A tweet from Freddie Gibbs twitter led me to the Dope Couture clothing store, which was where my night started. When I walked into Dope Couture the lights were dim and there was a DJ playing music, and there was Freddie Gibbs looking at clothes. He was really nice and took the time to let me ask him some questions. I asked him how he felt about the show that night and he said " I'm feeling good, I'm ready to rock. I'm blessed to be here because I could be in prison or something". He was exactly what I hear many people describe him as: down to earth. Getting to meet and talk with him definitely got me hyped for the concert later that night.
When I got to The Bishop I didn't know what to expect of the venue because I had never been there before. When I walked in, I noticed it was a nice intimate setting with nothing but open space to stand, perfect for a rap concert. When I arrived DJ Metrognome was already on the turn tables mixing old school hip-hop jams. I had never heard him before, but I really liked his style and music selection.
First to the mic was R-Juan, a local Bloomington rap group. They did a few songs, and were attempting to get the crowd hype and ready for the main act. I was really unsure of what their skill level was going to be, but they ended up being pretty decent.
Sonny Bamboo, a rapper from Indianapolis, was next up. I had listened to a few of his songs online before the concert so I kind of knew what to expect from him. He was very into the music and the crowd was responsive. He wasn't quite my style of hip-hop, but I have to give him props as an artist and as a performer.
Last to hit the stage before Freddie Gibbs was Alpha.Live. He too was from Indianapolis. He was different from the other rappers that performed. When he first started performing I was not too impressed. However once he got into a few more songs, I began to warm up to his style. He wasn't just a rapper, but he also sang on several of his tracks, unlike the other rappers that performed. There was also an R&B feel to his music as well as spoken word feel to his music, which I was definitely feeling as a lover of poetry and spoken word.
When Freddie Gibbs came on stage everyone had their hands in the air ready for him, including myself. I was in the front row and for the other acts I had plenty of room to stand, but when Gibbs came out my personal space was no longer existent. I was pushed against the stage with Gibbs literally standing right in front of me. He performed "National Anthem" and " What It B Like" two of my favorite songs, as well as many others. At one point, there was a whole entourage of at least 10 people with him on stage. Him and his crew kept the crowd alive the whole time. At one point, Gibbs jumped in the crowd to crowd surf and ended up performing in the middle of the crowd, which really got the crowd going. It was by far one of the best shows I have been too. I would accredit some of that to the venue. It's the perfect setting for a concert; intimate, with room to dance. Gibbs put on a phenomenal performance that surpassed my expectations.
-Keisha Nuby
