Rock the Bells rings in the yesteryear as Snoop, Wu bring back the 90's in style

Nostalgic fans of hip-hop’s golden era braved the heat Saturday to witness the crown jewel in live performance, Guerrilla Union’s Rock the Bells festival. Gathering the living legends still performing (and one that hasn’t in ages) to San Bernardino was marred by the heat, but thrived by the time dusk fell. If The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and Frank Zappa all played together, a similarly appreciated slice of American music history would be on display. The peak of hip-hop is believed to be 1993, when the genre’s heaviest albums pushed cliché aside and truly grew the artform of rap, hip-hop, and scratching. That growth was performed in its entirety to a crowd eager to return to a simpler time and take it easy on a hot, summer day.

The Paid Dues stage housed the first bands, generally not yet established in the industry but on the verge of making a name for themselves. Yelawolf from Alabama works very hard in this live setting. His flow is constant and the guy must have gills or some other averse way of breathing while spitting out words faster than Mr. Bucket. Sadly, the crowd was being let in later than normal, and the opener on the smaller Paid Dues stage was performing in front of maybe two dozen people. With his eyes focused on the back of the building, the young opener performed like he was the headliner and kept his skills showcased regardless of the venue’s capacity.

Slick Rick set the tone of the main stage with a cane, eye patch, and 37 pounds in gold necklaces. Although Rick has been known to don his Black Elvis gear during live shows, he reproduced his classic material with a low profile (minus the gold) and kept it simple, breezing his way through a fun set.

Introduced as the greatest emcee to ever touch a microphone, Rakim took a no-nonsense approach to the stage. His execution was flawless and flair free. The heat deterred from total fan participation, but the classic tunes kept coming and soon the tide turned. House music between sets kept everyone entertained with other early 90’s hip–hop and many tributes to Gang Starr maybe Guru.

The marijuana and tobacco smoke wrapping around the patrons felt like after hours at Mos Eisley Cantina during Jedi Mind Tricks’ set. The congregation of these two products climaxed during “Heavenly Divine” toward the end of the Philly trio’s excellent performance. The small hanger housing hip-hop’s next stars was getting too hot for most fans, and many left during this set just to survive.

Brother Ali barely breathed between beats, bordering a breakneck pace. His positive candor led to near sermons by the Muslim lyricist. His positive persona should be inspiring and his modesty and positivity should be revered in a culture plagued by ego. DJ Snuggles joined the Brother on stage and gave an impromptu freestyle beat box session. The DJ bellowed bass while weaving rhymes, snares, and various sounds that Ali rhymed over. “The more love ourselves, the less we push others down, and the closer we get to a revolution” was the best thing I heard all day and Ali meant it.

KRS-ONE started just like his career, earlier than his contemporaries. While most artists claim ’93 was the year they moved on up, KRS-ONE had been paving the streets to get there in the mid 80’s. His stage presence was serious, but the five hype guys on stage distracted from the legend on display.

The most popular “underground” rapper I know, Immortal Technique, displayed his no holds barred contribution to the rap game. He’s obviously talented and questions authority with the best of them, but saying “F*** You” to anyone related to a police officer is just silly and hateful. With the positivity displayed by Brother Ali, Slick Rick, and Lauren Hill, the usually poetic Technique came off hotheaded, not just.

To purchase anything at a Guerrilla Union show, you need an event card. You take real money and “load” up a card, a la Dave & Busters, then use that card to buy your hot dog, t-shirt, and beer. This was a major inconvenience, and when I was told it was “impossible” to buy water with American currency I lost all hope. Then I was told they ran out of water. Reports are already coming from the San Francisco date concerning lack of food for people to buy. What’s up with that? Most of my neighbors were high and needed two things: water and munchies.

Breaking her image as the J.D. Salinger of music, Lauryn Hill brought stopped her first song after thirty flustering seconds. A restart was required and more gusto was applied, starting the first act of the day to truly take over the crowd. Her unflappable voice remains intact and soared over her band. Hill’s presence might be needed now, more than ever and she reminded us why she won all those Grammys. Her passion for creative expression is magnified in a world of vocal augmentation dragging artists to the top of the charts. Her stellar band was much appreciated on a day full of DJ’s and the performance of live music gave a new flavor to the day’s robust palate.

The headliners of the second stage seemed to pull the short straw, as their crowd was tiny during Ms. Hill’s epic comeback performance. This did not matter. Boots Riley and Tom Morello strapped on the jetpacks and Street Sweeper Social Club blasted off. The crowd grew with each song, as the hardest and heaviest band of the event was giving it all to the fans in attendance. Coming out to Fantomas’ “Rosemary’s Baby, “ Tom Morello quickly showed why he is a guitar god. During a solo, he unplugged his guitar and took the exposed guitar cable and “played” it with his hand, pushing it into his palm rhythmically to make sound. He played a guitar without touching it. Seriously. Then he worked the whammy while spider-walking down the fret board. Right after seeing Lauren Hill bring style to the main stage, a full-fledged funk rock band was taking over the smaller stage. It was quite a cross-section of music in America.

A Tribe Called Quest stood above the rest, even without cameos by Jarobi and Busta Rhymes. The nostalgia flew out the window when the classic “Midnight Marauders”, created nearly two decades ago, felt fresh in a world dominated by overproduced distractions passing for music. We need more artists like this, in every genre and in every era. The fabulous Q-Tip was emcee of the night, dolling out pitch perfect tempos while working perfectly in sync with his partner, Phife.

Nothing can defeat the Wu-Tang Clan, except the feedback caused by 37 mics on stage at once. Luckily, this was not an issue and the Wu bum-rushed their classic “36 Chambers” material. Method Man pushed the pace all set while Ol Dirty Bastard’s son eerily channeled his father’s ol’ loco style to recreate the masterpiece. The appearance of the legends within the Wu is stunning enough, and their brand of combat hip-hop explores all angles of a given topic like Rap’s embodiment of Rashomon.

When Snoop Dogg and the cavalcade of characters from 93’s “Doggystyle” recreated the masterpiece, the top dog of them all cemented his place atop the genre. A true cultural phenom, the smooth and cool Snoop of yore took over for the more recently TV-friendly LBC native. His work ethic and general suave nature made the newer material feel at home toward the end of his time. The big screen benefited the trip down memory lane, playing skits with fellow artists encouraging Snoop to leave it all on stage. He did and the setlist gave the audience a second wind for the funkiest show of the night.

Between the lineup, the fashion, and the music itself, hip-hop was the star. Forget the negative press, jail time served, and unjust heat this musical community gets because they do little to chip away at the monumental impact it has had on society and its art. The range of acts give an accurate reading of hip-hop, exemplified by Ill Bill asking for middle fingers in the air right after Slick Rick was requesting waving hands in the name of peace. Diversity is the true measure of a good music festival, especially within one particular genre. Rock the Bells chose wisely by showcasing the best new talent, while paying respect to the best hip-hop ever created. The event was a success and gave the fans what they wanted: a snapshot of the best time to ever live hip-hop.

All photos by Scott Dudelson. Check out his page here for more great pictures.