Opening acts don't get much recognition. At times, that lack of attention is well warranted, but once in a while, you'll get lucky and see two quality shows for the price of one. Such will be the case at this year's Last Day of Classes. Dilated Peoples, an innovative hip-hop trio out of Los Angeles, is deserving of your punctuality on April 21.
You may recall their 2001 hit "Worst Comes to Worst" or the track "Live on Stage," which was featured in EA Sports' NBA Street Vol. 2. Whether you know it or not, you have probably also heard Dilated Peoples' current single off their third and latest album, Neighborhood Watch.
"This Way," produced by and featuring LDoC headliner Kanye West, has found commercial success in television ads for Volvo's new S40 sedan, one of the safest cars in its class.
Dilated Peoples consists of three members: two MCs, Evidence and Rakaa Iriscience, and DJ Babu. Evidence can be identified by his aggressive, rapid-fire rhymes while Iriscience is characterized by an almost ethereal smoothness in his lyricism. Babu, a member of the Beat Junkies crew, is one of the West Coast's finest turntablists. Among his many honors and accolades is his title of 1997 International Turntablist Federation (ITF) Beat Juggling and Scratching Champion.
In less than a week, Dilated Peoples comes to Duke, bringing their thoughtful brand of hip-hop that has thrived in the underground, but has only recently been accepted by mainstream listeners. With the success of The Roots in recent years, the rapid ascendance of Kanye West both as an MC and a producer and the growing popularity of Talib Kweli and Common, hip hop is drifting away from its reputation as a realm of bling and bitches. Of course, this is not to say that acts like 50 Cent and G-Unit or Ludacris are likely to fade away any time soon, but in the current climate of national confusion, a more meaningful sect of the genre is certainly coming into its own. As the liner notes of Dilated Peoples' 2000 album, The Platform, states, "All movements begin underground."
With that said, one criticism levied on The Peoples is that their lyrics often vacillate between constructive introspection and brazen self-promotion. This style, however, is not a reflection of creative confusion or ambivalence, but rather a natural by-product of the rap battles and recreational freestyling characteristic of the underground scene in which they were bred. Either way, you'll like what you hear.
So, on Last Day of Classes, don't just come for Kanye because Dilated Peoples promises to pull off a headlining show of their own. And, with hip hop this good, you'll want to keep your eyes wide open.
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