Boo Bomb concert shows hyphy still has legs
MISTAH F.A.B., E-40 KEEP OTHERWISE WEAK SHOW ON TRACK
By Jim Harrington
MediaNews
Going into the HP Pavilion in San Jose on Monday night, it looked as if radio station Wild 94.9's Boo Bomb concert might serve as the funeral march for hyphy.
The hip-hop subgenre, which got its start in the ``Yay Area,'' certainly had its moment in the sun. It was all the rage for the better part of 2006, drawing coverage from seemingly every major local news outlet, and entered the mainstream in a big way.
Whereas it was once an underground sensation, hyphy grew to something that soccer moms where playing in their minivans. It had become commercialized, to the point that ``hyphy'' even has its own energy drink. The forecast was that the cool kids would soon be looking for something else to call their own.
Well, don't play ``Taps'' for hyphy quite yet.
The movement appeared very healthy during Wild's annual fall party. In fact, despite some notable competition from other corners of the hip-hop and R&B galaxy, the biggest hits of Boo Bomb were the two local hyphy heroes -- Mistah F.A.B. and E-40.
The first sound that one noticed walking into the Shark Tank was the sound of ticking, followed by a voice updating fans on how long until the concert started. When the clock finally struck zero, a loud explosion went off. That bang, unfortunately, was followed by a bust as 16-year-old R&B vocalist Paula DeAnda delivered a weak set to open the show.
DeAnda was mostly ignored by the crowd as she sang meekly over the tracks for ``Walk Away (Remember Me),'' ``Easy'' and other selections from her eponymous debut CD, which hit stores back in August.
The audience reacted more favorably for the next act, Yung Joc, even though he didn't really warrant the enthusiasm. The 23-year-old Georgia rapper couldn't quite find his groove on either slow jams like ``1st Time'' or such party anthems as ``It's Going Down.''
Chingy, a 26-year-old St. Louis native, had a little more luck with his outing. He provided solid versions of ``Dem Jeans,'' ``Holidae Inn'' and other tracks from his three-disc catalog. He did, however, come across as a bit of a one-trick pony, one that likes to mispronounce words (hair becomes ``har,'' there is ``thar,'' etc.) for effect.
The first highlight of the night came with a surprise guest appearance by Pitbull. The Cuban-American superstar from Miami turned up the intensity with inspired performances of ``Dammit Man,'' ``Culo'' and other tracks from his fine debut, 2004's ``M.I.A.M.I.'' His voice sounded great, especially when he was rapping in Spanish. (The 25-year-old star was in town to sell his second disc, ``El Mariel,'' which hit stores today -- Oct. 31)
The good times kept right on rolling once Oakland's own Mistah F.A.B. took the stage. Working with a sizable crew, the man born Stanley P. Cox showed exactly why the hyphy sound is such a hit with young hip-hop fans. He made each song performed from his two-disc catalog into a raucous hyphy party.
The crowd was moving with such energy to F.A.B.'s set that it seemed like nothing could stop the party.
But something could -- and its name was Danity Kane.
The stars of MTV's ``Making the Band'' made a convincing case at Boo Bomb for why reality TV shows should be abolished.
The five vocalists-dancers -- Aubrey, D. Woods, Dawn, Shannon and Aundrea -- have proven to be a force on the charts. The band's self-titled first release debuted at No. 1 on the charts back in August, beating out other big-name releases of the same week -- most shockingly, OutKast's ``Idlewild.''
Yet, the group came across as the poor man's version of the Pussycat Dolls -- something that would make Bo Bice appear like the second coming of John Lennon -- as it knocked out ridiculously lightweight versions of ``Ride for You'' and ``Show Stopper.'' The latter seemed particularly appropriate, given that Danity Kane managed to stop this show dead in its tracks.
Next up was wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan, who came out to introduce his daughter, Brooke. The Hulkster looked mighty big. And he might take issue if I mentioned that Brooke's singing was bad and her dancing was worse. He might also get mad if I were to say that his daughter showed zero stage presence and that her material was weak.
So I won't say any of those things and, instead, move right on to Ludacris.
The ``Hotlanta'' superstar wasn't great on this night. He loafed a bit through such songs as ``Grew Up a Screw Up'' and ``Southern Hospitality.'' But he was still a vast improvement over both Danity Kane and Brooke Hogan and he did prime the crowd for the headliner, the Yay Area's own E-40.
The 37-year-old rapper, who is nearly two decades older than many of the fans in attendance, earned top marks with his selections from ``My Ghetto Report Card'' -- a work that is looking more and more like the hip-hop album of the year. He turned on the hyphy power with ``White Gurl,'' ``Muscle Cars'' and ``Yay Area.''
He closed his set, and the concert, with a superb version of the hit single ``Tell Me When to Go.'' Thanks to the work of E-40, as well as Mistah F.A.B. earlier in the night, this crowd didn't want to go when the house lights came up. The fans were feeling hyphy and wanted the moment -- and the movement -- to last.
