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Adam Kennedy celebrates 50 years of hip-hop with one of the genre’s best bands
Image by Adam Kennedy
The origins of hip-hop music can be traced back to a house party in the Bronx in 1973. It has been said that at this event DJ Kool Herc debuted his “merry-go-round” technique of playing funk breaks back-to-back to a house full of party-goers.
Fast forward to the present day and torchbearers of the genre Arrested Development are celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop on their current UK tour. Only this time around the party was in Newcastle rather than New York.
The group has a strong relationship with the North East having graced the region since 1993, where they played at the now sadly missed Mayfair Ballroom. As one would expect, with hip-hop royalty in the area, The Cluny was packed to the rafters.
Following a warm-up set from the wonderful April Soul, the headliners took to the stage and immediately catalysed a change in the atmosphere in the room with their positive energy and musical talents. With eight members of the group on stage, it was certainly cosy for the group, not that they minded.
The ambience in the room felt somewhere between Sunday service at church and a house party, and both the band and the audience were all singing from the same hymn sheet. Arms constantly swayed from side to side as songs like Give A Man A Fish, Dawn of the Dreads, Raining Revolution and Fishin’ 4 Religion soundtracked the evening and took The Cluny crowd back to 1992 and the band’s debut album.
Lead vocalist Speech along with One Love showcased their lyrical prowess throughout. Tasha LaRae’s soaring vocals and Fareedah Aleem’s ferocious dancing turbo-charged the band’s three-pronged attack at the front of the stage.
Arrested Development celebrated the landmark 50th anniversary of hip-hop with covers of classics such as Jump by Kris Kross and Jump Around by House of Pain. But of course, the two-time Grammy winners have made a huge contribution in their own right to this beloved genre. The cherry on top of a stunning setlist was always going to be set closers Mr Wendell and the unmistakable People Everyday. During which, this writer has never heard an audience sing so loudly in that room, as they did during the final two songs of the evening.
Of course, turning back the clocks 32 years to Arrested Development’s debut album was always going to be a tad nostalgic. But these songs still sounded as fresh as they did upon release. They have become timeless classics in their own right and aged just like a fine wine.
Arrested Development set out to celebrate 50 years of hip-hop and they did exactly that. A job well done by these legends of the genre. Here’s to the next landmark and the next chapter.
