There’s been a lot of hype about this show, and much of it is well deserved. The Flamingo venue at Gluttony wasn’t packed to breaking point, but there was a decent sized crowd and they were all amped for the event. And when the performers hit the stage (ever so slightly late) the crowd let them know in a big way that they were here for a big, good night.

In the opening moments, DJ YO! MAFIA owned the decks in a big way, and never let the energy lapse for the entire duration. She’s an excellent DJ, and accompanied by better than Olympic standard breakdancers, poplockers and hip hop dancers, their performance had the crowd on their feet and loving it. 

Adelaide’s own MC Kirk and Eliza Wolfgramm of ‘The Avalanches’ fame kept the crowd going, and their performances as MC’s and vocalist was excellent.

But… What was with the censorship?

When we think of Hip Hop, many different things come to mind, and it means different things to different people. But the one thing everyone can agree on, whether they’re fans of the genre or not, is that profanity has been a massive part of Hip Hop’s history. It’s literally the reason “PARENTAL ADVISORY” warnings were introduced.

So why then, would a show focusing on the History of Hp Hop, play censored versions of classic hip hop songs with the swear words removed? Could it be the timeslot? No, this show kicked off at 9:55pm. Could it be the age of the audience? No. The show’s billed as “M15+”, and the Fringe Guide even notes “Occasional Strong coarse language”, except there was none. 

So what was all that about?

And, how do you talk about the “History of Hip Hop” but barely mention The Beastie Boys and EMINEM? And ‘A Tribe Called Quest’ or ONYX, and Kanye, KRS-One, Wu Tang Clan… All of these artists were massively under-represented given their impact on the genre. 

Now that I’ve got that off my chest (I feel better now), I will say that I LOVED this gig. Me, and about 400 other people sung along to every lyric, and danced non-stop. Perhaps it needed to be a 3-hour gig? The audience were certainly up for it. 

If you like Hip Hop, you’ll love this show, as long as you go into it with the right expectations. Get a group together, claim your territory on the dance floor, and witness some excellent turntablism, dancing, and MC work. Just be aware that apparently the definition of “History of Hip Hop” can mean very different things to different people.