The Cause, London
This 'rare' occasion aligned with Easter Sunday and offered a ceremonious gathering in East London- witnessing some of the very best from Lex Records’ roster with B. Cool-Aid at the helm.
As Pink Siifu gazed out upon the collectivised DIY environment conjured this evening, the rapper took pause to admire what he saw: an expressional space baked into the crevices of a characteristic East London warehouse.
Entering the roughened building midway through Fly Anakin’s set, the room seemed to imminently radiate with a myriad of leather-clad youngsters clinging to the young rapper’s high-register deliver. At certain points, the energy ripened further as Pink Siifu’s raspier, more caressing approach to the mic interjected into this collective space filled with promising and established rappers. With a tighter tongue and nasal-inflected quip to each bar, Anakin’s delivery gave an air of Baby Keem amidst a shrouded sea of whirring, spurring jazz rap simmering in the background, undoubtedly setting a high octane bar of energy to commence the evening.
If Fly Anakin seemed adamant on proving a point, his successor to the spotlight, Quelle Chris, protruded a calm self-assured confidence, perching himself front and centre on a high stool. Galvanising the crowd with reaffirming statements, "I fuck with myself”, the rapper imbued an instant likeability akin to a wise yet humorous uncle whom everyone looks up to. In between spitting bars and reciting personal anecdotes, a notable conclusion to Chris’ set came with ‘Straight Shot’, cloaked under a warm blue light in which the rapper preached resolution toward an ominous future - marking a truly heartfelt sentiment in which to bow out of the way for the evening’s main act.
As Pink Siifu returned to the spotlight, ceaselessly with blunt in hand, the sumptuously soulful samplings caressed by producer Ahwlee simmered to the surface on cue. One imminently envisioned the collective’s aura captured on their latest LP, Leather Blvd., with Siifu caped in a black leather coat and Ahwlee donning a slick leather shirt - enacting their “black utopia” for the East London audience crammed into The Cause warehouse.
Equally, one felt the warm embrace of the duo, initiated by Pink Siifu’s numerous callings, “Shout out if you’ve ever been in love!”, often responded with a soulful cheer imbued by Ahwlee’s comforting, R&B-tinged soundscape. As incessant plumes of smoke amassed from the multiple joints shared within the semicircle of rappers huddled in the back section, the intensely intimate duo grew into their own on-stage, inviting a jazzier, neo-soul approach, exemplified by the expertly produced ‘Diamonds' which rung with an intensely reminiscent aura to Kendrick Lamar’s humbling ‘Institutionalised’.
Amongst the line-up of rappers packed into this rough-around-the-edges warehouse, complete with PA speakers dangling precariously from the ceilings via rusted chains, the harmonious gathering felt like a special occasion, appropriately situated within a ceremonious Easter bank holiday. This DIY event captured the very essence of B. Cool-Aid’s visionary utopia: a throng of diverse people amassing for the celebration of something greater, something celebratory and more divine than many a religious holiday could ever hope to imbue.
7.5/10
B. Cool-Aid's latest LP, Leather Blvd., is out now via Lex Records and can be found below.
Photos are courtesy of Dave Burke whose work can be found here.
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