Mos Def-initely a good night

Erika Soliven was one of the lucky few who got her grubby mitts on a pair of tickets to see hip hop legend Mos Def play a super-intimate gig at London’s XOYO. The gig was part of the Ben Sherman Very Important Plectrums initiative, which aims to help teenage cancer sufferers. This is how her night went…

Past the massive queue, stretching as far as at least five street beers + 11 rollies, and through the guest-list guarded XOYO’s doors we went. Early was when you wanted to be for fear of missing out on Mos Def’s one-off incredibly snug gig last Thursday. As per Ben Sherman’s Very Important Plectrums (VIP) – a charitable initiative that puts forward talent (oh hi, Mos Def) to raise money for Trekstock – the rapper and actor and half of Black Star took his swagger and rhymes to a max crowd of 500.

My boyfriend and I went to the gig, arriving just before the guillotine came down on a whole block’s worth of young dandies and coquettes queued for the door. We missed Kill It Kid but managed to get a glimpse of the VIP exhibition, chalk up our tokens in exchange for Sailor Jerry bevvies and dance to a pretty good set by an unknown (to me) DJ – or maybe it’s that dude that has a design shtick with Clash Magazine.

Somewhere in between the (approx.) hour and a half of swigging drinks, moving to Roots Manuva, LL Cool J, De La Soul, Jeru The Damaja, Kurtis Blow, not smoking a cigarette, and checking my watch I worked out a few things:

One, I fucking love hip hop and realised an empty seat within my mates’ game of musical chairs. I mean, we’re all fans, but there’s a deep house buff, gabber extraordinaire, Italo disco tart, acid authority (and then there’s also an acid house authority), etc etc that I felt the need to carve out a dance floor of my own. Expert of rap, I am not, but, dear friends if you’re reading, I call shotgun.

Secondly, sorry Tegan and Sara, but when Yonkers came on, my shoulders were a-thrustin’.

Finally, my tall, white and handsome boyfriend informed me that oh yeah, once upon a time, he was all up in girlz grill and grinding and all in Torquay, when he had accidentally sent a girl flailing across the R&B club. I tried to test his grinding skills but he told me to stop embarrassing him. Admittedly, my maneuvering was a bit distressing.

Erika and her 'tall, white and handsome' boyfriend enjoying the show

Luckily Mos Def came on, but not before a confusing response from the crowd. Some people seemed eager for the DJ to keep on and/or shut it down. It was hard to tell, but as much as I dug the tunes he laid out, I was eager for one Dante Terell Smith (Mos Def’s moniker, doncha know) to be within reach. Whatever the crowd was slurring, Mos Def’s act was sobering and siiick. Appearing with a beard, cap, a suit and tie, he literally looked hot. “Not shit,” he emphasized, “looking like shit is never an option.” The cap was soon out of sight and the blazer thrown into oblivion. Armed with smooth moves, a trusted handkerchief to wipe away beads of sweat and his 50s mike, the MC charmed and seduced. A few sweat breaks here and there, Mos Def started vehemently with The Ecstatic’s ‘Twilite Speeeeeeeedbaaallll!’ Other numbers that kept the loins in motion were Casa Bey, Hip Hop, Cream of the Planet and Children’s Story.

Between tunes there were a few hiccups hither and tither. The DJ came clamoring back and attempted to dance with Mos Def before being given the hook immediately. Following sweat break number somethingrather, a track may have skipped or our Hollywood MC forgot to spit it out in time, I can’t recall. But he redeemed himself, returning “this time…with precision,” and a velvety husk over the mike.

He also made a shout out to Earl. “It’s all about Earl.”

And dude, if you don’t know about Earl, don’t worry about it. “But those who know, know.”

Pictures from Vice UK

Thanks to the guys at Sailor Jerry for bringing us down.
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