Show Review: Paid Dues '06

Hip-hop's most prolific underground talents shined bright at a recent LA concert. Dues were definitely paid.

Who: Felt, Aesop Rock/El-P, Living Legends, Brother Ali, Cage, Chingo Bling and others.
Where: The Shrine (Los Angeles)
When: March 11, 2006

Contrary to what most of the hip-hop industry portrays, there is much more to the music than bling, girls, money and cars. Flying way below the commercial radar is a legion of "underground" MCs who can bury most of your favorite rappers with their advanced lyrical techniques and wordplay, via substance filled rhymes absent in most of today's hip-hop. Saturday's (March 11) Paid Dues concert at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium displayed a strong line-up of those MCs who stray far away from the norm, bringing fans a much needed break from the repetitive garbage played on radio.

Put together by event organizers' Guerilla Union (responsible for previous Rock The Bells festivals), Paid Dues highlighted a line-up of "backpacker" faves such as Living Legends, Cage, Brother Ali, El-P and Aesop Rock, among others. Even H-Town's Chingo Bling tried his luck with a crowd not too fond of his style of hip-hop.

Los Angeles rapper Murs, who was celebrating a birthday, served as the night's headlining act, as one half of Felt, a duo consisting of Murs alongside Atmosphere's own Slug. As the pair enjoyed the peak of the night's cheers, a predominately white crowd hung on to almost every word of the duo's nearly hour long set, which featured songs such as "The Two" and "Hot Bars."

Although the night belonged to Felt, most of the acts were well-received by the hip-hop heads in attendance. Brother Ali (of the Rhymesayers crew) performed a very strong set, starting by spitting over NWA's "Straight Outta Compton" instrumental. Ali kept the crowd involved throughout, using the old school techniques of his predecessors such as the "Hell Yea's" and "Everybody scream!"

Most of the night's performers had the crowd eating out of the palms of their hands, but a few didn't have that luxury. Chingo Bling was one of the rapper's who fell victim to a crowd of snobby "backpack" rap fans. As soon as he hit the stage, loud "boo's" filled the arena, combined with middle fingers in the air. Although he did manage to win over scattered groups throughout the crowd, Chingo quickly realized his set wasn't going anywhere and decided to cut it shortly after water bottles and trash began to fly onto the stage.

Cage, who is known for his warped sense of humor and violent filled lyrics, also had a moment of bad luck. But, it wasn't a result of the audience, instead from the security. During the middle of his set, Cage was feeling the crowd's vibe so much, he dove headfirst into a sea of arms. When he swam back toward the pit in front of the stage, security members pulled him down and attempted to eject from the area, until a few fans upfront informed them he was the talent and allowed him back onstage (Think twince next time Cage).

Dues were definitely paid on Saturday. These underground heros prove that a live stage show is definitely one of the best tools you can have at your disposal.

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