Spittin' Raps & Rhymes

Correction: The original headline for this article contained an error. The word “spittin’” was misspelled.

Sun, sweat and stacks on stacks of smoke.

While it’s fair to say most Rock the Bells attendees received a therapeutic weekend of hip-hop and rap, they were also left with dramatic tank top tanlines and sweltering sunburns from what proved to be a merciless heat wave.

Guerilla Union’s hip-hop showcase took place at the National Orange Show Events Center in San Bernardino last weekend under the unbearable sun. Despite the heat, the festival still drew out hundreds of fans eager to see a mix of both past and present music legends as they took turns performing on the three separate stages.

The events center looked much like a carnival, complete with the burgers, carne asada fries and a largely empty Ferris wheel that operated throughout the day. In between sets, attendees sought out refuge in the bits of shade cast by merchandise booths and food vendors, even discovering air-conditioned havens like the Coca-Cola Swelter Stopper ““ described by an employee as a mobile dayclub with free soda, flashing disco lights and a photo booth to boot.

Meanwhile in the aisles of the outdoor concert space, patrolling staff members sprayed open bottles of water over crowds of people packed to the front. Even as the sun set and the breeze picked up, tightly packed fans savored the steady streams to relieve them from the accumulating body heat. Beach balls in variations of neon pink, yellow and green bounced from one side of the stage to the other before falling to the ground in exhausted deflation.

While the Inland Valley temperature and heat stroke casualties were more than some could take, Rock the Bells performances by old and new school hip-hop artists were decidedly enough to appease the masses.

Here’s the musical recap for both days.

DAY 1

2 Chainz graced the stage in one of the earlier performances of the day with fans throwing peace signs in the air to show their allegiance when he appeared.

The 35-year-old rapper, fondly remembered as the former Tity Boi, played to the crowd’s mainstream knowledge by choosing popular hits like “Beez in the Trap,” “I Luv Dem Strippers” and “Riot.”

Later in the day, Common maintained the energy in the crowd with singles like “Universal Mind Control” and “GO!”, even throwing down some freestyle rhyme dedicated to the late J Dilla. Kendrick Lamar brought out Black Hippy to perform a remix of “Black Lip Bastard,” then moving to a solid finish with “Swimming Pools” where fans shouted out the missing one-liner “drank” to complete the oddly catchy even if simply rhymed track.

But the highlight of the first day was the evening performances starting off with DMX who was welcomed to the stage by barking sounds from the present alpha-males before he got fans thrashing their hands in the air with old classics like “Party Up.” Eve broke from her 10-year hiatus by joining DMX to perform older jams as well as to debut her new single “She Bad Bad” from her album-in-progress “Lip Lock.”

The build-up for the last two performers was agonizingly long. Fans grew impatient as the stage crew teased the crowd with mic checks and false starts until feverish chants finally coaxed J. Cole to take over the stage with stage-booming rap from “Lights Please” and “Who Dat” to “Higher” and his new song “I’m a Fool.”

The audience was swept by Cole World as fans threw up the Illuminati hand sign, a nod to the label J.Cole is currently signed with, Roc Nation.

But if J.Cole took the stage by storm, Kid Cudi brought out sheer pandemonium as he broke out tracks ranging from “REVOFEV” and “Soundtrack to My Life” to “Mr. Rager.” The climax hit when Cudi fused “Pursuit of Happiness” with the Steve Aoki remix, before leading the mashup through a perfectly matched transition into the irresistible dance beats of David Guetta’s “Memories.”

Eyes closed as if in a dream, fans matched their lips to every word. Their bodies couldn’t stop moving and their hands only reached higher for the stars. Brains buzzing with leftover rhymes from a long day’s worth of lyrical rap and hip-hop, energy-drained bodies trudged back to their parked cars. Time to recharge and repeat.

– Lynn Chu

Email Lynn at [email protected] .

DAY 2

Big Daddy Kane, who performed earlier in the day on the Rock The Bells stage, attracted a crowd that ranged from teens to middle aged adults fans of Juice Crew back in the “˜80s. Fans grooved to every beat.

DJ Quik, along with most of the other performances, was welcomed to the stage with flying beach balls.

Those in the crowd raised the energy level when YG came out to perform a few songs. However, when El Debarge was introduced to perform a few songs, a sea of people began drifting away from the stage and those who remained began to boo him.

The performance was saved when DJ Quik returned to the mic and eased into what they knew the crowd wanted: upbeat hip-hop.

Atmosphere’s performance was especially memorable, with the crowd rapping to the lyrics. The Minneapolis duo performed songs from a variety of their albums, including “God Loves Ugly” and “Sunshine.”

The much anticipated performance by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony on Sunday was received well by concert-goers with a set list that included songs that spanned from the beginning of their career to the more popularized ones. They performed Bone Thugs-N-Harmony classics like “1st of Tha Month and “Foe Tha Love of $.”

What made the set memorable, however, was the tribute to the Notorious B.I.G. with “Notorious Thugs” and Eazy E with “Boyz-N-The-Hood,” complete with a photo montage playing on the screens surrounding the stage.

The crowd at the Paid Dues stage responded to E-40 and Too Short, possibly because of their popular radio releases including “Tell Me When To Go” and “Function.” Hands flew in the air and every lyric was recited.

The night closed with newcomer to the scene Wiz Khalifa and veterans Nas and Ice Cube.

As temperatures cooled and the flashing lights from the stage became more effervescent, the energy level of the crowd remained at a high despite the fact that most of the people had been on their feet all day.

At the end of the night, fans made their ways to the packed parking lots. Music from artists that just performed over the past two days blasted through stereo speakers as cars left the dirt lots and made their way to the freeway. The event was an incredible representation of how hip-hop has changed throughout the years, with thousands of fans ranging from all ages sharing their love for music.

““ Marjorie Yan

Email Yan at [email protected] .