Jeru da Damaja was back in Paradiso after about 5 years. The place was packed but not souled out. After "Palabras", a poetry night with young local poets upstairs that I happen to miss, Amsterdam was ready for some poetry straight out of East New York Brooklyn.

Jeru made it pretty clear where he was from and started his show announcing that he would stop the show as soon as he'd see someone recording… Actually he didn't even want no pictures taken, but Paradiso stood up for us and collegue Dutch HipHopsite The Boombap that we should be able to take flicks anytime. (Thank you, KC!)

The sound this evening was good, Jeru's lyrics clear and understandable, DJ Tommy Hilfigger (?!) arranging the beats and scratches (girls, check this DJ out...mmm!), a lot of happy new generation fans in front of the stage. All ingredients to promise a great concert. BUT... despite of all Jeru's classic joints performed live and correct, something was missing. It seemed like he was totally focussing on working off his songs and bringing them as correct as possible. The real connection with the crowd was missing. Yeah, he had the crowd making a beat, he devided the crowd in three to have his loop "O-o hands up cause we're dropping some" done live, which was cool, he smoked a joint while performing, drank a beer, but the Realness was missing.

He said so many times his shit was some real HipHop shit and that's what we all came for, but this is Amsterdam, not Brownsville, so no need to start some shit with a kid throwing an empty beer cup (I couldn't see if it was ment for Jeru or if it was just some unthought action), anyway Jeru challenged him to come to the stage to fight or whatever and started calling names and whatever nonsense. Even stopped the music for it. It didn't make any sense. Same thing with another kid that did have the nerve to tape the show with a hand recorder. Had to throw the tape towards the stage. But don't kids that tape, belong to Real HipHop too? It all comes with it, but Jeru didn't seem to flex about it and continued his got to be correct show. It was definately correct, one and a half hour of straight up classics, but no atmosphere except for hostility from Jeru's side, at last it was only a handfull people in the front that still bothered to throw the hands up in the air, everybody else was just listening.

Maybe it's because we are spoiled in Amsterdam with all the concerts we get (almost every week some big name performs) so we get picky in when is a show dope and when it isn't. And of course it's to every individual's own perception, too, if one finds a show good or not. To me Jeru's show was musically correct, but for the rest dissappointing.

Mickey