So I got to the park a little after 8 AM, which was when bands were supposed to load in. Honestly, I was still tipsy from the night before. Like, stumbly-walk tipsy. I copped a Gatorade from a Bodega on my way there, which is a little gross to drink that early in the morning. My first cigarette of the day made my head close in on itself, and I thought the Brooklyn Bridge was expanding and contracting with my breath.
Miller and the band were already there. Sentence showed up right after me. They were still setting up the stage, so we kicked it at the picnic tables in the park bullshitting and smoking cigarettes. It wasn't raining yet. I got in trouble with a park guard for sitting on the table. My bad, yo. A mother and her little daughter came through and started setting up a kid's birthday party. She apparently did not know until that day that the festival was going down. She set up an ill spread of hummus, olives, and nice looking cheeses -- all stuff that I don't think one year olds really get down with. She was more worried about the rain than the rapping.
The whole time we sat at the picnic table this little boy chased a pigeon around the grass, screaming at it. It was an intense battle.
We got to sound check around eleven I believe. We checked with:
Fingertips
And Planes Down
After we sound-checked we left to get some grub, and Sentence, Gray, Andrew and I rolled to Andrew's studio on Jay street to eat and tried to get some quick sleep in. Sleep was a no-go though, and we all lay with our jackets as pillows on the carpet talking about playing organ during church services. We headed back to the spot at like 1:30, hustling through the rain and the cobble stoned streets of DUMBO.
Despite the rain, mad people were already in the spot when we got there. I honestly don't remember much of the first acts that went on, because I was getting more and more nervous (like I always do before shows) and was walking around chain smoking cigarettes. I know that Homeboy Sandman was doing an excellent job at hosting the event. He kept it funny and loose and spit some great acapellas between sets. The crowd was in a great mood, and was very receptive to each act.
We changed our set list right before we went on, switching The Inside to the opening number. It just felt right to do at the time.
When we got on stage, the size of the tent and the amount of people in it was exciting and overwhelming at the same time. We hadn't played a show that big since our shows with D Block last summer. No one put their hands up during the first part of The Inside. Like, literally no one. It was crazy. But in the middle part mad people put their hands up. The Inside is a great barometer song for us. If we can't get hands up for the middle part, we know it's going to be a long set.
The set went:
The Inside
Shades Off
Risk You Run
Funk Terrorist (actual video from the show)
We had wanted to do Planes Down to close, but we ran short on time. It was frustrating, but you gotta respect Brooklyn Bodega for running such a tight ship. Shit is not easy to do.
Our set went off though. We were so, so different from every other act on that bill, but heads were still open to us. It was seriously inspiring. So props to everyone who came out and showed love.
Right after our set was a whirlwind of Sentence and I babbling our way through interviews and having sweaty photo's taken. We are so bad at these interviews. It's ridiculous. And seriously -- please don't ever ask us to do a drop for your radio show, DVD, whatever. We will be so awkward that you can never ever use it. Save your tape.
We were mad happy though.
As far as the headlining acts go, pretty much everyone killed it.
Smif and Wesson fucking killed shit. Like, destroyed it. Their set was incredible front to back. Brand Nubian were amazing, and Black Thought came out of nowhere and killed it.
When Premier came on I thought that the tent was going to explode.
Styles P tore it the fuck down too. Dude is like my hero at this point. He had Tech DJing for him which was dope. We've rocked a bunch of sets with Tech before. Tech is the fucking man.
Here's Styles last two songs:
Styles P @ Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival 2009 from Its The Official on Vimeo.
What a day. I don't think I've ever been so tired in my life. But happy tired. Matter of fact, I'm still tired now.
Shouts to everyone who came out. Shouts to Brooklyn Bodega for putting on an amazing event.
Love all around.
Love, Metermaids.
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