Jeru The Damaja in Toronto

Revival was surprisingly packed for a rainy Monday night in June as hip-hop heads braved the downpour for a show featuring local talent, lyrical emcees and of course, hip-hop legend Jeru The Damaja. DJ Xplisit, Toronto’s beat-boxing DJ spun all old school records as the venue began to fill up with concert goers who grabbed drinks and mingled over the beats provided in the dimly lit venue.
First to perform was JUNO nominated producer and engineer Fresh Kils and Toronto MC Relic who delivered an entertaining and energetic set, which had all audience members involved with heads bobbing and gun fingers lifted to the technical beats and smooth flow of the two artists. Fresh Kils brought Brooklyn emcee iLLspoKinN to the stage to spit a freestyle as the crowd was in shock of the lyrical content of the rapper who looked more like a football player than an emcee.
MC FÜBB was next to the stage to spit his set of inspirational and positive tracks rocking his trademark fedora and bringing emcees from The Cypher to the stage to perform alongside him such as Crossword MC and New Breed MC.
MC FÜBB and The Cypher gang were followed by Calgary rapper Dizzy, whose name, flow and stage presence resembled that of Drizzy Drake. He hit the stage rhyming over beats such as “Stay Schemin’” and “The Motto”. The crowd, who had been welcoming and energetic all night, took the time to grab another round of drinks, obviously unimpressed by the similarities of the two. Fans of boom-bap hip-hop are no easy crowd to please.

The energy was saved by Angerville, two lyricists with clout in the city, who blessed the venue with a reunion. Fortunato and Conscious Thought’s demanding stage presence, banging beats and confident flow hyped the crowd before the legend made his appearance on the stage.
The crowd erupted and the camera flashes were blinding as Brooklyn’s own, Jeru The Damaja reached the stage with a six-pack of Stella Artois. He charmed the audience with his humour, making the show half concert, half comedy show, playfully roasting audience members on texting through his set, not making enough noise and continuously teasing the audience by saying it was time to go home. His charismatic stage presence was completely authentic, communicating with his fans and looking everyone dead in the eye as he spit his classics such as “Da Bitchez”, “Come Clean” and “You Can’t Stop The Prophet.” The audience couldn’t get enough.
 As Jeru met with fans to take photos, sign autographs and sell merchandise after his set, DJ Xplisit entertained those waiting to meet the hip-hop legend by beat-boxing and spinning more classic tunes. It was apparent by the vibe that it was a night worth braving the rain for.