Smokin’ Grooves Tour 1996 – Opening Show Sacramento, CA

The Smokin’ Grooves Tour came to Sacramento and the performers that were on the bill were simply hot and so was the weather that day. This was the first day of the tour and I was excited that Sac was the first city to host.  The performers on the bill were Spearhead, Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, Fugees, Cypress Hill, and Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers.  This concert was amazing! All of the patrons were extremely respectful toward each other and we enjoyed the whole show without a single incident of violence.  I hope this concert sets a positive example to promoters, who are afraid of promoting rap concerts because of recent senseless violence.

What really set the tone for this concert was the diverse group of performers on the bill who are simply ‘down to earth people.’ Spearhead and Ziggy Marley both had heart pulsating beats and smooth rhythmic vocals that got inside of you and lifted your spirits. Their songs covered Jah (God), human rights, and drug addiction.  There were plenty of reggae lovers in the house who came to see Ziggy Marley, son of the forefather of reggae, Bob Marley.  Ziggy Marley and The Melody Maker’s music was very satisfying because their message came across to me as being very spiritual and honest. Their music was uplifting and very powerful. You could really feel it through their performance.  Established and newly converted reggae fans embraced the presence of these two groups that made it a night to remember.

Busta Rhymes definitely has lyrical skills when he flows. His manic raging rhyme style grabs shakes and smack you if you sleep on them.  Busta shows so much energy when he performs. This is really an important element when it comes to Hip-Hop becuse the crowd feeds off live performances.  Busta has a voice like a lion that roars in the jungle.  His hot single “WOO HAH! Got You All In Check” had the crowd pumping and jumping in the hot sun.  Busta has that old school style of rap with a thump of the new school that makes his album The Coming so butter. Busta’s Flip Mode Squad protégée Rampage The Last Boy Scout, was in the house as well.  I was a little disappointed because I thought Busta was gonna do the song “ILL Vibe”with Q-Tip because A Tribe Called Quest was also on the tour – no luck.

A Tribe Called Quest also rocked the house with old school tunes like “Can I Kick it” and “Bonita Applebum” that helped put them on the map.  This was my first time seeing A tribe Called Quest in concert and I was hyped by their performance.  They did a mixture of the last three albums and a song from their new LP, Beats, Rhymes, and Life that is currently in stores now.  I personally love Tribe because their mixture of rhythms and beats is very positive and mind-soothing.  Look out for A Tribe Called Quest because they came and represented without a doubt.

The Fugees is the hottest hip hop group in the music business right now and after seeing them live in concert, I can easily say that they are the hottest. The Fugees have that hip hop thump that includes a taste of live instruments to rejuvenate the soul complemented by an innovative hip hop style that is uniquely their own. Fugees member Wyclef Jean, rocked the house as he sung “No Women, No cry” on his electric guitar to open for the group.  The live drums, electric guitar, and bass guitar made their show elevate to a different level.  You can really tell that these three have talent and they definitely aren’t studio rappers.  Lauryn Hill (L- Boogie) without a doubt, has vocal talent and rap skills which make her one of the hottest female rapper/vocalist in the game today.  Prakazel (Pras) also has skills when it comes to laying down the butter tracks writing lyrics for the group.  Wyclef’s father is a preacher and he got most of his musical influence from being brought up in a spiritual environment.  I heard he can play quite a few instruments as well – especially the electric guitar.  The Fugees have definitely made a ‘score’ with me when it come to listening and seeing them perform live. Their music is very diverse and has a lot of spirituality.

Cypress Hill was also at the concert and this was the first time I had ever seen them perform live. They rocked the house with songs like “How I Could Just Kill A Man,” “Insane In the Membrain,” and “We Ain’t Going Out Like that.” Cypress Hill has a style that is unique. They did less sampling on the album and replaced it with live instruments. In addition, they incorporated more thought processing in their lyrics.  “Illusions”  is their  latest single/video and the concept for that song is more of a ‘Apocalypse Now’ theme.  The live bongo playing from Bo Bo (Eric Bobo), really enhanced the music during the Cypress Hill performance.

The reason why Cypress Hill took so long on their ablum is because of their busy scheudle of touring.  I got a chance to talk to Bo Bo from Cypress Hill about the delay of their album and he said, “It’s hard to go on the road and make music while your entertaining because it takes a lot of time.”

Article originally published in issue #17 of Informer Hip-Hop Magazine. Get your piece of history while supplies last.