music. His standing as a revolutionary is increasing rapidly worldwide, and rightly so. And he doesn’t just talk the talk; in June 2008, Immortal Technique partnered with Omeid International, a non-profit human rights organization, to lend his support. He dubbed the work as “The Green Light Project”. With the profits of The 3rd World album, Immortal Technique traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan to help Omeid build an orphanage without any corporate or external funding. The orphanage, having been successfully established, currently houses over twenty orphaned children from Kabul. (A lot of ass-kissing I know..)

The other stand-out was Lowkey. He is described as a poet, playwright, political activist and award winning Hip-Hop Artist of mixed British and Arab descent who has received airplay on numerous major radio stations including BBC Radio 1, Capital FM, Kiss 100, Choice FM, BBC 1Xtra and BBC Asian Network, and toured internationally, performing to crowds everywhere from Glastonbury to Trafalgar Square, Germany to Amsterdam. Lowkey also records duets with another rapper called Logic as part of their non-profit organisation The People’s Army, aimed at raising awareness of infant fighting in Israel and Palestine. His album Soundtrack to the Struggle in 2011 was met with widespread acclaim, a key track being ‘Voices of the Voiceless’ featuring Immortal Technique. The two combined on stage to perform the song, which received the biggest cheer of the night.

The other three were pretty mediocre, mainly because it was nigh on impossible to hear anything they were saying, which is sometimes a problem in live hip-hop concerts. The biggest cheer they got was when one shouted out, “Where my weed smokers at?”

All in all, it was £20 well spent, and as Technique said to finish off with, “Someone once said that Hip Hop is dead. Well today you just saw a living ghost. Vive la révolution!”