“That’s the god.”
Mike Bigga was succinct and to the point in his appraisal of the legendary MC that was about to take the stage at Icehouse in the East Atlanta Village. The A3C Festival is all about celebrating hip-hop, and everyone was
there on the final night to catch a glimpse of the man many consider
the greatest MC of all time. By the time Rakim Allah took the stage,
the crowd, media and fellow artists were primed and ready to see the
man do this thing.
“I love ATL,” Rakim told the crowd. “Because y’all
love hip-hop — y’all know what it is.”
The 2009 A3C Hip Hop Festival
proved, once again, that the untimely passing of hip-hop has been
greatly exaggerated. Indie acts, underground kings, and one bona fide
legend all helped remind the heads in attendance that the music and
culture aren’t even close to dying — in fact, they’re thriving. The
impressive Savannah, Ga.-based hip-hop collective Dope Sandwich wowed
the crowd at 529 with some rapid-fire lyrical wizardry and high-energy
performances. The crew is comprised of several uniquely gifted MCs and
a trumpet player who brings a certain freestyle quirkiness to the
proceedings. Veteran acts like Black Sheep, hot up-and-comer J. Cole
and more helped feed Atlanta’s hip hop hunger for three days of beats, rhymes and life.
“This
is what I’ve always loved about hip-hop,” said attendee KeeKee, an
Atlanta native. “Real hip-hop is still alive, and coming out to the
shows just reminds you of what’s great about the music.”
“Festivals like
this mean everything to hip-hop,” said Mike Bigga (previously known as Killer Mike.)
“This helps fuel that independent spirit and it only helps motivate
everybody to continue to support good music.”
Crowds trekked back and
forth between the East Atlanta Village and Little Five Points
district to soak in as many performances as possible, and the overall
positivity and camaraderie was palatable to those new to the scene.
“I
love this, its such a cool vibe here,” said Dope Sandwich’s Mr. Brown.
“Everybody’s so into what everyone else is doing — it’s just a great
meeting place for anyone who loves hip-hop.”
