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On my way into the Jazz Café on July 22, a sign in the window possesses some unwelcome news; “Due to medicals reasons,
Pete Rock will not be able to perform tonight.” After the initial disappointment wears off, the fact is if it were
Ayers who had pulled out the gig would probably have been cancelled, so the audience are even more grateful than usual to see Ayers amble onstage and pick up his trusty mallets tonight.
Backed by a drummer, a keyboardist/saxophonist, backing singer and bassist – the ageless Ayers (70?! Really?!) makes it look oh so easy as he leads the band and audience on a trip through his many classics early in his set. The one two punch of the lush “Searching” and the timeless beauty of “Everybody Loves The Sunshine” has everyone in the venue singing and swaying together and all of a sudden the Jazz Café resembles the atmosphere of an old football stadium terrace.
The warning is abundantly clear - that hardcore Hip Hop is back with a vengeance. So far this year, Raekwon, Talib, Saigon and Pharoahe Monch have dragged back into the forefront the rugged, unapologetic sounds which whips ciphers into a frenzy and causes fans to go wild in underground shows.
Looking to add to the mountain of solid music currently out is ten years in the game rapper