No One Can Do It Better, Even in 2015
By Chris P: Local Celebrity
(@CPLocalCeleb)
When a Venn diagram is drawn to encompass Dallasites and hip-hop fans, the intersection comes with a giant chip on its shoulder. While we’ve had sporadic and equally fleeting national recognition, it’s been tough. We’re like hip-hop’s Cubs fans. It irks my soul when I hear people say, “Yeah, all y’all got are all of those dance records out there in Dallas.” Yeah, that was some years ago and politics and … well, no need to get into that because the locals know and the out-of-towners probably don’t give a damn. BUT, the one thing we were always able to be proud of was the contribution of North Texas to the early days of gangster (-er because –a is a corny) rap, and the classic albums that came from the genre.
Saturday night’s “Straight Outta Dallas” concert at The Bomb Factory was huge. Not only for the man that affords us the right to be proud of our place in hip-hop history, The D.O.C., but it was huge for the city. The show’s lineup was a who’s who of DFW artists, of various eras and of various sounds. From Dorrough Music to Big Tuck to A.Dd+, this was the biggest show in Dallas since the 2006 free UGK concert at the Black Forest Theater before Pimp C died. (And speaking of Black Forest Theater, Erykah Badu as DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown, closed out the “Straight Outta Dallas” show with one of her signature eclectic DJ sets).
The night was D.O.C.’s though. It had been over 20 years since he last performed live on stage and with “Straight Outta Compton” still fresh on the minds of hip-hop heads and with what he described as the work of God in the form of the return of his voice, the timing made perfect sense. And whenever Brad “Scarface” Jordan is on the ticket, it’s definitely significant, but when he’s your hype man for the night, that speaks volumes.
D.O.C., with fellow O.G. rapper/producer Erotic D on the turntables behind him, ran through some of his most memorable cuts from his pre-accident 1989 release “No One Can Do It Better.” Throughout the show, 6Two, formerly of the Ft. Worth duo Gena Cide, allowed D.O.C. time to break from using his still raspy voice. 6Two performed his verse from Dr. Dre’s “Xxplosive” and then, along with fellow D.O.C. collaborator U.P.-T.I.G.H.T., spit their verses from D.O.C.’s 2003 album “Deuce.” D.O.C. ended his set with two new songs, that both sounded as if his pen game hadn’t missed a step.
This significance of this event was not lost on those in attendance. D.O.C. is and was a hip-hop pioneer. His recent work with and COSIGN of Brain Gang JT, a.k.a. Justus, landed the young Garland rapper on Dr. Dre’s latest album, and from what I gathered from the interview I had with him, he intends to continue to help DFW artists get to the next level. We as Texans are a proud bunch, but us DFW hip-hop fans/artists have a pride that has been force fed a diet of disrespect and far too many near misses, to the point we might fight you over our music. Saturday channeled that pride into a concert that seemed to unify the city’s scene. Hopefully the momentum created here translates into successful collaborations and shared shine amongst all of those involved. So yes, D.O.C. had a hell of a night, but it felt more like a catalyst for great things to come for the DF-Dub.
