Iconic rappers with roots on Long Island along with veteran hip hop heavyweights to hit the stage at NYCB Theatre at Westbury
The word “legendary” is thrown around in hip hop a bit too often. Hip hop has many participants worthy of bombastic titles like pioneer, architect, Grandmaster and Godfather, but in its music, the word “legendary” can only be applied to the few, and in terms of performances, rarely do such artists appear together.
However, the NYCB Theatre at Westbury will serve as truly hallowed ground as some of hip hop’s true veteran heavyweights will appear together at the Legends of the Fall concert on Saturday, October 4. The event will feature Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh and Biz Markie, each a titan in his own right, and together, an Avengers-like collective of rap royalty.
Long Island native and widely accepted “God Emcee” Rakim will deliver the rugged-but-intricate rhymes that made him a truly ranformative artist in the genre, cementing his role atop “top 5” lists of greatest rap orators. His seminal Paid In Full album is widely considered one of the genres’ finest works, and his connection to the Island has always been a source of pride, for Rakim and fans alike.
Equally celebrated in the annals of rap history is Brooklyn wordsmith Big Daddy Kane. One of hip hop’s greatest, both stylistically and lyrically, Kane set the bar for rapid-fire delivery, expanding the depth of what rap could say and how it could be said. Coupled with a smooth demeanor and a variety of subject matter, Big Daddy Kane certainly sits perched atop hip hop’s proverbial Mt. Rushmore.
Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh rose to rap prominence together with their undisputed classics “Lodi Dodi” and “The Show,” and have gone on to create equally classic material as solo artists. Often performing apart, to see both on the same bill promises the possibility of witnessing those crowd favorites being performed by one of rap’s most appreciated duos.
Biz Markie, who also has Long Island roots, is an artist in a class by himself. A prolific beatboxer, DJ and rapper known for his sense of humor, Biz Markie has one song that is instantly recognized world-wide. When Biz drops the commanding “Youuu!” at the chorus of his piano-laden classic track “Just A Friend,” the resulting “GOT WHAT I NEEEEED” singalong will assuredly be emphatic, and complete.
Visit the NYCB Theatre at Westbury on Saturday, October 4 to be transported back to the “Golden Era” of hip hop, when lyricism, originality and charisma were first and foremost.
