DJ Questlove: A Night At The Shrine (by Cam Be)

DJ Questlove: A Night At The Shrine from Cam Be on Vimeo.

a Camovement by Cam Be

A glimpse of Questlove recently DJing at The Shrine Chicago

Song: Daft Punk feat. Pharrell - Get Lucky

Review: Rakim Live at The Shrine

Last Thursday, October 17, we finally got to see Rakim perform live at The Shrine. After a troubled attempt sidelined the legendary emcee from appearing at the club a month ago, this time around we were treated to the great night of Hip Hop we were all hoping for.

Talib Kweli was in charge of getting the party started with a DJ set, playing the hits from all eras that night. The Shrine is one of those few clubs in the city that still breathes the culture of the early days of Hip Hop, and that is why dance circles forming throughout the floor is a commonplace and more than welcome thing. Dancers of all generations and all levels (from amateurs to long-time vets) were breakdancing as Talib manned the DJ setup on stage. Another great thing was that those who were not able to see the spinning and popping of the breakdancers in the crowd were able to see a dancer showing her best moves on stage while the music played. Talib’s set was all over the Hip Hop map with tunes from A Tribe Called Quest, Fabulous, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Big Pun and Jay Z all making the cut.

When Rakim finally hit the stage, The Shrine lit up and roared for “The God Emcee.” Rakim started off by excusing his last failed appearance at the club and promised to make up for it, and lucky for the fans in attendance, the man lived up to it. In between tracks, the NY rapper talked about enjoying the city of Chicago, the problems that go with being out in the city, and even showed off his “beast” (the miniature dog his wife had brought to the show). As far as the music went, Rakim played some of his more contemporary material, sang to the ladies in the crowd, and finished off with the “classics.” Tracks like “I Know You Got Soul,” “Don’t Sweat The Technique” and “Paid In Full” were the shining moments of the night and hearing them performed live made up for that “lost” show from a month ago. To end the night, Rakim brought Talib Kweli and helped him perform his hit song, “Get By.”

With all that went down that night, this was clearly one of those great nights for The Shrine.

Review by Oscar O (for Pursuit of Dopeness).

Review: KRS-One Live at The Shrine

Friday night, October 12, 2013 was one of those nights that truly encompass the culture of The Shrine. Reggae group Dub Dis, Reggae/Hip Hop-fusing group Illuminati Congo and the legendary KRS-One were all on the bill and they represented all that this club is about, giving us a great night of Reggae and Hip Hop that got the packed-house crowd moving and having a good time from start to finish.

Dub Dis got the night going with a good set of Reggae music. The group set the mood perfectly with a chill vibe that instantly got the people in attendance grooving. The house DJ kept the party going in between sets by excellently mixing classic and contemporary Hip Hop tracks that resulted in dance circles and breakdancers showing off their best moves.

The second-to-last act was Illuminati Congo, who brought their signature blend of Reggae and Hip Hop and absolutely lit up the stage at The Shrine. The chill grooves of their beats were great for the ears but lead singer Jahn The Baptist’s ferocious delivery of line after line of socially-charged lyrics (and the occasional track about a particular plant that plenty of those in the crowd were familiar with) were an excellent sonic combination. The group finished their set with a truly unique fashion, bringing on The Shrine’s own Mr. GreenWeeds to spit a couple of lines as did a couple of men standing in the crowd who did a great job of their own on the mic.

When it was time for KRS-One to hit the stage, the club was filled with an inexplicable vibe that was felt in the air that night that very well may have been the result of the anticipation that builds for seeing a Hip Hop legend. Once the Bronx native hit the stage, the man was electric during live renditions of classics like “Step Into A World (Rapture’s Delight)” and “Sound of da Police” as well as freestyles. KRS-One preached to fans about being better prepared in life, stopping the violence in the streets and most of all he spoke about appreciating the art of Hip Hop.

With his presence alone KRS-One made it worth the trip to The Shrine, seeing him perform live made it a complete Hip Hop experience.



