Rock the Bells Keeps Hip-Hop Culture Alive: The Pharcyde, a Tribe Called Quest and Nas Go the Extra Mile at Hip-Hop Festival

Rock the Bells, the annual summer hip-hop tour in its fifth year, came back to Southern California with one mission; the preservation of hip-hop culture. Like last year's tour this year's line up boasted a heavy mix of new school rappers, indie hip-hop groups and veterans of the genre. Although this year's roster did not carry the one-two combination of The Wu-Tang Clan and Rage Against the Machine it did feature two reunions of classic hip-hop acts.

A Tribe Called Quest broke up back in 1998 and have been headlining this year's festival along with Bohemian LA rappers The Pharcyde who imploded after only recording two discs. The second stage started things early in the day with performances by new school talents Kidz in the Hall and The Cool Kids. On the main stage MC Supernatural backed by dj Scratch the Human Beatbox freestyled about all the items he asked the crowd to throw at him and then entertained fans by impersonating their favorite rappers while Scratch made the music with his mouth. Supernatural's set alone was a testament to the talent, potential and depth that hip-hop has. Supernatural's set raised the bar early as other performers hit the stage.

Rapper Murs was up next. Murs and the Pharcyde are the only two artists on the tour from the west coast and Murs, represented LA well. He paced the stage and threw out his intricate, introspective rhymes like a champ. With a disc set to drop this fall, Murs may be the break out artist on this summer's tour. Immortal Technique hit the stage next. Technique not only represented for all of the Latino mcs in the area but he also represented the political wing of hip-hop culture. The Immortal one rhymed about The Patriot Act, the war in Iraq and the media with an intensity and lyrical seriousness that has been missing from the genre for quite some time. If Immortal Technique can come up with more complex and insightful rhymes he might be the mc to pick up where Public Enemy left off many years ago.

Rap fans are notorious for their flavor of the month attitudes but the crowd in attendance gave a warm welcome and paid much respect to both De La Soul and veteran mc Rakim. De La Soul reminded the audience that hip-hop can be fun while Rakim along with dj Kid Capri took hold of the stage with an air of total coolness without a 10 inch rim or a bottle of Krystal in sight. Ghostface Killa and Rakewon from the Wu Tang Clan were up next and ignited the crowd with the Clan's most memorable hits. Redman and Method Man's set was a bit disjointed (no pun intended) due to the fact that Method Man was late to the venue (note to the hip-hop community: Start wearing wrist watches and use them to tell time.) and the biggest surprise of the day was the un-announced set by the Black Eyed Peas. The Peas came to the stage with their live band but without their femme fatale, Fergie and they announced they would only do songs from their first disc. Whether this was an attempt to cross back to the backpack crowd the Peas left in the dust remains to be seen.

The Peas did however set the stage for the first of two reunions of the day. The Pharcyde broke up after only releasing two discs but they left a serious mark on the scene. The festival atmosphere of the show reached a fever pitch as The Pharcyde took the stage and went through a number of their tunes from Bizarre Ride II and Labcabincalifornia. They (along with De La Soul earlier) had the crowd remembering just how fun hip-hop can truly be. There is no word on whether The Pharcyde will record new music but what is apparent is rap fans would love to see the group stick around for a while to keep the party going!

Rapper Mos Def was up next and delivered a set that eclipsed the stiff performance he turned in last year. Rapper Nas took command of the crowd next and represented the contradictions that make rap music complex, problematic and compelling. At his worst Nas may not be as articulate as his fans want him to be. From wanting to name his latest disc a racial epithet to insulting Tiger Woods in an interview Nas can sometimes come off as uninformed and very short sighted. There is no denying however he is one of the most dynamic mcs in the genre and he knows how to ignite a crowd in a live setting. Nas had the audience on their feet and worked the crowd like a true rock star. He simultaneously asked the crowd if we were ready to have a Black president and then hoped that we would be ready. He told the crowd of his disdain for politics, presidents and Black leaders and then announced he supported Barack Obama. If the goal was to keep fans guessing while putting on a dynamic show then Nas accomplished his mission. A Tribe Called Quest closed a solid day of hip-hop by leading the crowd through all of their biggest radio and underground hits. Many of the artists begged the crowd in attendance to support real hip-hop and to not be fooled by corperate/bling-bling rap music. While the sentiment was heartfelt it was also preaching to the choir. The folks at Rock the Bells are already engaged in the other side of hip-hop. It's the consumers of mainstream rap who undoubtedly need their bells rocked if we are to see more of a balance in the art form.