With the Simon Recreation Center masquerading as a concert venue, 2,500 screaming fans were ready to tear the roof off. Before the show, the crowd began gathering toward the front of the stage. The DJ dropped some of hip-hop’s hottest jams and some classics to whet the crowd’s appetite.
When the lights went down, a new group, Highlife, performed. The excited crowd began feeling the unannounced group as they finished their short set. But now it was time for the real acts to step up. First in line, the Black Eyed Peas.
The “Pea Pods” stepped out onto the stage and showed Saint Louis University another brand of California love.
With the live band behind them and their trademark braided hair, Will.I.Am, Apl.ed.ap and Taboo brought the crowd to a new level of excitement. Dropping track after track off of their new album, the Peas introduced the newest member of the group, Kim.
Kim performed a solo joint while the rest of the group took a few minutes for a quick breath.
When the Peas returned to the stage they brought back some old-school style. With Taboo leading the way, the group showed off their break-dancing techniques. From spinning on their heads to full flips, the Peas broke it down and the crowd loved it. With the crowd fully captured, the Peas went into their most popular song, “Joints and Jams.”
After giving the audience their new hit, “Weekends,” the Peas bowed out, and it was time for De La Soul.
After debuting back in 1989, De La Soul changed the hip-hop landscape. “We’ve done our job as the new group out,” said De La Soul member Posdnuos. “We’ve set a balance and now we’re part of that balance.”
The Peas didn’t make it easy for anyone to follow them and De La had that task at hand. As the stage crew moved the band off the stage and brought on the turntables the crowd began to rustle.
De La rocked the house with cuts from their latest effort, Art Official Intelligence. Such hits as “Ohh” and “Ain’t All Good” got the crowd into it, but most patrons didn’t know exactly who De La Soul was.
That should be changing shortly as the group plans to release two more albums by then end of this summer.
“We’re hoping to drop all three albums in a years time,” Posdnuos said. “We’re recording while we’re on the road. We’re looking to have the second album out by May, and the third following in August.”
After giving the crowd a taste of what is to come in the future, De La Soul exited and it was time for the headliner, Wyclef.
Splitting the large videoscreen backdrop and strutting through, Wyclef made his way to the stage. With Shyne’s “Bad Boys” rattling the weights of the Rec. center, Clef was ready to make the most of his time at Saint Louis University.
The DJ mixed “Bad Boys” into Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry.” The once raucous crowd was now swaying back and forth to the reggae classic.
After soothing the crowd, `Clef had them jumping, literally as he covered House of Pain’s “Jump Around.” As the floor began to bow beneath the audience, `Clef kept them jumping with his rendition of “Staying Alive.”
After bringing back Fugee memories, with excerpts of “Fugeela” and “Ready or Not,” he brought it back to his new material with “Thug Angels,” “Gone Till November,” and “It Doesn’t Matter.”
After asking the DJ to hold on for a second, Wyclef began yelling at the security and DPS officers in front of him as they were preparing to escort a body surfer out of the venue.
“You guys are with me. You’re my security and I know they aren’t paying you s***. I used to be a security guard,” Wyclef said.
After dropping a few more classic hip-hop jams, `Clef went into his newest hit, “911.” As the video for the song played behind him,Wyclef crooned.
“Guantanemera” followed and then “Diallo”-Wyclef’s personal message to the 41 shots fired at Sinadu Diallo by the New York City Police Department.
Next `Clef followed with what he called the “block party.” The DJ dropped some of the tightest tracks from this year and past years in hip-hop.
Leading off the “block party” was none other than Nelly’s “Country Grammar.” With the crowd pushing the limit of the human ear, `Clef showed the diversity of his musical skills. After “Country Grammar,” he gave a shout out to all those hip-hop artists who have passed away, picked up his guitar and went to work on Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here.”
`Clef brought the show to a close by showing off his break-dancing skills, as the Black Eyed Peas joined him on the stage.
As the Peas made their way off stage, `Clef completed the night with Men at Work’s “Land Down Under.”
After such a variety of acts and songs, it leaves some doubt to the exact definition of hip-hop.
“Hip-hop is music that makes you move,” Posdnuos said. “All the groups in hip-hop are artists in their own way, doing their own thing. If the Cash Money clique makes you move then that’s hip-hop. It’s a vibe that makes you move.”
“Hip-hop is a culture that started in the streets and has moved around the world,” Wyclef said.
“It’s original. Everyone has different influences,” said Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas. “Our life and childhood influence the music.”
Whatever the definition of hip-hop, the MTV Campus Invasion showed how vast hip-hop can be.
