Manifesto

Hit up the Manifesto Festival over at Dundas Square last night. Nice Fall evening to enjoy a free, outdoor show. Good on the city for doing something like this, bad on the city for not providing a beer tent or portable toilets. I had an eager anticipation for Jay Electronica's set due to the fact that I admire his wordplay, solid production choices and the fact that he shifts pretty far from the norm. Even without a full length LP, he managed to secure a headlining spot before the legendary Black Thought of The Roots. Turned out to be a pretty disappointing set, every track he performed, slowly ended with him spitting a cappella, and then getting into some sort of sermon and trying to get the crowd to repeat after him. You're in Toronto, we're a shitty ass audience, didn't you get the memo? Anyway, he performed Exhibits A and C in the front row of the crowd which seemed to prep everyone for Black Thought.

Jay Electronica, take notes, this is how it's done. Black Thought spit that no nonsense type rhymes with supporting DJ J. Period. Just an all out freestyle of old school Roots joints and homages to Kane, Rakim and Guru. Dude was breathless, giving us what we wanted to hear. He didnt tell me to say "Do that shit, do that shit, do it!" He just performed like a professional then probably got on a plane and went home.

Looking forward to next year, job well done.
Please don't mind the crappy iPhone pics, did my best. That's Black Thought in the black newsboy cap.