Photos by Khammy Phanthavong

Words by Ryan Reyes

The night started with sets from R.O.Z. and his fellow EMB microphone fiends Big Lean and Teddy T, who provided a piff-tastic soundtrack while the crowd settled in.

The settlement was brought to a close when Pusha started his set. Moving from his verse on the “I Don’t Like” remix to The Clipse classic “Grindin’ ” then to the Birdman-fronted “What Happened To That Boy,” Pusha’s beginning was explosive. The crowd was clearly not ready for such a strong opening sequence. Midway during his set, which somehow maintained the bar-setting momentum of the opening, Pusha stated “I went to Hawaii for one month to record and when I came back home I was signed to G.O.O.D. Music.” Right on cue were G.O.O.D. bangers “Runaway”, “New God Flow” and “Lamborghini Mercy.” He’s been with G.O.O.D. for a relatively short time, but he’s already made quite a name for himself. Appropriately, before he relinquished the stage to Fab, he promoted his upcoming album My Name Is My Name, which drops on July 16th.

Fabolous’s backing band made adjustments during a short intermission. Yes, Fab plays with a band. But you knew that already – back to Winnipeg. Taking the Pusha-T route, Fab also started things off with a sequence of strong classics :“Holla Back”, “Superwoman” and “Breathe”. In response, ladies screamed, people banged on club windows (that were 9 feet off the ground) and guys in the front row gleefully swung their chains. Fun times. Fab then brought out Pusha for their aptly titled tour track “The Life is So Exciting,” from Fab’s Soul Tape 2. This track perfectly highlights why this tour works: Pusha’s signature snarling delivery perfectly compliments Fab’s laid-black flow.

The set continued with “Imma Do It” (remember his line “My attitude is celibate. I don’t give a f*ck!”?), “Everything, Everyday, Everywhere” featuring Keri Hilson and the Ryan Leslie-produced “You Be Killin Em”. The live drums really brought some of the songs to life: “You Be Killin Em” was one of them. Fabo ended the night with his single “Ready” from his upcoming album Loso’s Way 2: Rise to Power.

All in all, it was a fantastic night. It was very apparent why Fab and Pusha-T have had such long and productive careers. Hopefully, their two upcoming projects will extend that legacy.

The post PHOTOS & REVIEW: PUSHA-T & FABOLOUS IN WINNIPEG, CANADA appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Words by Ryan Reyes

Nowadays Tha Dogg Pound duo Daz Dillinger and Kurupt are much more likely to figuratively rat-a-tat-tat some raps on that ass than blast Gats. Kushtal Records had the opportunity to book Tha Dogg Pound for a show in Winnipeg. This was great news for rap fans. Especially for us older heads who grew up in the heyday of Gangsta Rap and the subsequent prominence of the popular West Coast rap movement that brought us N.W.A., Ice-T, Too Short, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Tupac.

We followed a couple ladies with legs-for-days (or should we say mini-mini-skirts?) into Stereo Nightclub. As we settled in we caught energetic sets from local rap crew Unity Sound Crew and Van City wordsmith Dilemma. Daz and Kurupt’s first few tracks paid homage to one-time Deathrow labelmate and D.P.G. affiliate Nate Dogg.

“Nobody Does It Better” and “Regulate” set the tone for the night. The crowd was already eagerly reciting lyrics word for word as G-Funk dripped from the speakers and the energy only heightened as popular tracks “Cali Iz Active” and “Let’s Play House” got a spin. These two are Tha Dogg Pound’s highest charting singles; #4 & #5 respectively, on the Billboard Rap Charts. Halfway through the set DJ Salam abruptly stopped the music for a memorable crowd-response question asked by Daz: “Do y’all smoke weed in Winnipeg?! We do in Cali every day!” The crowd roared in agreement, then Kurupt c-walked quite effortlessly to everyone’s amusement. Then “Ain’t No Fun” came on and once again West Coast rap karaoke was in session.

At one point Kurupt stopped the music to educate everyone about Daz’s underappreciated production prowess. He was responsible for production on several tracks off of Tupac’s acclaimed album All Eyez On Me: “Ambitionz Az a Ridah” and “I Ain’t Mad at Cha,” to name a couple. Let’s not forget that Kurupt was considered one of the most lyrical emcees from the West Coast. Their set concluded with snippets from the many tracks that they’ve been individually featured on, like “Got My Mind Made Up” by Tupac featuring Daz and “Housewife” by Dr. Dre featuring Kurupt. All in all, Tha Dogg Pound put on a solid rap show filled with familiarity and funk and explosive energy. Appropriately, they ended the night with a bang… “Xxplosive.”

The post PHOTOS & RECAP: THA DOGG POUND IN WINNIPEG, CANADA appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.