Wednesday, January 6, 1999
An Exhibit In Rap
Alkaholiks fans swoon at the bumpin’
House of Blues performance
By Tenoch Flores
Daily Bruin Contributor
Wednesday night’s performance at the House of Blues in Hollywood
left the crowd begging for more. The restless fans came to get
drunk: literally and figuratively.
Though never achieving mass commercial success, the Alkaholiks
and Xzibit (both members of the collective known as Likwit Crew)
have one of the most devoted fan bases in hip-hop. And if there is
one thing that the Likwit Crew is known for (besides kicking some
of the best rhymes and downing immense quantities of alcohol) it’s
rocking a live show.
Sporting a red L.A. Dodgers cap, deejay E-Swift took his place
behind the wheels of steel. Not about to take an engineer’s word
for it, Swift checked the turntables until he was satisfied with
the sound levels. Sound check complete, Tash stormed the stage much
to the crowd’s elation, and the show was almost underway. J-Ro, the
third member of the Alkaholik crew, soon followed and the band
began their performance.
After warming things up with a few songs, the Alkaholiks turned
it up a notch by performing their bass heavy song "Daaamn!" From
this point the show never let down as the fans were treated to shot
after shot of Alkaholik hits. On occasion, E-Swift would take a
break from the turntables and kick rhymes with the crew as he
continued to prove that he’s one of the best deejays on the
mic.
Those familiar with the Alkaholiks know better than to lace up
that $120 pair of sneakers if they plan to be in the front row.
Keeping true to their tradition, the Liks sprayed the crowd with a
heavy dose of alcohol much to the fans’ approval. With songs such
as "Only When I’m Drunk" and "Last Call (for alcohol)," no one
expected this to be family night at the House of Blues.
The best reaction the group drew from the audience resulted when
they performed their first single, 1993’s "Make Room." Soon
afterwards, things got a bit hectic in the quasi-mosh pit which
developed at the front of the stage. The situation cooled down when
the group began "The Next Level" as it was apparent that most of
the crowd came to watch a show and not bite the $20 they paid by
getting kicked out.
As the Alkaholiks’ performance began winding down, Tash busted a
couple of quick freestyles. If there was one drawback to their show
it was that Tash didn’t kick more freestyles.
The culmination of the Alkaholiks’ performance brought on a
surprise guest: New York City’s DMX. Tash persuaded him to stagger
onstage, take the mic and grunt out a few lines before returning to
his spot amongst fans.
Dressed in what appeared to be a SWAT Team/Bomb Squad outfit,
Xzibit next took the stage while the song "Chamber Music" played.
The audience reacted wildly as an enthusiastic Xzibit bounced
around to a track that features the constant thump of a military
march. Joined by deejay Sir Jinx of Ice Cube fame, Xzibit proceeded
to give the people what they came for.
Xzibit performed some cuts off his first album and then went on
to "Nobody Sound Like Me" from his latest work, "40 Dayz and 40
Nights." The only drawback to Xzibit’s otherwise spotless
performance came when he invited fellow rapper Defari on stage to
do the song "Handle Your Business." The song is one of the best
cuts off the new album and features a lyrically sharp Defari. The
problem arose when Xzibit also invited singer Jewel (of Death Row
Records) to join him.
While Jewel has a wonderful voice, she only served to distort
the acoustics of the song. Xzibit and Defari’s verses were all but
drowned out while Jewel crooned away.
That aside, Xzibit’s finale quickly turned the tide back in his
favor as he finished with the song "What U See Is What U Get." The
song is the first single from his new album and has received heavy
rotation on L.A. radio stations as well as some video shows. Though
not a very surprising way to finish his performance, it served to
leave the crowd very satisfied.
Both Xzibit and the Alkaholiks met the crowd’s high
expectations, performing with a consistent enthusiasm and high
degrees of emotion.
Fans at the House of Blues got what they came to see, and then
some.DERRICK KUDO/Daily Bruin
Tash of The Alkaholics gives it up to the crowd during their set
at the House of Blues on Wednesday night.
Rapper Xzibit shares his rhymes with the audience along with The
Alkaholics.
J-Ro of The Alkaholics sways to the beat in their performance at
the House of Blues.
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