Run The JewelsIn a haze of smoke and blue lights Killer Mike and El-P emerged to We Are The Champions, and to be sure nobody forgot who they were the boys shouted “Run The Jewels” and heard it screamed back what must've been hundreds of times throughout the set. The two hip hop veterans of Run The Jewels produced an experience that was fierce, fast and, thanks to El-P downing half a bottle of rum and Killer Mike's dancing, frequently hilarious. It must be noted that for a big guy, dude can dance.
There were two support acts and two main attractions on this bill, organisers throwing Earl Sweatshirt on first, but nobody would think twice if he closed.
Watching Earl feels like seeing hip hop in its purest form – the kid's 19, world famous, associated with the hottest rap collective of right now, an accomplished producer and dripping with raw talent. Accompanied by OF's Domo Genesis, Earl came up with 70 minutes that packed the mosh so tightly fans were forced to sacrifice dancing for half-musically, half-violently shouldering into each other. It got a little rough at the front; Earl was hit by a shoe and missed by a toothbrush thrown but didn't flinch, waiting until the end of Centurion to call out the “dusty ass nigga” that threw it, all in good fun.
Danny Brown's red leather pants were as tight as his set, swamped with huge rolling beats, sirens and more drug references than The Wolf of Wall St.
Brown's 2013 album, Old, made up the majority of his set, though he threw back to Xxx for Blunt After Blunt among others and went all the way back to 2010's Hybrid for Drinks On Me. Seeing him in the flesh highlights the paradox that is Danny Brown; his subject matter ranges from the celebration of debaucherous drug use to thoughtful introspective tracks littered with ingenious word play coming from a dude who looks, well… kind of like a crackhead. Earl gets points for the set of the night, but there are more holes in Danny Brown's teeth than his live show.
