Photo by Nina Lincoff/RESPECT.

The NYC faithful that came out to see Slaughterhouse at the B.B. King Blues Club on Wednesday got an added treat when Hot 97’s own Funkmaster Flex chopped it up for a set on the turntables. Things got started on the right foot when Flex ripped the instrumental from Soul II Soul’s “Back To Life” for his opening. For most of the evening, fans jostled impatiently with one another, but the twenty minutes of Biggie, Jay-Z and Nas cuts courtesy of the DJ certainly invigorated the crowd. This isn’t your average press and play bullshit that some DJs rock with. When you’re in the building with Funk Flex, you better believe he’s going to set it off on the 1’s and 2’s.

To be honest, the venue needed an engaging start to help beat the heat. Selling tickets is definitely the name of the game, but sometimes that comes at the expense of comfort. To put it bluntly, the heat was oppressive at times on Wednesday night.  Nonetheless, patrons continued to filter into the club until well after midnight. The cheers began to crescendo when Flex dropped Jay-Z’s “You, Me, Him and Her,” but with a couple deft flicks of the crossfader and some scratches to match, the crowd started to get rowdy.

Photo by Nina Lincoff/RESPECT.

Perhaps the most endearing aspect of the stage at the B.B. King is the intimacy of the setting. In the same vain, the intense lighting onstage provides a stark contrast to the rest of the club. For Slaughterhouse, the vibe in this type of environment worked quite well. Crooked I, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Royce da 5’9″ went deep into the catalog. When the beat from “Tried By 12” came on, a jolt of energy went through the crowd. No time for nostalgia here, but seriously this beat still bangs as hard as ever. Unfortunately Eminem and Yelawolf were noticeably absent from this cypher, but Slaughterhouse’s foursome made it work.

In one of the standout moments from the show, the group performed their record “Hammer Dance.” To be fair some of the group’s other single releases—“Microphone,” “My Life,” and “Throw It Away”—also got their turn, but none elicited the same response as the AraabMuzik produced banger. The level of involvement from the crowd waned at times, but when this joint came on the club got a second wind.

By the end of the show, beads of sweat glistened on the faces of all four members. It was a job well done for sure, but the late start left everyone a bit spent. Still what proved most impressive about the performance was the group’s level of interaction with the crowd. Simply put these dudes were excited and happy to be rocking out in the 212. As fans started to head for the exit, Slaughterhouse’s collaboration with Swizz Beatz (“Throw It Away”) played in the background. Don’t get it twisted though, nobody wasted their hard-earned cash on this night. This was money well spent.

Photo by Nina Lincoff/RESPECT.

Photo by Nina Lincoff/RESPECT.

Photo by Nina Lincoff/RESPECT.

Photo by Nina Lincoff/RESPECT.

The post Concert Review x Exclusive Photos: Slaughterhouse At B.B. King Blues Club appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photos By: UrbanPartyLife.com

Many times in hip-hop, if an artist takes a four-year hiatus they usually struggle to get the following that made them a hot commodity. This is not a problem for D-block, the large roster out of Yonkers that boasts the L.O.X. – Styles P, Jadakiss and Sheek Louch. While it may appear hip-hop doesn’t have an official offering from one-third of its members, Styles, thanks to mixtapes including the DJ Green Lantern collaboration The Green Ghost Project  and a feature on Rick Ross’ “B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast)” shows The Ghost is ready to come back alive.

One thing Styles has going for him is the grimy sound that resonates with every rhyme. His latest album, Master of Ceremonies, is a testament of him bringing that raw hip-hop sound that is sometimes forgotten. Its the type of  raps with a hard-knock life aesthetic where tales of coming up from tough times have been flooded by a more whimsical and gentler style. For Styles, a straight-edge street king has been his way of life since childhood. The mastery of having a real attitude definitely showed in his celebration Wednesday night at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City.  Styles, the whole D-Block, and its affiliates had “we are taking back hip-hop” written all over them.

Read the rest of the review after the jump.

B.B. Kings Blues Club feels more like a lounge than a concert venue. With a wide open wooden floor space in its center, patrons can either enjoy a meal with lively entertainment in the surrounding table and booths or get right into the heart of everything. Pushed from fans all around as they wanted to inch closer to the stage, a surprise appearance by DJ Kid Capri only made Styles’ arrival grow with anticipation. When D-Block’s DJ Technician got behind the ones and twos, the countdown for Styles from Tech’s shouts over the microphone –“ten minutes!” and then “two minutes!” – finally ended when SP the Ghost emerged from backstage.

In characteristic fashion, Styles comes out the gate hard with the lead single “Harsh” off Master of Ceremonies. At this point, security guards wading the crowd still didn’t stop the young men from burning up cannabis. After all, Styles’ next song, the Swizz Beatz-produced “Blow Your Mind” gave the proper piffed-out lyrics for a relaxing vibe. “Super Gangsta” is another reminder that he isn’t removed from the streets, gripping the mic while telling the crowd to put their middle fingers and callously spitting  hard-hitting lyrics.

One by one, the L.O.X. came through to celebrate Styles’ album release.  First Jada entered the stage with his remix to Nas’ “Made You Look,” while Sheek came to perform “Wild Out.” With the whole D-Block taking up the stage, Styles made sure his release party didn’t disappoint by often freestyling acapella with some of the hardest bars out there today.

When “How I Fly” dropped by Tech, Avery Storm came to sing his part. His catchy R&B chorus ended up sounding refreshing live amidst the gangster ambiance. Next, the NY cut “We Don’t Play” wasn’t complete without a big welcome by Queens native Lloyd Banks. This song was straight gully: “All money’s good money we niggas stealin.’/Small money, tall money, nigga we want it all/left hand on the wheel, right hand on the draw,” he raps. Banks stopped to say this night was dedicated to Styles, then served up some tracks off Hunger for More 2 and Cold Corner 2 for the star of the show.

To try and cap off the over 90 minutes set (he was having too much fun), Styles kept hinting another surprise backstage: “Busta Rhymes do you really want to party with me?” Once “Harsh” re-played, Busta indeed wanted to party, but he also wanted to speak on the current state of hip-hop. While he believes many of the newer artists can create any type of viral beat on ProTools, it is keeping one’s morals and focusing on the streets that’ll give you a name. “To put out an album with real hip-hop, real bars, real boom-bap beats, real rhymes. I’m so honored to speak on [Styles P].” He proceeded to show how real hip-hop doesn’t have any “special effects,” performing his verse off Chris Brown’s “Look At Me Now.”

In continuing the camaraderie seen on stage, D-Block’s final track, “Mighty D-Block,” had the whole crowd acknowledging the anthem by throwing up “DB” signs. This exhibition of fan loyalty, and a slew of like minded lyricists who believe in the art of emceeing, left the B.B. King Club knowing that the collective still can live up to their classic hip-hop standards.

The post Concert Review: Styles P Hosts Master Of Ceremonies Release Party At B.B. King Club, New York appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.