Blue Note Jazz Club have announced a set of February shows featuring a quartet of hip hop legends. The historic music lounge will see Talib Kweli headline alongside oft-sampled jazz visionary Bob James from February 7-9. Kicking off the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop celebrations, the performances will feature special guests in the form of hip hop pioneers Rakim, DMC and Slick Rick, who will receive a Lifetime Achieve Award from The Recording Academy next month.
The re-joining of forces at Blue Note between icon Bob James and Talib Kweli with legends Rakim, Slick Rick and DMC is an exceptional moment,” said Blue Note Director of Programming Alex Kurland.
Moreover, Kweli and James first joined forces last year at the storied Greenwich Village club. Alongside special guest Slick Rick, the trio performed a medley of popular records with jazz interpolations to an engaging crowd.
Blue Note’s Performers
This time around, the Blue Note audience will receive another historic performance in a landmark year for the genre. Blue Note Jazz Club has hosted legends such as Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, George Clinton, and Talib Kweli’s own Black Star groupmate, Yasiin Bey. The line of prestigious performers continues when these legendary acts grace the stage.
Brooklyn-based MC Talib Kweli stands as one of the world’s most talented and most accomplished Hip Hop artists. Whether working with Yasiin Bey as one-half of Black Star, or releasing landmark solo material or collaborating with Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Just Blaze, J Dilla, Hi-Tek, or Madlib, Kweli has established his place in the hip hop lore. Slick Rick, Rakim, and DMC are three of the most influential rhymers of all-time. Slick Rick for his inventiveness and creativity with his story-telling, Rakim for raising the bar in lyrical proficiency and DMC as one third of one of hip hop’s most culturally significant groups in Run DMC.
About Bob James
18-time Grammy nominee Bob James has also cemented his place in the realm of hip hop. His 1974 album One, specifically the groove-heavy closing track “Nautilus,” featuring James on keyboard, Gary King on bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums, is one of the most sampled and interpolated songs of all time. In 1988, elements of the song found their way into Run DMC’s “Beats To The Rhyme” and Eric B & Rakim’s “Follow The Leader.” Slick Rick then famously used “Nautilus” as the backbone to his groundbreaking single “Children’s Story.” Dozens more hip hop acts have interpolated parts of “Nautilus” leaving Bob James amongst friends on the Blue Note stage.
Embed from Getty ImagesBob James’ depth of history and contribution to hip hop and musical culture is remarkable. Our inspiration with these shows is to revisit that history and vibe through the samples originating from Bob James, in collaboration with three of the most prolific, powerhouse and pioneering MCs of all time who have a legendary connection of drawing from Bob’s music.
– Alex Kurland
Fans can purchase tickets for Talib Kweli and Bob James at Blue Note Jazz Club here.
