Tuesday, February 24, 1998
Igniting the night
MUSIC: The annual
Hip-Hop
Explosion set Ackerman Grand Ballroom on fire
By Steven Tanamachi and J. Jioni Palmer
Daily Bruin Staff
The rain Saturday night couldn¹t dampen the explosion one
bit.
Some of America¹s hottest lyrical artists hit the stage to
create a surreal night of blazing microphones, arms waving in the
air and a positive milieu in an auditorium filled with a diverse
class of hip-hop pupils.
Rap artists Ice Cube, Mack 10 and Goodie Mob were among the many
performers who turned it out at the African Student Union (ASU) and
Cultural Affairs Commission-sponsored Hip-Hop Explosion
¹98.
The concert is regarded as one of the biggest ever to hit the
UCLA campus.
³This is monumental,² said Mike Hamilton, UCLA¹s
Cultural Affairs Commissioner. ³I think this event is
unprecedented, and to have artists this type of caliber is a gift
to the students.²
In 1992, the first concert was held in the Cooperage food court,
showcasing local talent; but the event has grown into a display of
the industry¹s hottest. Past performers include powerhouse
groups Outkast, Lords of the Underground and Coolio.
Anticipation was high, mainly for the socially-conscious Goodie
Mob and platinum-seller Ice Cube. Though Cube and Mack 10 have
received more airplay on local stations, there was as much talk of
the Atlanta-based Mob quartet.
The event kicked off with DJ Melo-D, a member of the Beat
Junkies DJ crew, spinning hype beats for the gathering crowd. With
the heads bobbing to the mixing and turntable tricks, Julio G of
radio station 92.3 The Beat stepped onstage as the night¹s
master of ceremonies.
Up first was the Wooddwellas, a Supercat-type duo whose quick
lyrics and classic beats (from groups such as the Beastie Boys and
Special Ed) started off the show right and were followed by another
up-and-coming group Deadly Venom.
The show took off when the Zippo-waving team Militia got hold of
the mic. Its hit ³Burn² is currently listed as
Billboard¹s 13th hottest rap song.
Along with the hands waving in the air, lighters and fragrant
smoke ascended above the crowd and hovered majestically. After the
performance Julio G had a few words to say. ³Sometimes (the
concert) doesn¹t have to be sold out,² he said. ³But
as long as the crowd is live, that¹s what it¹s all about.
That¹s hip-hop.²
Though the Ackerman Grand Ballroom was only filled to a third of
its capacity, there was plenty of energy to fill the whole place,
thanks to an enthusiastic and noticeably diverse crowd.
³It¹s always been my goal to get all nationalities to
enjoy something together,² Hamilton said. ³If I could
define this as one thing, it would be a unityfest.²
The implications of the concert were more than the opportunity
for students ³to get a chance to see artists they would never
otherwise see in a safe environment,² as Hamilton noted, but
an event where individuals of different backgrounds could
appreciate an interest they all had in common: good music.
³This is a chance for students to come together,² said
ASU president Chad Williams. ³I think the interests of
students are a lot of times ignored and it¹s up to USAC and
ASU to represent their interests.²
And those interests were definitively met in the headline acts.
Goodie Mob (with members Khujo, Ce-Lo, Big Gipp and T-Mo) got the
crowd moving with ³Soul Food,² but blew it up with the
hit, ³Cell Therapy.²
Much of the group¹s popularity comes from their conscious
narratives like: ³My mind won¹t allow me to not be
curious/ My folk don¹t understand so they don¹t take it
serious/ But every now and then/ I wonder if the gate was put up to
keep crime out or keep our ass in.²
Ce-Lo took a time-out from the performance to recite some of his
poetry to the audience, unaccompanied by music.
Though the dancing had stopped, the listening only intensified.
He flowed on race consciousness and self understanding.
The Mob, which formed in 1993 was recently acclaimed the
³hypest live show² by Vibe Magazine.
³We¹re happy the crowd responded the way they
did,² Big Gipp said.
They weren¹t the only ones to whom the crowd responded.
Mack 10, a native of Inglewood, took the spotlight next and
delivered huge, as anticipated. He ignited the crowd with ³Foe
Life,² a hit track produced by Ice Cube.
In response to Mack 10¹s chanting of ³Mack 10 is the
lick, West Side is the clique² a patrolling security guard
answered in unison with the roaring crowd ³Can¹t get
enough of that gangster shit!²
³Our music is tight,² Mack 10 said, offstage.
³People can¹t deny it.²
The grand finale came with the appearance of Ice Cube
himself.
He busted onto stage to share it with Mack 10, his companion in
the recently formed group West Side Connection.
As soon as the music for his song ³It Was a Good Day²
started to play, peace and Westside hand signals pumped in the air
along with Ice Cube¹s smooth lyrics. Though he hasn¹t
released a solo album in almost four years, he can still rock the
show.
³People show us love wherever we go,² Ice Cube said.
³Besides, we don¹t go places we¹re not wanted.
We¹re always gonna rock an L.A. crowd.²
His presence was definitely in demand as fans cheered him to
perform more tracks. One crowd member threw her bra on stage to
show her appreciation of Ice Cube and Mack 10.
³Stuff like that goes on all the time,² Mack 10 said.
³It lets me know something ain¹t going right if it
ain¹t going down like that.²
It was definitely a good day  for both hip-hop and the
UCLA student body. The show was evidence that USAC is still working
for the enrichment of the campus, according to Hamilton. Speaking
on behalf of ASU and the Cultural Affairs Commission, Williams
simply said, ³We made it happen.²
Goodie Mob singer T-Mo performs before avid fans in the Ackerman
Grand Ballroom.
Photos by GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin
Ice Cube received an enthusiastic response from the audience at
Hip-Hop Explosion ¹98.