Two Veteran MC’s join forces for one special tour

Common + Talib Kweli at The Enmore Theatre 

09/05/2016

By Daniel Jaramillo

Common is no doubt a veteran MC and has had his fair share of battles with the likes of Ice Cube and Drake but he is also considered a conscientious hip hop artist which is why he has kept relevant in the rap game for so long and his acting career has elevated him to the status of a great artist.


Common played a headline show with friend and fellow rapper Talib Kweli at the Enmore Theatre on a Monday night. As the people started arriving at the theatre to see this stellar hip hop line up, the first act to jump on stage was Sarah Conner a young female Australian MC who got the crowd warmed up straight away. Only a quarter of the theatre was full but Conner was showing her talent to the early comers and the crowd was getting right into it. Her performance showed her confidence and what skills she had on the mic as she definitely owned the stage and got the crowd to participate in the music alongside DJ Platterpush. She also gave a passionate speech about the lockout laws and why it is a bigger issue that violates our civil rights rather that just our right to go out and drink where we want. This of course was leading to a new song about the issue from her upcoming album, for this Conner brought out some guests including vocalist Natalie Slade. The crowds reception was positive as MC Losty and MC Big Red Cap also came on stage during her show; Big Red Cap is originally from Brighton, England and reminded me of Dizzee Rascal and some of the other grime rappers from the U.K. By the end of Conner’s set the house was full and we were ready for Talib Kweli.


When Talib Kweli entered the stage there was a great crowd reception, the girl next to me was screaming out in utter fanaticism, his DJ showed off some of his turntable skills as Kweli played a bunch of old and new songs, some were crowd favourites others more obscure. As the crowd waved their hands side to side Kweli instructed the lighting guy to dim down the lights so we could all appreciate the sea of cigarette lighters and phone screens from his loving audience. This lead to a tribute to Prince as Kweli told the crowd to “keep on dancing” and “clap your hands to the beat”. Kweli also paid homage to Paul McCartney by playing Eleanor Rigby and proceed to rap over the song.


The fans of Blackstar (Kweli’s group with Mos Def) also got a chance to hear him perform Definition which he finished with an RIP to Phife Dawg (The late rapper of A Tribe Called Quest). Kweli also spoke to the crowd about standing up for oppressed people around the world and how race and class should not divide us. He closed his set with Get By, which is well known for its Nina Simone sample, the beat has a clapping rhythm that made the audience join in, the atmosphere was buzzing! It was now the time everyone had come for and it did not disappoint as Common came running on to the stage. His energy was there for all to see as he opened with “The People” a song that Common wrote about how he identifies with ordinary people like us. Backing him was his live band consisting of a drummer, keyboardist, DJ and Female vocalist, together they lifted the atmosphere to yet another level giving Commons music a special quality.


Common acknowledged his Sydney fans by saying that he loves coming to visit our city. In a career that has lasted over 20 years, he is still hungry and he told us that he is working on brand new music. He also mentioned his love for hip-hop culture and listed his entire album catalog, which certainly has a special place in my collection.
Commons music often touches on injustices particular towards African Americans. He specifically mentioned police murdering unarmed black youth and the disproportionate amount of black men and women being incarcerated by the criminal justice system in his home country, he encouraged us to stand up against racism here particularly towards Aboriginal people. But it was not all serious, he also picked a young girl from the front row, asked her up on stage and sat her down on a stool, handed her a towel so she could wipe of the sweat dripping down his face whilst the other women in the audience went crazy as he started to free style about the girl on stage and then performed his love song Come Close To Me.


Common proved that he can be a ladies man but also a man who reminds us that we all have the power to change the world and it starts by being kind to one another. Common invited Talib Kweli back on the stage to perform another Blackstar song titled Respirations taking us back to the first recording they ever did together. Of course a Common show wouldn’t be complete without a tribute to the late J Dilla who produced several of his classic songs including The Light, which concluded his set. The crowd was shouting for more and he came back for an encore and performed a tribute to Nas. Both Nas and Common have worked together in the past and it was an appropriate salute to another legendary rapper who also came out of the hip-hop scene of the early 90’s. As Common and his band said goodbye, we were left in a positive mood having witnessed a hip-hop artist who has kept the spirit of the music alive. Not only did Common give us an outstanding performance covering his entire music catalogue, he also gave us some important ideas to think about in our own lives.