Gritz N' Gravy: Behind The Scenes: Boost Mobile RockCorps Tour With Luda, Busta, Fab, Etc.

A couple weeks ago, I was in Rockefeller Plaza at 6:30 a.m. to watch Bruce Springstein perform on the "Today Show" (I was doing my other "job"). Other than the Boss, who I definitely won't hate on (especially since he can dance like this), I can't say I was overly impressed with the event -- when you wake up before the crack of dawn, the last thing you want to see is hordes of middle-aged white women who came from the Midwest, macrame'd their own tee shirts, and waited in line for 24 hours to see an aging rock star play a few songs on morning television.

This weekend, I found myself around the corner in Radio City Music Hall, rocking Yung Joc's 14 lb. Hustlenomic$ chain and watching 5,000 kids go nuts for Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Fabulous, and a ridiculous line-up of special guests at the Boost Mobile RockCorps show. The kids had put in their work too -- no one could get into the concert without first completing four hours of community service -- but youthful enthusiasm is always more refreshing than a mid-life crisis.

Just another reason why hip-hop is better than rock...

Fittingly, the night was MC'd by the hardest working and most hilarious man in showbiz -- I'm talking about Nick Cannon of course! He kept the energy up during the interludes -- along with frequent "Crank Dat" sessions -- and definitely did it "real big," as he likes to say. Hurricane Chris kicked things off with "A Bay Bay" and was joined onstage by his "new artist," who appears to be about 6 years old at most. The little dude was hilarious though, bouncing around like he was hard body and shouting random, off beat phrases into his microphone. Yung Joc put on a nice set, running through hits like "Coffee Shop" and interacting well with the crowd. At one point, he pulled a young girl onto the stage and I couldn't help but think, "Looks like we've got another Akon on our hands!" Fortunately, Joc just put his enormous chain around the girl's neck and she almost fell over. I think we all chuckled and breathed a sigh of release.

An unexpected highlight of the night featured a legendary cast of producers -- Swizz Beats, Just Blaze, and Marley Marl -- sharing the stage. If Premier and Dre had been there, it might have been like the Scream Tour at MSG... but for DJs. With Swizz on the drums, Just on the keys, and Marley Marl cutting, the three formed a pretty amazing trio. After that, Just Blaze and Swizzy went beat for beat, sort of like the much talked -- about Swizz vs. Kanye "beat-off" from Summer Jam (after his mom's book came out, we all know that 'Ye is pretty experienced at beat-offs). Just set a high standard with "Oh Boy" and some choice Jay cuts, but Swizz made it unfair by bringing out Jadakiss for "Wild Out" and E-V-E for a little "Tambourine" shaking.

Unfortunately, I was stuck in the media room for all of this. When they said no one could get in without volunteering, they really meant it: no VIPs, no $500 seats. I hadn't done shit, so I guess I couldn't complain. I saw a live feed of the show though, and I be remiss to not mention that Busta Rhymes absolutely shut the place down. I saw Busta at the Puff Daddy and the Family Tour in Hartford about 10 years ago, and I've always said he is the best performer I have ever seen. I don't take that back. He and Spliff Starr have flawless chemistry onstage, and Busta's energy is off-the-charts. Spitting his rapid-fire flows, he literally shakes like a seizure victim, his cartoonish grin lighting up with devilish glee. At this point in his career, every song in his set is an absolute banger. Starting out rocking some classics in his Leaders of the New School attire, he eventually stripped down to a beater and his three enormous chains for "Touch It" and a recent verse of DJ Khaled's "I'm So Hood (Remix)." Mostly people in the media room were ignoring the live feed throughout the night, but the area in front got busy for Bussa Buss and I even saw Just Blaze stop in front of it with a look on his face that said, "Damn, this dude is insane!" The best part was that Busta looked like he was loving every second of the performance. At the end, he brought some kids up to join him and gave a mad nice speech about how much he appreciated the crowd and how hard they had worked.

Not to take away from the other performers (Luda looked like he was caining it), but it was tough to really get a sense of the show as a whole from the TV screen. Instead I tried to snatch people's chains and talk to some rappers. Here are a few tidbits for you fools:

Yung Joc: I'm convinced Joc is my new best friend. This dude is so jovial and personable. And the chain is truly something to behold. It is literally like having a child hanging from your neck. Focus Diamonds in Atlanta put it together for the release of Hustlenomic$ -- the top part of the "H" is in white diamonds, and the bottom is in canary yellow. Joccin' on 'em!