"for those that don't know, my name is nix and i'm the resident asian of this rhyme collective"
the phoenix bar in civic hosts "the bootleg sessions" every week - an opportunity for artists to showcase their musical talents - and last monday my homie professor anarchy did his damn thing. for those who are unaware of mr. anarchy's stylistics, he raps pretty darn well. please click here to educate yourself on the ways of the anarchy. anyways, there is a first time for everything, and fortunately enough, i was given the chance to perform a track live and uncut with anarchy on monday night. this was my first time performing on stage.
anarchy's setlist comprised of approximately ten songs. all tracks were anarchy's solo shit except for three - one featuring me, one featuring my boy tobias kid, and one for freestyling at the end featuring all of us as a collective (professor anarchy, tobias kid, toddler and myself). we arrived at 8:15pm, and anarchy was set to go on stage at around 9pm. i have to say i was pretty nervous. prior to anarchy's set, i'm certain i would have gone to the bathroom about five or six times, if not to take a slash, then to drink some water. damn my throat was dry. it's funny, approximately five minutes before i was due on stage, i completely forgot my verse - how could i forget my 32? and why now? i was forced to venture my way back to the bathroom and lock myself in the cubicle so that i could recite it over to myself several times. i had butterflies in my stomach and i couldn't shake them. i felt like eminem in 8 mile haha... meanwhile anarchy was on stage ripping his set in a charismatic fashion.
so after all my bathroom breaks, it was finally my time to step to the mic. anarchy introduced me to the phoenix crowd and i made my way onto the platform. my heart was beating a million times faster than normal. god i was so fucking nervous. nevertheless, i got up and uttered the words found at the beginning of this post. i got a few cheers and the beat kicked in. anarchy and i opened with the chorus:
"go with the flow yo, roll with the flow so
be where you're at and forget what you know, oh!
ain't no need to fight for control,
we can just breathe deep, shine light from your soul!"
after the chorus i was set to go with my verse. initially i was so shakey. i'm well aware that i was looking down quite a bit, but from what tobias tells me, i really hit my stride about halfway through the verse. i felt like i picked up the pace as i progressed through my verse. i built up my confidence and tried to connect more with the crowd. it's really quite hard for me to tell because it was just such a surreal experience - almost like a fuzzy dream captured by blurry snapshots. despite my anxiety and anguish leading up to this set, performing onstage at the phoenix was one of the most exhilirating feelings i have ever experienced. it wasn't like executing a speech for a university tutorial. it was different. it was liberating.
it was really comforting and reassuring to have anarchy by my side during my first performance ever. after i knocked out my verse, we did the chorus again and then anarchy took care of business with his verse. After our track was finished, i was feeling pretty comfortable. i even proposed to the crowd that they "support good music and go buy the anarchy cd". whilst my five or so minutes of shine was over, i wasn't relieved, instead i was feeling amped for the next opportunity to do it all over again.
after my departure from the spotlight, the anarchy show went on. the professor continued to tear it up song after song. a special mention in particular should be given to my boy tobias kid for shredding through his tongue-twisting verse on 'jawbreakers'. i was there to witness him practice and rehearse that shit, and it still blows me away to this day. look out for tobias some time - motherfucker is crazy on the boards and on the mic. evil twin suckers. anyways, as the night continued, we were all finally given the chance to get on stage and freestyle at the end. everyone did their thing. extra props to anarchy, tobias and toddy for all coming correct on the mic that night. as for me, well as i mentioned previously, i was already pretty comfortable on stage. i can barely remember any of my lines but i felt like i was on it. we actually had a friend recording video footage of the whole set but we ran out of film by that point. it's all good. that's what next time is for.
following our little onstage cypher, the set was pretty much over. what a trip. after our adventure, we chilled at the phoenix for a bit. whilst the crowd at the phoenix is much more of an alternative one (what do i know? i'm a hip-hop head!), it was quite a nice suprise to have dudes givin' me daps telling me i rap good. at least it made me feel like maybe i am actually doing something right. following a few beers, we all migrated to anarchy and kay's crib to chill some more. what a fucking night. i can easily say, it was one of the best experiences of my life. i don't go out to pubs and clubs much but on this night of all nights, i had a motherfuckin' blast. i have to say thanks again to tobias kid, toddler and anarchy. without you guys, i wouldn't have even been blessed to grace a stage, let alone a track. you guys are talented as hell. thanks for puttin' me on.
so before i leave this post at a close, i feel i should drop a special mention and congratulations to my good mate thomas who's set to graduate with me at the end of this year. we did it son! thanks to you and rose for coming out and supporting me at my first ever performance. it means more than words can describe. it's the lamp people bitches!
in conclusion, i'll say this - the night was a festive success. i look forward to the next time i am given a chance to perform. i look forward to the fast heartbeat, the dry throat and the butterflies. i look forward to going through that same process i went through on monday night at the phoenix. i probably will never pursue a hip-hop career with mine but hip-hop as a culture, particularly the element of rhyming, will always be an integral part of my existence. my first time performing on stage did nothing but solidify that notion.
hip-hop is alive.
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