Hopsin

Had I not viewed a YouTube video related to Tim Westwood featuring Hopsin and two other rappers sometime last year, I would have known nothing about Hopsin. I did remark that the rapper with the white eyes had lyrics.

I managed to forget Hopsin was one of the three rappers I saw in the video by the time I learned he was performing in Montreal in January 2013. The white contact lens was the only thing that jogged my memory.

For me to learn about the rapper by coincidence, forget the rapper and not hear one single by the rapper, my night at Club Soda with Hopsin as headliner was my formal introduction to Hopsin’s hip hop.



The time came for Hopsin to perform and the crowd was highly excited. 




As much as I may not be familiar with Hopsin’s music, the classic stance of an artist pointing the microphone to the crowd told me the tale.

The audience recited his lyrics with him. Prior to performing a track, he would hint what song he would next do to roars of the crowd.  

That night, I found out super-producer Swizz Beatz and Hopsin have a song together. One of many youngsters brought up onstage that night subbed as Swizz for the track.

I felt somewhat out of sorts being older than the majority of the audience and quite easily the headliner rapper. I at least got to witness what might be a future big name in hip hop at this stage of his career. Hopsin might not be spitting for me or my demographic but I recognize he has talent to rap.

Lykke Li - Youth Novels (2008)

Years ago, I found out about the young singer with an unusual name.

I was not very impressed withYouth Novels after the initial listen but had a feeling there was something to her judging by how often I came across her name.

A colleague told me that her live performances were off the hook.  When the opportunity came to see her at Montreal's Club Soda. I took it in the hopes of learning what was the big deal about Lykke Li.



Both the crowd and myself were anticipating her arrival on stage. I was very eager to experience what was to come. I was not all that familiar with the music and used the crowd reactions to get an understanding of what could be important tracks. Within a short period of time, I went from an observer to a participant and contemplated moving closer to the action.

The crowd was energetic and receptive to Lykke Li. Club Soda seems to provide the ideal climate for performers and audience. Her energy and presence seemed to fuel the crowd. The energy and anticipation was so high that the crowd exploded into applause before the song's end on many occasions.



As mentioned before, certain tracks off her Youth Novels CD created more reaction than others. In the midst of one of the songs, a young lady told me we were grooving to Breaking It Up after I asked her. Complaint Department needed no consultation and caused the most damage upon impact.  

At the end of the show, the crowd naturally wanted an encore and it seemed highly doubtful there would be one. Magically, the four performers returned to the stage for a final number. There was something bittersweet when they took the stage. The bittersweet feeling was expressed in the final song of the night. She and the band did a stripped down cover of A Tribe Called Quest's Can I Kick It. I was touched she returned to the stage and of all songs to cover, she chose that one.

Method Man

Method Man is among the most popular hip hop artists of my blog.

As the stats for my blog post about his 1994 debut album climb in leaps and bounds, I went to Twitter stating that my blog is officially his home.

Prior to Method Man’s show at Club Soda, I last caught Tical when he & Redman tore up Metropolis.

I was in New York when Method Man, Curren$y and Big Krit were at Club Soda in October 2011.

I arrived at Club Soda to see the venue packed with people waiting for Method Man to take the stage.

His DJ displacing the one that was onstage as I arrived was a sign that the show would soon be on. 

Method Man stormed onstage to Release Yo Delf, a personal favorite of mine that took many listens to become one. The crowd was as energetic and enthusiastic to have Method Man on stage as he was to be there. He stated numerous times during the show that he enjoys Montreal and I was made a believer that night.

He stated how great it was for him to have such a heartfelt reception from a crowd after 20 years in the music industry. In 1992, my New York cousin introduced me to a white covered 12” single from a group of MCs unknown to me advising me to keep my neck warm with no mention of scarves. The flip side was a track called Method Man. When you consider that 2023 was indeed the 30th anniversary of the Wu-Tang Clan classic release, you are made to understand Method Man is legendary.

Hands of the audience were in the air so much that they provided an obvious and expected springboard for Method Man as he repeatedly jumped into the crowd by the end of the performance. 

With a catalog full of albums, guest appearances, remixes and releases meeting relentless energy on stage, one is in for a great show. Method Man more than delivered the goods at Club Soda. Of the most prolific things he told the audience was that Redman and Busta Rhymes are among those he would himself pay to see. Not so ironically, he is on the shortlist of MCs I would see perform live at any opportunity I can and one any self-respecting hip hop fan should as well.