Flatbush Zombies returned to Red Rocks for their second Halloween spectacular last month, bringing a stacked lineup of hip-hop legends.
Kicking off the night was Col3trane, whose smooth voice and R&B sound were a perfect segue into some of the later acts’ more forcible styles. He grinned at the audience, announcing he had traveled all the way from London for the show. Mixing pre-recorded backing tracks with live drums, his tracks were percussion-heavy in a way that complimented his velvety vocals. Flatbush Zombies’ own Erick The Architect, a friend of and mentor figure for Cole3trane, joined him onstage to uproarious applause for their recent collaboration “Plus Minus.”
Next up was hip-hop quartet Coast Contra, who have recently found themselves in such spotlights as The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and opening for Dave Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl. Sonically compared by some to Bas or J Cole, the group has a polished west coast sound and their performance was full of energy. Loose and lively but well-choreographed, they paused occasionally for synchronized dance moves. Their show is one that will surely continue to gain traction, and not one that you want to miss.
In contrast to Coast Contra’s more recent fame, Danny Brown has been catching eyes and ears for over a decade. The eccentric and widely-loved Detroit rapper garnered acclaim in 2012 for his hit single “Grown Up,” and has been a collaborator of Eminem, Schoolboy Q, A$AP Rocky, Run The Jewels, and many more. Joined onstage by Zelooperz, his performance took the energy up another notch—the duo dashed back and forth across the stage, jumping and dancing across what must have been every square inch of the platform.
Freddie Gibbs sauntered onstage next, a massive smile and dark sunglasses on his face. Like Danny Brown, Gibbs is no stranger to the rap game—named one of XXL Magazine’s ten Freshmen of 2010, he was making music long before then. He has made a name for himself in the gangsta rap world with hard-hitting beats (including a lauded collaboration with Madlib) and an unmistakable deep, gravely voice. His performance was highlighted by a spirited rendition of “Big Boss Rabbit,” a personal favorite of mine.
After four worthy openers, the crowd was ready for Flatbush Zombies—and they did not disappoint. A booming, pre-recorded voice announced their arrival onstage, but after a lengthy pause no-one appeared. A commotion mid-crowd started turning heads, and Meech—one of three artists comprising the New York rap group—emerged from near the sound booth before climbing through the crowd and onto the stage. He was quickly joined by co-Zombies Erick the Architect and Jewice, and the show began.
On top of brilliant lyricism and production, their show was embellished with a three-tiered mushroom-filled set and colorful, spooky-themed visuals on a massive LED screen. The trio’s dynamic movement added intensity to the spectacle and, clearly infectious, had the whole crowd moving along too. At one point they paused to thank everyone who purchased vinyl, CDs, and cassette tapes of their projects: “Those physical things will live forever.” Almost jokingly, they added “we got a gold record off a song with no chorus” before jumping into an incredible performance of “Bounce.” Later, AKTHESAVIOR joined Erick onstage to perform their collaboration “No Ice” which was released just days before. Their show was a masterpiece—if you missed it this year, make sure to clear your calendar for next Halloweekend and hope that they’ll be back.
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