Rock the Bells Entertainment Art First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre Tinley Park, Il July 19, 2008

Murs began my day with his unique sound and loyalty to the underground hip-hop scene, Murs took the stage full of energy. His dreads weren’t the only thing that was standing, at that point the whole crowd was up on their feet and bobbing their arms and hands to the rhythms and sounds that hip-hop has become known to produce.

Dead Prez took the stage next, their inspirational politically moving music really connected. You could tell that the crowd was no only listening to the rhythmic beats, but also to the messages they were delivering Dead Prez were the perfect set up for the legendary Rakim. Rakim was announced by reknowned Disc Jockey Kid Capri. The crowd gave it up and seemed to be in the presence of this hip-hop legend that was at the forefront of the late 80’s and early 90’s movements. Rakim’s old school style switched the show to a more chilled environment. Yet the crowd were still sucked in by the works of this great artist.

It was now time for De La Soul, who came out full of energy. Well known in the hip-hop underground, this group made sure that everyone who hadn’t heard of them looked them up the next time they were near their computer. De La Soul performed an outstanding performance that matched their legendary status.

From there, the mood switched immediately with the energetic antics and duo power that is Method Man and Redman. The crowd was bumping to their great high energy of these two MC's. As Method Man put it, “the energy that you give us, we will give back to you.” Both sides participated and made for a perfect set..

Poetic and hip-hop legend Mos Def, who may be more known for his acting abilities these days, used his far out sounds to get the crowd into a state of hypnosis and awe. At the end of the performance, Mos Def asked for more time arguing with the staff at Tinley Park. Mos came back pissed, reemerging from backstage ready to perform one last song. Afterwords, throwing his mic to the ground he clearly expressed his dissatisfaction as the crowed cheered him on.

Pharcyde hit the stage with all four members for the first time in over 6 years. This was the highlight of the show for me personally, their high energy and sound was amazing, playing classics such as “Ya Mamma,” “Runnin,” and “Drop.” These four performers flowed like they had never broken up. With the sun going down, The Pharcyde got the crowd going crazy and performed a excellent set.

Next up was mainstream artist Nas. Nas started his set off with many songs from his new controversial album N.I.G.G.E.R. However, he quickly switched his set to his classical greats such as “New York State of Mind” from the Illmatics album and closed his set with “One mic.”

The show came to a close with hip-hop legends Q-Tip and Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest. The crowd tired and dazed from the long day of music and smoking, seemed to be rejuvenated to get a chance to see them perform. Giving props to all the other groups that performed, A Tribe Called Quest said goodnight to Chicago, before sneaking back out for a quick encore.

This was one of the best festival line-ups in a summer full of festivals, that I have ever seen in my life. Even though the sets were short and the artists obviously did not always agree with their allotted time, the artists did their very best to make the show energetic, enjoyable, and memorable. Rock the Bells crushed expectations and proved to be a show that will continue to push the hip-hop movement forward.

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