Photos by Tito Garcia.

Review by Oscar O (BKA @PursuitOfDopeness)

Review: Curren$y Live at The Shrine

Review: Curren$y Live at The Shrine

Last Thursday The Shrine hosted another great edition of Heineken's Red Star Access series with Curren$y serving as the headliner. With sets from Caleb James, Lucci Vee and Thelonious Martin & co., the bill was enough for anyone to get excited about and thankfully the show lived up to expectations.

The first performer of the night was Angel Davenport, fresh off of working with storied Hip Hop artist Tech N9ne. Angel was dynamic on the stage, delivering strong vocals and her rapping skills were equally as impressive. The next performer up was Lucci Vee, who had undeniable stage presence and gave a good performance. Vee even brought out fellow Chicago scene lady of Hip Hop Chella H, who lit up the stage to perform a track. She finished her set with her latest track "Pass Out," bringing an end to her entertaining set.

Breaking the streak of female performers was Giftz, who came to the stage with a heavier tone than what we heard with the previous acts. Boasting songs off his latest mixtape, Position Of Power, Giftz brought the raw energy of the booming local scene and got the crowd jamming, to say the least. Following him was another local artist that's generating a lot of buzz, that being Save Money's Caleb James. James' set heavily relied on songs from his latest release, The Jones, like "Flexin" and "6am" during which he even took the time to pass out drinks. His strong set was evidence enough that he's someone to continue following.

The sub-headliners included some of the brightest young artists of the vibrant local scene with Thelonious Martin (who was also celebrating his 21st birthday with us that night), Peter Cottontale and Stix coming together to put on a great display of their talent. King Thelonious' beats were soaked in cool, Stix absolutely rocked on drums and Peter Cottontale's sweet keyboard work all came together well and it was a real sight to see.

Finally it was time for the night's headliner, Curren$y. The New Orleans native got the crowd riled up by playing his fan-favorite tracks like "#JetsGo," "Sixty-Seven Turbo Jet," "Mary" and "Elevator Musik." Jet Lifers were treated to a good, chill show that only Curren$y can deliver. The fans were feeling it in both rooms of The Shrine and Curren$y's performance demonstrated just why his music is so beloved among this crowd.

A special shout-out goes to Heineken for assembling yet another good showcase in the latest edition of their Red Star Access series.

Review by Oscar O
Photos by Tito Garcia.

Review: Jeremih live in concert on Sept. 27th, 2013

Last Friday night (September 27) The Shrine hosted a great night of music with performances from Marwan (Soulflow), Runway Bella, Assata Jones and the man everybody was there to see, Jeremih.

The ladies were dressed good enough to catch the eye of the show’s headliner, and with Heineken on hand to help fuel the night, the show was set to be a great one. Jamal Smallz was the DJ in control of keeping The Shrine alive and he did so in great fashion by mixing tracks from the likes of Biggie, Kanye, The Weeknd, and Jay Z.

The first artist to hit the stage was Marwan (Soulflow), a Decatur, IL native who brought his R&B sound to Chicago and got the party going. His neo-Soul stylings were a good mood setter for the night, bringing energy to the stage and getting the crowd grooving.

The next act to the stage was Runway Bella, a tall beauty from our city who provided a good change of tempo and livened the club with her Hip Hop set. Her attitude and stage presence was felt throughout the crowd, helping build the anticipation for the headlining act. Performing as the sub-headliner was another Chicago act, Assata Jones. The songstress brought us back to the R&B sound, slowing things down and filling the club with a sultry vibe.

Finally, it was Jeremih’s turn to light up The Shrine. The hit singer performed with a live band, which made for a stronger set and added more energy to his show. The R&B star performed his hit songs such as “I Like,” “Down On Me,” and “Birthday Sex,” all of which got the club moving. He finished his set with “You Know What I Like,” a track that will appear on his new, Diddy-produced album titled Thumpy Johnson.



Review by Oscar O (BKA @PursuitOfDopeness)