Curren$y Saves Last Night's Aptly-Named "Smoker's Club" Tour Stop at Neumos

Smoker's Club Tour
Neumos
Thursday, Dec. 2


Lip-syncing is one of those concert faux pas that no one should ever have to experience in any genre of music--especially in hip-hop, where the lyricism is at the heart of the emcee/DJ art form. But last night, up to and including longtime rapper and songwriter Fiend, Harlem's otherwise talented Smoke DZA and Tommy Hilfiger's son Rich Hil (who was essentially booed offstage), that's exactly what happened.

Nipsey came out hard, blasting one of his bigger hits "Hussle in the House" as the set's second track--but while the crowd wasn't not feeling him, the billowing clouds of smoke might've rendered them too stoned to put forth much effort. His rhymes were tight and the beats hit hard--evidence that the LA rapper's XXL Freshman 10 pick had some backing--but last night, something just didn't translate into energy. Unfortunately for him, wearing a hat embroidered with "I Am The Greatest" doesn't necessarily make it so.

Thankfully for all in the sold-out crowd, Curren$y's trip to the stage salvaged the night--maybe not through a mind-blowing show, but certainly with a solidly performed one. Like he told MTV: "There's people who are not so excited about what's going on with music. A lot of the times, it sounds like the same song's on the radio all day, even though it's not. Everything sounds like everything." And just like he'd promised, none of his smoke-laced cuts sounded like "everything"--not even a little bit.

Overheard in the bathroom: "Curren$y's good, but he ain't no Dom Kennedy." That one can stay open for debate.

Seattle-related talk from Curren$y: "Don't be mad that the Hornets beat the Supersonics in one of my verses!" We'll see how he feels when the Hornets become the Supersonics.