Hip Hop Live! tour stops in Bloomington

For IU alumnus Olaolu Jegede, today’s hip-hop show, headlined by commercial heavy hitter David Banner and underground lyricist turned respected Mainstream MC, won’t be like any other this town has seen.

“All three acts are very well-respected and bring their own perspectives, styles and personalities to the table, and I’m confident that all three will be great crowd-pleasers,” Jegede said.

At The Bluebird Nightclub, Banner and Talib Kweli, along with Little Brother will perform their three brands of hip-hop. The event is part of the second annual Hip Hop Live! Tour that Kweli and Banner are headlining.

“Bloomington has had many great hip-hop acts before, but relative to the prominence of other types of shows in Bloomington, solid hip-hop shows are a rarity,” said Jegede, who is also an IU employee.

Although he is not officially related to any of the acts or the actual event, Jegede created the Facebook event for Bloomington’s Hip Hop Live! night. 

Director of Bluebird promotions and senior Ari Solomon echoed Jegede’s sentiment about the popularity of these emcees. He noted the recent success of Banner, who is known for songs such as “Play” and “Get Like Me,” which also features Chris Brown and Young Joc.

Solomon additionally noted that Kweli “has grown from underground rap to mainstream success.” 

According to the Kweli official Web site biography, the Brooklyn emcee has maintained his underground roots while still maintaining the popularity and respect of revered emcees such as Jay-Z. He was an original member of hip-hop group Black Star, supported Beastie Boys in 2004 and appeared several times as a guest on “Chapelle’s Show.”

The 4,000th member to join the Bluebird’s fan page on Facebook will win two free tickets to tonight’s show, Solomon said.

The opener for tonight, Little Brother, is a North Carolina native and arguably the least mainstream out of all the three performers. According to his MySpace page, he is currently on an indie label.

Last year’s Live headliners were Ghostface Killah and Rakim, who also made a stop at the Bluebird on Nov. 13, 2007, the three-year anniversary of the death of  Wu-Tang member Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

In addition to the three emcees present at Hip Hop Live!, a 10-piece live band will be present at the Bluebird stage, consisting of Rhythm Roots Allstars.

This year’s Hip Hop Live! will conclude Oct. 25 in New York.