Boots from The Coup has been trying to change the world for over a decade. Ever since Kill My Landloard came out in 1993, Boots, along with occasional members Pam the Funkstress and E-rock, has been blazing trails in conscious funk filled hip hop. What they brought to the Knitting Factory on Wednesday was the hip hop show you’re always hoping for. It’s just damn hard these days to get behind two MC’s and a DJ who hasn’t spun wax for years. The Coup filled out the stage with a three piece band and a beautiful and extremely talent back up singer, Silky.
Before Boots even hit the stage the band had “Everythang” bumpin’ and the dancefloor instantly turned trampoline. He hit the stage in suit and afro and sped through a set heavily focussed on Party Music and tracks of the not-so-soon to be released Pick a Perfect Weapon. Most MC’s spend their whole set encouraging the audience to “throw their hands in the air”, Boots would rather tell you about the plight of blacks in America today. Even if it’s to a mostly white middle class audience.
It’s impressive when any band can fuse rock, soul, FUNK, hip-hop, and R&B. It’s even more impressive when it can be done in the course of one or two songs. “Five Million Ways to kill a CEO” and “Gunsmoke” kept the crowd rhyming along before they headed into new territory with the booty shakin “Show Your Ass”. Every once in while Boots would taunt the crowd into “making some sh^t happen right now and not waiting for it to happen on it’s own.” When he was concerned that people didn’t catch the lyrics in his new single, “My Favorite Mutiny” he repeated ’em a cappella. Check out the new single here.
The remainder of the set featured more guitar and drum solos than any rock show I’ve seen in years. They started into “Get Down” but Boots only made it through the first verse before handing all future one’s over to the other cats on stage. Other tracks getting air time were “Jesus the Pimp”, “Ghetto Manifesto”, and a groovy Roll Call to introduce the band via, you guessed it, solos. Even after the house lights and music were turned on people kept applauding til they came back out for “Wear Clean Draws” and a mind blowing rap by the Silky. With those five people on stage (and Pam if she were in the house) you could do anything, including change the world.
The Lifesavas, from Portland, Oregon had the classic flow that fits well with Quannum Projects. I think I was just a bit too excited to see The Coup to enjoy their set as much as I would have liked too. You gotta give credit to someone who can rock a Funkadelic shirt like that.
Blue Scholars opened up the show but I missed them cuz our passes were under Branden’s name and he was rollin’ in from Ojai. Michael from
The Absentee got me on the list for his show with The Parson Red Heads and Hong Kong Six. Snapped some shots while groovin along then recognized Keith sitting next to the bar. Branden had just shot playing with Wires on Fire on Halloween and I wanted to let him know he should check ’em out. I guess that’s one advantage of a place like the Knitting Factory, with more space you can have more bands to pass the time.
