New York MC J Live is quickly establishing himself a dedicated Australian fan base, courtesy of three tours in the past five years. The hard work that he put in during previous visits has paid off, with a big audience braving the cold to check him out at Revolver.
Hosted by Oz hip-hop luminary Reason, first act on stage was former Canberra resident, but now living in Melbourne, Maggot Mouf whose laidback stage presence and dark musical backdrops made for quite an interesting set. The always impressive Low Budget took to the stage next, and they again displayed why they’re one of the scene’s finest live bands. Their soulful funky production courtesy of DJ Polarity was a perfect theme for the night with energetic emcee Genetik ripping through some high-tempo tracks such as Double the Bucks and State to State. With their sophomore release scheduled for November, the summer festival stages are beckoning the duo.
J-Live’s work ethic is akin to a plumber. There is a no frills approach to his song writing and live performance, it’s just an honest and fun experience without him dumbing it down for the audience. He stepped on the stage with his tour DJ Flo-Fader with minimum fanfare and just got on with it. Delivering a hefty 80 minute set, J-Live visited all the albums from his impressive 13 year catalogue with a few extended stays with his third LP The Hear After. He even took the time to drop his gem Practice, a song he recorded with DJ Jazzy Jeff with lyrics centring on gaining ground in the industry through hard work.
The highlight of the set came just after the hour mark, where J-Live rested and Flo-Fader and took on the emceeing and scratching duties, performing songs from his early catalogue such as his 1995 first single Longevity and the classic battle rap of Bragging Rights. He left the stage just the way he went on, with no ego or displays of self glorification. His whole performance seemed so effortless, although the sweat dripping off his body was real. His show was just a celebration of dope tracks, doper lyrics and mic skills that few could match. The audience really couldn’t have asked for any more.
