Photo Credit: Raquelle Harris for Steed Media
Ice Cube and his crew of Compton legends brought the West Coast to Detroit’s Chene Park Labor Day weekend. The Return of the Legends concert series highlights the summer season and always bangs hard. Packed beyond capacity with hip-hop heads rocking Chucks, Adidas, jeans and tees, the riverfront amphitheatre hosted a night of lascivious lyrics, dope beats and ear drum crushing bass.
MC Eiht was the first to perform. The “Streiht Up Menace” prowled around the stage giving his trademark OG vibe, unfazed by his back in the day beef with DJ Quik. Up next was the diggy diggy D.O.C., who was hype and humble, thanking fans for showing him love despite the limitations of his vocals. The Dallas native engaged the crowd by talking about the “elephant in the room” of his gravelly voice, intermittently lip syncing “The Formula”, “Let The Bass Go” and “It’s Funky Enough.” Showing that he’s not to be counted out of the rap game, he performed a few new songs—one of which was an ode to single moms.
DJ Quik dropped joints like “Let’s Get Down”—his dance floor jam with Tony Toni Toné—and his boy, AMG’s “B**** Betta Have My Money.” He also performed “Sweet Black P****” and “Tonite,” giggin’ along with the crowd in his Gucci sneakers. At one point, Quik flexed his engineering skills by jumping next to DJ Steady Rock, adjusting the controls because his music wasn’t loud enough.
Headliner Ice Cube came through with a dub, sharing the stage with his fellow N.W.A. members, MC Ren and DJ Yella along with his son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Westside Connection homie, WC. After a nostalgic video montage featuring Eazy E and N.W.A. during their early days, Cube said, “Hello,” reminding us that he “started this gangsta s***.” Cube was in beast mode, as he performed hits from N.W.A. and his solo career including “Gangsta Gangsta” and “It Was A Good Day.” Free to say, “F*** the Police” without consequence, he spoke about the irony of receiving a police escort to the concert. He also cleared up the ridiculous rumor that he supports Donald Trump, yet he offered no words about the passing of former N.W.A. manager Jerry Heller earlier that day.
Cube rocked the mic for over an hour, showing mad love to his fans in the D. Crowd favorites included “We Be Clubbin”, “Natural Born Killaz”, “Bop Gun” and “You Can Do It.” The actor and producer has expanded his empire while remainig true to his gangsta rap roots.
Photo Credit: Raquelle Harris for Steed Media
