@TouchlineTruth's #HipHopCultureShock Reinforced That The Kids Are Alright

Hip-Hop is the love child of creative artists with something to say and a feeling to express. It is the salvation of musicians who had a way with words and dire prospects. It is the hope of the voiceless. Hip-hop, for many, is everything...and the celebration and promotion of its contributors is both celebratory and necessary. Touchline's first annual Hip-Hop Culture Shock is both the party and the ritual where the lovers and participants of hip-hop come together as one.

On Saturday, July 20, 2019, Verse Of The Year winner, Touchline hosted guests at Republic Of 94 for the Hip-Hop Culture Shock. As bitter as that winter's night was, guests mainly gathered outside to enjoy live performances from an array of hip-hop artists. The lineup was a great blend of well known and upcoming artists, featuring the likes of Touchline, Big Star Johnson, Gigi Lamayne, Manu WorldStar, Luna Florentino, and more. 

On top of being lyrically sound, stage presence is equally important. In fact, stage presence and the ability to entertain has often taken a lukewarm verse to a brilliant bar. However, I can confidently say that there were very few lukewarm lyrics presented that evening. One artist who entered the stage with a bang was Dynastyfuturebetty. Without a backtrack and with high energy she performed a scathing couple of bars commenting on the rap game and a few other women in rap. As someone consuming work from women in rap, it was jarring to hear her comments on how she believes many women have "worked" their way to the top. Her energy was wild and granted where there were a few faux pas with her live performance, the moment was noted. Hopefully, we'll see more from her as the years go by. 

Another artist on the up and up with stage presence to rival SA's big five in hip-hop is Alcatraz. He opened his set out of sight and burst onto the stage moving across it and playing perfectly to the crowd's energy. One surprise was seeing Jesse Suntele take the stage alongside Yung Tyran. Tyran performed a set and invited Jesse, known in music as JFlo, to perform their collaboration together, "No Problems." One particular DJ duo caught me by surprise, that being 2PM DJs. Their mix was fire, particularly in the cold of winter. Guests wanted to move to what they were playing. 

These are just a few examples of the talent showcased on the evening. However, unfortunately, SAPS made their presence known and felt. To salvage the function, guests were moved indoors. A stage was erected, and by this time it was so dark out that it felt like we were in a basement. The mood instantly changed, a type of frenzy came over guests once we were indoors. Eventually, the man of the hour took the stage and the crowd literally shook. Touchline put on a show of note! He invited some of his collaborators to perform alongside him, like Freeboy Makizar and Xavier Steeze to name a couple. He showed love to everyone in the crowd, everyone who graced his stage, his spirit was bright and loud for all to enjoy. 

Manu WorldStar and Luna Florentino also took the stage and murked their set. We have it on good authority that one of the two will be releasing work in the near future, but we won't give it all away just yet. BigStar Johnson also came with fire, to the point that the crowd demanded an encore. Guests also made their setlist request to Gigi Lamayne in anticipation of her album coming out, but the show had to go on. 

Eventually, as the performances ended, guests began clearing out of the venue. However, surprisingly enough, it was Touchline who personally bade each occupant goodbye. Throughout the evening, it was clear that the spirit of hip-hop was alive and never died, as much as many in the industry would try to have you believe that "hip-hop has gone to the dogs." Therefore in close, I think it best to close with the wise words of The Who, "the kids are alright."