All our Christmas’ have come at once! Stores are already stocking cards, decorations and mechanical Santas while the list of big name hip hop acts hitting our shores in the coming months is progressively growing better with each and every new announcement. And what better way to kick off the festive season than with a live and intimate performance from Brooklyn’s best Talib Kweli. With support from San Francisco’s Zeph and Azeem and New Zealand’s Scribe, world-class hip hop was ready and willing to blow the top off HQ.

First off the starting block were the Bay Area’s finest new talent, Zeph and Azeem. Oozing natural charisma, the dynamic duo owned the stage. Zeph simply slaughtered the decks and Azeem’s lyrical finesse was awe-inspiring. They maintained an impressively high level of energy throughout the entirety of their spectacular set and had just as much fun as the steadily increasing crowd. Offering delicacies from their debut LP Rise Up, Zeph and Azeem not only satisfied the hip hop connoisseurs but also converted a new breed of followers with their special blend of retro-funk and slamming hip hop sounds.

Scribe followed producing a distinctively mainstream feel. Adding his infectious hip hop pop to the mix, the Kiwi turned the underground hip hop vibe on its head. Though admittedly, some punters were specifically there to see Scribe do his thang. Complete with two back up songstresses, Scribe rallied all his hits to his hungry supporters including some offerings from his latest release Rhymebook. Ending his set with the rock-esque head-banger Raise Some Hands, the crowd did just that, moshing upon Scribe’s command.

The anticipation built as stage hands busily erected Talib’s Blacksmith banners and the crowd merged to fill the dance floor. Casually taking to the stage, before we could even say ‘Talib Kweli’ it was on. Opening with some cleverly crafted freestyles over a variety of timeless instrumentals ranging from Nas’ Made You Look to Mobb Deep’s Shook Ones, Talib took every opportunity to name drop our fine city. An experienced performer, Talib had the crowd in the palm of his hand from the get go as we hung on his every word.

He proceeded to span his entire back catalogue dropping snippets from each block-rocking track to the next. A throw back to his Blackstar days with Mos Def, he mastered Definition and also dropped Kanye Common collaboration, Get Em High. Listen banged on your Eardrum while Waitin’ For the DJ, Rush and Good To You were sheer Quality. HQ was reduced to a sea of arms with Put it in the Air while personal highlight and audience-favourite Get By peeled the paint off the walls.

An encore was definitely in store as the crowd begged for more. Talib invited people up to the stage in a shimmy shaking explosion of bodies while he took refuge behind the DJ desk. DJ Chaps brought the funk with old skool classics while the after party at the Electric Light Hotel’s Producers Bar only prolonged the vibe – even Talib was popping.

After skipping past Adelaide when he came out for Good Vibrations in 2006, I can safely say the wait was well worth it. The BK emcee truly gave Adelaide a night to remember. Those of you who missed out, try not to kick yourself too hard.