De La Soul, Public Enemy and the Wu-Tang Clan at Oslo Spektrum

Gods of Rap brought to Oslo three monsters from the East Coast, including De La Soul, Public Enemy and the Wu-Tang Clan.

Gods of Rap visited Oslo Thursday 23rd of May, bringing to Oslo Spektrum three monster acts from the East Coast. This included De La Soul, Public Enemy and the Wu-Tang Clan, adding DJ Premier in between acts. This was certainly a must if you were ready to be taken through a ride through the rawness and power of nineties hip hop. This concert was all about the good memories.    

Energy and soul

Fronted by rappers Posdnous and Trugoy and backed by Maseo in the DJ set, the trio from Long Island began the concert following a brief warm up by DJ Premier. The concert started earlier than expected, but the floor at Oslo Spektrum was almost full. De La Soul gave at once all their energy, interacting with their public and making people in the back stand up from their seats (at least for a few seconds).

Their jazzy, quirky and endless sampling style was perfect for an opening of an event of such dimensions. The group has taken to the stage for 30 years, with their groundbreaking debut album “3 Feet High and Rising” being released in 1989. The audience enjoyed for about 40 minutes some of their greatest hits, filling Oslo Spektrum with intensity and power, despite the poor quality in the sound of the venue.  

Political consciousness

Opening with «Public Enemy no.1″, one of the greatest political bands in the rap era followed up the presentation of De La Soul. Chuck D, the only remaining original member from Public Enemy,  took control of the stage with his style and his voice that remains as deep and powerful as ever.

During the night Chuck D was supported by DJ Lord on the turntables and MC Jahi, helping with vocals. Many of the fans of course were disappointed that Flava Flav has decided not to join Public Enemy’s tour and celebrate this historical moment.  

The public was very enthusiastic and kept jumping around through the powerful rhymes commanded by Chuck’s booming mic. He kept bashing Donald Trump and the political oppression between songs like «Don’t believe the Hype» and «Fight the Power». The presentation was dynamic and energetic, except for the two absurd dancers in military outfits. The public was engaged and Chuck D shared the story when he visited Oslo for the first time in 1987, while constantly giving the shout to “fight the power, one race, one world”.  However, the best of the night was yet to come.

Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing Ta F’ Wit

The most anticipated moment of the night has arrived. After DJ Premier once again managed to keep the people engaged and experiencing a full swing through the 90’s greatest hip-hop songs, the full Wu-Tang Clan takes up the stage. Together, all the greatness from the 36 Chambers Studio, including RZA, GZA, Raekwon, and Ghostface Killah. You can feel the excitement around the public, many of them wearing a proper Wu-Tang hoodie.

The volume and sound is better for this concert than the previous ones, I wonder if that was a conscious decision or someone managed to fix the sound. In any case we were able to feel the full power of seven mics . The kung-fu cinematographic effects and the Wu-Tang symbol were everywhere, sometimes even merging with the colours of the Norwegian flag. 

After 25 years of their debut album Enter the Wu (36 Chambers), the whole ensemble still shows why they are one of the most influential rap acts out there. Even as veterans you can feel their full power, flow and quality on the stage. The public sings along song after song, full of classics such as «C.R.E.A.M.», «Method Man», «Protect Ya Neck» and a couple of tribute songs to the departed Ol’ Dirty Bastard, which were two of the most popular during the entire night. The four hours past by flying and the legendary rap event concluded, leaving us with a sweet feeling of the good old days.