Shamrock Hotel / Columbian Bar          28 & 30 July

After months of arduous preparation the 4ZZZ Festival of Hip Hop exploded to life on two stages at the Shamrock Hotel Friday night and continued Sunday at the Columbian Bar; the big turnout and lack of security forcing the Shamrock out of the kitchen.

My highlights for Friday began with The Coalition Crew, who finished with a couple emcees including Raman, and then made way for DCE & Miss Brown. Miss Brown’s catchy vocals stretched beyond rap, to include a soulful singing voice that helped her stand out. The 750 Town Drunxxx got the party pumping, pouring beer and rapping ruckus left, right and centre. Current DMC Turntable champ DJ Staen-1 cut and scratched while it got a little violent at the front door. Ozi Batla turned in a funky set, as did Bias B, all punctuated by the sound of smashing glass and the general din of chaos.

Saturday’s roster was scrapped as organisers Lenny and Balboa searched for a new venue, eventually coming through Sunday with the Columbian Bar on Constance St.

Beginning with the heats of the Babble-On Emcee Battles, Sunday’s program featured seven fiercely contested rounds of dissing and cussing, with host Balboa rising to the challenge set by sore loser Prophet Rayza. Resident DJ and DMC runner-up DJ Snair dropped the battle beats and played the set that secured him the DMC placing. Check 4zzzfm.org.au for the final battle results in the coming days.

Highlights from Sunday’s abbreviated program include an autobiographical set from Sydney’s Swarmy G & Anonymous, an enthusiastic set from Scribblejam-destined Thom Thum and his crew Dyin' Breed, and a smoking hot Optimen set before the late-night Battle finale. I was also surprised by the big show and tight rhymes of the Flatliners whose energy surpassed that of most in the room, while the Terntable Jediz managed a scratch set between emcee crews.

The staging of such a huge event was always going to be a handful; dealing with self-important artists, angry venue staff and drunken punters always is. But in the aftermath of mixed success, one thing is certain: another epic chapter in the Brisbane hip hop scene was penned.

Be first to comment on this article

Write Comment
Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Poster's IP addresses are logged.
Name:
Comment:
Code:*