Saturday 30-09-2000.

What is it? It’s a HipHop festival.
What’s goin’ on there? Representing the 5 elements of HipHop. (don’t forget beatboxin’!)
Where it’s at? Beursgebouw, E-Town or they say Eindhoven, whatever ya call it....
Who make it all possible? CAZ-ONE PRODUCTIONS, they did it again!
So what happened............?

Me (dressed with Dope Posse-jacket) and my man Sonny Styles went to the building’s backdoor and got ourselves some press-tickets. That was very okay, 'cause outside at the main-entrance there was a big crowd waiting to get in, through all the security who did their job.
After meeting Phat Pockets & Sherlock, who were the hosts of the evening, we was listening to the cuts of E-Town’s Samplism’s deejay Deen. Together with some freestyles of the hosts, that was a nice beginning.
Chillin’ at the record and hiphop-clothes stores, bought myself BDP’s Criminal Minded-album (again), and shaked lots a hands. It was really like a reunion-thang. (or we gettin’ ol’)
There were 2 stages, one big and one small, and on that big stage the B-Boy (breakin’)-battle has started. Breakers from all different countries all over the place warming their selves up. Planet Rockers (NL) vs Rocking ‘till Death (D) and All in One (NL) vs The Click (NL). It really brought some true old skool-atmosphere in the place.

At the small Samplism-stage, the DMC-mixingbattle began with DJ Rachi who spinned a short but tight set with Big L’s Ebonics and ending with a line from Gangstarr sayin’ “... naaah bitch, you’ll never win!” while waving at the other contesters. After Rachi, DJ Irie got ready with spinning Rob Base’s “I wanna rock right now...” and DJ Rockid with some Electro “rock-it” stuff.
After B-Boyin’ from the Vagebond Crew (F) vs Break Sensation (B) on the mainstage, the crowd waited for the return of old southside-soldiers 24K. DJ One-Two, Beatcreator Zar One and the two original m.c.’s E.N.B. & ARC-S spit a show like they used to do! With tracks like; I plead the 5th, 4ce of a renegade and ofcourse E-Town’s underground hit, We have no enemies. E.N.B. let the crowd know that THEY opened doors for dutch hiphop being the first crew who dropped hiphop on vinyl.(I thought D.A.M.N. claimed to be the first, but okay... it’s still the south)
The pitty thing was that they rapped over their own voices on record, but the crowd was liking it anyway, although ARC-S couldn’t hold his laugh through the show...
Another old jock entered the small stage. Ghandi aka Ferozkhan the Exeptional did a few songs and ended with a track called “Bugas” from his EP "Stickz&Stonedz". (in stores now) This positive m.c. from the south had really a listening but standstill crowd. Whatever he did, it was from the heart!
Other groups who perfomed on the 'small stage' were: The Boomoperators, a new dutch group with ex-dutch Master-MC, Rescue and beats by Kid Sundance and partner. After that the Imadodattaz did their show (group from E-town featuring I.N.T. a girl MC and another MC). Unfortunately we didn't see the two groups 'cause on the main stage there was a lot goin' on too.
Hosts of the DMC-mixin’ finals were Deadly (f.k.a. Silence but Deadly from E-Town’s Deadly Maniacs) and Sen Z. On the main-stage DJ Rachi (3), DJ Prestige (2) and DJ Rockid (1) battled each other like muthafuckaz. DJ Rockid became the winner.

Then the crowd got ready for the first foreign rap-performense. Phife Dawg entered the stage together with Jarobi (ex Tribe) and DJ Rasta-Root. Phife started with a classic “... micophone check 1-2 what is this, the Phife comin’ at ya with the roughneckbusiness...”). The show was tight. A real positive hiphop show, m.ceed by the clear voice of Q-Tip’s right hand for a long time. It all included new Phife-material combined with old Tribe-stuff like 'Bonita Applebum', 'What’s the scenario', 'Check the rhime' etc. Check him out next time. Straight up rap for your ear!

