Das Racist
Basking in the rush of attention they’ve received over last year, Das Racist busted down the door of the Independent with Oakland hip-hop troupe HOTTUB only turn the venue into an all out dance party extravaganza. The show wasn’t without it’s fair share of surprises and disappointments though.
HOTTUB
HOTTUB
Opening was our favorite local hip-hop party starters HOTTUB. I have seen them several times and I admire the fact that they can continue to perform at a peak level with high-wire energy that completely throws the audience off guard every single time. All three girls were dressed in their usual ripped tights and punk rock style that set them apart from…well, no one really. The magic of HOTTUB is that they are their own thing. Not many acts in the hip-hop electronia genre can compare to the outright lunacy that happens at a HOTTUB show. Their unconventional dance moves were present along with stages antics such as riding on the shoulders of audience members, jumping into the crowd and having people play the drums, and in the end, getting over 20 people to get on stage for two songs for an all-out dancefest.
HOTTUB
HOTTUB
HOTTUB
HOTTUB
HOTTUB
It was clear that Das Racist had some work to do when HOTTUB wrapped up their set. They were sent to warm-up the crowd but what they did instead was go, “Warm-up? We’re going to make this whole crowd orgasm right before your eyes and you’ll be cleaning it up.” A crude but necessary description of the pandemonium that happens at a HOTTUB show.
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HOTTUB – Lokos Only from ON BLAST EP (2011)
Das Racist
The Brooklyn based hip-hop trio known as Das Racist took the stage with a few vague but choice words for the Mission (“that girl who works at that place is a bitch!”) but didn’t waste time getting right into it. The show was obviously packed with jems from their most recent mixtapes Sit Down, Man and Shut Up, Dude, both of which are available for free on their website. Tracks like Shorty Said and Return to Innocence made their appearance while favorites like Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell and hahahaha jk? were not featured at all. In addition the group made a few pot shots at hip-hop culture like prancing around on stage to Kate Bush yelling about how “This is REAL HIP-HOP!” and getting the crowd into a half-assed Hip Hop Hooray sing-along. But it’s definitely clear they’re having fun on stage at all times.
Das Racist
Das Racist
Das Racist
Das Racist
As they jumped around on stage, played air guitar with their microphones, told the crowd on numerous occasions that the show was over, sang Usher’s You Make Me Wanna, and after their faux encore, played Tina Turner’s Simply the Best as a crazed audience member grabbed the bottle of Stoli on stage while being chased after security…..I had to wonder what the fuck I just witnessed. I felt this overwhelming vibe from the audience that whatever it was, it went by way too quickly. In fact that trio went for just short of an hour. With two lengthy mixtapes you would have thought they would play for an extra half hour longer but that just wasn’t the case. That and the ignoring of their “singles” made what was a very entertaining show a little bit disappointing.
Das Racist is an experience but can be extremely unpredictable. So if you’re planning on catching them on this tour, expect it to be fun but don’t set your expectations too high. But I don’t think their too concerned with that.
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Das Racist – Shorty Said (Gordon Voidwell Remix) from Shut Up, Dude (2010)
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Das Racist – Amazing (featuring Lakutis) from Sit Down, Dude (2010)
Das Racist / For more pictures from this show, click this photo