Yasiin Bey, formerly Mos Def, released his debut solo album Black on Both Sides in October 1999. On October 25th, he’ll perform that album in full at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA. The 20th Anniversary Show includes Live performances by Erykah Badu, Busta Rhymes, Slick Rick and Souls of Mischief with DJs Big Von na special guests.
If you go looking for Erykah Badu, you will likely never find her, even though it seems like she’s always around. It’s like catching a butterfly: you have to wait for it to come to you. If you chase it, if you try to keep it for yourself, it will flutter away, always just out of reach. You’ll lose it.
But maybe you shouldn’t try to catch it. Maybe you should simply be happy it’s there at all, marvel at how it brightens up the day and the energy it brings with it, enjoy being in its presence.
Just 19 years old when he entered the professional vocal booth, then known as MC Ricky D, he was ready for his close-up, recording the double single gem “The Show” and “La Di Da Di” alongside Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew, projecting a fresh verbal flow and a narrative style displaying five Ricky’s in one body:producer, storyteller, actor, director and singer, he quickly became the 3rd artist signed to Def Jam Records. The Ruler has four multiplatinum albums to his credit, the landmark “The Great Adventures of Slick Rick,” “The Ruler’s Back,” “Behind Bars” and “The Art of Storytelling.”
With very few exceptions, Hip Hop anthems have their popularity, and perhaps a resurgence among a new generation of fans – then they go on to the next anthem. Not so for Souls of Mischief’s seminal classic ’93 ’til Infinity, which has remained popular for a 20-year run and counting. 50-somethings all the way down to tweens know every word to the song, which was born when A-Plus bought a dollar record by Billy Cobham (Heather) and began to sample it, adding his now-signature rhythms, drum patterns, and more. Beyond influencing popular music, Souls of Mischief was one of the first groups to have a major impact on the skate, surf & snowboard culture as well.