One of the highlights of the festival were the B-Boy finals.
Vagebond Crew (F) against 5 Amox (D). Damn son! That shit was tight! I spoke to an old b-boy I knew from way back who stood beside me. And he said; “Now I see how old skool we was back then...”. It really was a break-battle with all elements of b-boying. From wind-mills to downrockin’, from electric boogie to bodypoppin’. (Sorry for the maybe the too old skool terms I play with.) And all-o-that combined with lots of humor. For me the battle should have ended as a tie. But the price of 1000 guilders went to 5 Amox from Germany. Maybe they won also because they were at least with five dancers against ten from Vagebond Crew. And for real, they had some ingredible moves I’d never seen before. I guess CAZ-ONE was happy with this appearance.

Sonny Styles, D.T.F., U-Gene and me, definitely came out to Eindhoven to see the god of hiphop, King Asiatic Nobody’s Equal, the Big Daddy Kane.
Phife said in his show; “he made people like me wanna rhyme...”
And Sherlock started to yell, before the Kane came out, “...let it role get bo, ‘cause I can go back and for ‘cause I’m the man with soul...”
Whatever they said, Kane came out right. Dressed in leather, no flattop and no afro, but dreads like D’Angelo or Cool V. Just one M.C. with one DJ. DJ Scazz behind the one and two’s. The Big Daddy-lord started the same like last year he did in Paradiso with “hear ya, hear ya, from far and near...” Followed with a medley of old records like “Raw”, “Set it off”, “The wrath of Kane” etc. etc. But than he did all kind of different stuff compaired to last year. Like a tribute to 5 “dead” m.c.’s. Tupac, Big Pun, Freaky Ty, Notorious B.I.G. and the late Big-L. How HE did it, nobody can do it better than Kane. Together with Scazz he set it off and let the crowd screaming their names and ended with a “Put your L’s up!!” dedicated to Harlem’s finest.
But the highlight for us was when he did a freestyle "....and I make it understood" and suddenly he dropped the mic on the stageground. Everybody stood perplex. The crowd silent. He took back the mic from the ground, cleaned the head with his hands and continued his rap saying; ”...droppin' shit, and still make it look good!”. The Beursgebouw was in extase. Everybody was screaming. And by the time he did “The Symphony” with extra lyrics accapella-style, I felt goosepimpels on my arms and tears from happiness entered my cheeks.

Kane. He the man. He was and he still is.
Inspiring many m.c.’s. And still pleasing many woman. Like he let a dutch female m.c. called Marocca do her thang in his show. And after “Big Daddy’s theme” he left the stage in the dark. Leaving us dancing with the devil.
It’s a shame that the pictures Sonny Styles took of Kane are not that good. Because of standing too far away with the camera of Al Jazz’s girl Sharon. (thank U girl!). Sonny Styles a.k.a. Son Lyte from Dope Posse always with that “humble-thang”. But anyway, the show is in our hearts and it will never leave!

After Kane, the group called Looptroop from Sweden got ready to do a show. Starting with a ironic “thank you” to Kane for “warming up” their show. First I thought the crew was a bit weird, but during their show I understood that they're no amatures. The three white m.c.’s, one with a large beard(!), flowed over tight beats spinned by their DJ.
When they thanked the crowd, DJ Kid Swift from Philly took the mic. Letting everybody know that his man Schoolly D couldn’t come because of family matters (his brother got shot), and set it off with a tight DJ-set like Code Money should do back then.
However, it was a nice ending of the evening. Everybody was positive, compared to the first Back To Planet Rock in ‘98. This was a good organised festival with all elements in it. Sorry for the graffiti-artists, but I didn't took time for those. Although lots of walls were bombed and tagged (is that english?). Maybe next time ART12 can send some more reporters. I prefere 2 peeps for each element! There is a lot to see and listen to. There is still a lot goin’ on in hiphop today! FOR REAL!
Peace the funk out, signing off...

Are M.C. the Mic Steamer
(check my site yo: http://go.to/aremc)