When rapper Nas released his 2006 album “Hip Hop Is Dead,” the catch phrase caught like wildfire and spread across the globe. And many people who grew up on the culture of hip hop concurred with the music taking a drastic shift away from its original prem
When rapper Nas released his 2006 album "Hip Hop Is Dead," the catch phrase caught like wildfire and spread across the globe. And many people who grew up on the culture of hip hop concurred with the music taking a drastic shift away from its original premise of educating, inspiring and bringing about change. But Sunday night at the Victor Hotel proved to be the opposite of that ongoing mantra.
Hip hop lovers came out Sunday evening to enjoy the Chicago Defender’s Legends Ball, celebrating Biz Markie’s birthday and featuring Slick Rick, hosted by the Richmond Group and Good Life Chicago. The evening started off slow but turned into a full-blown house party circa 1986 by the end of the night.
The evening kicked off with DJ Chill Will spinning on the ones and twos as the crowd got settled and mingled amongst the ambience. Playing everything from old school hip hop to current-day jams, fans enjoyed appetizers, drinks and good conversation while they awaited the arrival of Biz Markie and Slick Rick.
As the night progressed, the crowd seemed to get a little antsy as they waited for the birthday boy to jump on the turntables and bless the night with his comedic personality and signature scratching. By 10:30 p.m., Biz Markie hit the stage and took the crowd through the last three decades of hip hop playing everything from Eric B. and Rakim to BDP. He also switched it up to keep the momentum going with current tracks from Beyonce and Jamie Foxx. While he continued to keep the crowd dancing, he got on the mic and shared with the crowd why truly nobody beats the Biz.
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