The wiggers were out in force tonight, decked out in KR3W jumpers, BAPE hats and general all round baggy-jeans. To think that in Newtown, indie-rock sub-capital of Sydney, there could this many kids calling each other – œhomie’ and – œdawg’ is really quite funny – but hey, that’s what happens when Talib and Scribe roll into town for one night only.

The show was opened by DJ Zeph and MC Azeem, an odd bunch from California who combined to make quite a spectacle for warm-up act. Zeph looked, sounded and acted like Lupe Fiasco – acutely intelligent with a relaxed flow and a great dress sense (yes, boys and girls, a rapper wearing a – gasp – button up shirt!) The best part of Azeem’s show was when he killed the tunes and broke it down into spoken word poetry, spitting free prose about – œCali’ Police
“I am an African-American born again Muslim gun-toting Christian…”
making a perfect mockery of a country where political correctness and anti-terrorism methods have been taken to an extreme. Azeem, cocky as any rapper who knows how good his shit is, grinned as he brought the music back, finishing off a hyper-manic and engaging set.

Up next was New Zealand’s biggest export – literally – Scribe, or as he now likes to term himself – œMC Scribble’. Say what you like about Kiwis, Maori rappers or Oceanic hip hop, Scribe is a bona fide star. From the rapid-fire opening of his definitive hit, Not Many, (a very bold move, placing his most famous track at the top) Scribe had the crowd bouncing in a way this reviewer has not seen since Black Eyed Peas rocked the same stage. His flow was impeccable; the backing tracks (especially off his newie Rhymebook) were brilliant. Even when he broke down into what he labelled – œemo-rap’, he engaged with his crowd. His two female backing vocalists each had their turn in the spotlight; either with rapping of belting out funk melodies. What a fantastic set from a real Kiwi star.

Of course, the night had to belong to Talib Kweli. His fame certainly preceded him, with guest spots on almost major every hip hop album in the last five years, six solo albums, bootlegs and then Blackstar, his collaboration with Mos Def in the 80s. But because Kweli has such an extensive back catalogue, most of the audience seemed to be bouncing along to tunes they’d never heard. Kweli, regardless, seemed to be having the night of his life. He often ran through four or five high intensity tracks without even taking a break for water. The way in which he moved the audience all on his own, without any trimmings except one awesome DJ, was incredibly admirable. And when he brought out the double finale of Kanye’s Get Em High followed by his own smash Just To Get By, the venue erupted. Talib had the stamina and the skills, but it was still Scribe who took us to the next level. Homegrown all the way!