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Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon and Mobb Deep’s Havoc hit the stage at Tabernacle on Thursday night. The tour stop was a celebration of three decades of hip-hop music and New York rap at its finest. From start to finish, the crowd was into the show for every minute.
Raekwon’s debut studio album, “Only Built For Cuban Linx,” was released on August 1, 1995, on Loud and RCA Records. Long before buying music involved tapping screens on your phone, albums were readily available in cassette form and could be purchased at your local Sam Goody. In New York City, they were also available at Beat Street, located in downtown Brooklyn. That’s where I bought the purple tape. If you know, you know.
“Cuban Linx” was distributed on a purple cassette, and not only did it look like nothing I had ever seen before, but it also sounded original in its own right. That music blasted from the speakers, and it felt nostalgic, according to Raekwon.
“I’m feeling like I’m 17 years old right now,” he said, followed by a laugh. “What’s going on, I’m 56.”
Raekwin performed verses from “Glaciers of Ice,” “Verbal Intercourse,” and the classic, “Heaven & Hell.”
Mobb Deep’s second studio album, “The Infamous,” hit the streets on April 25, 1995. Hit songs from the album include “Survival of the Fittest,” “Eye for an Eye,” and the timeless track “Shook Ones Part II.” The latter remains one of the signature rap songs of the ’90s. All of those songs and more were performed on Thursday night.
Both albums were brought to life despite the absence of Prodigy, the other half of Mobb Deep. Prodigy passed away in Las Vegas in 2017 at the age of 42. His signature flow, combined with Havoc’s production, was a key factor in the group’s consistent success, resulting in gold and platinum albums.
The set list also included “Right Back at You,” which featured Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and Big Noyd, who accompanied Havoc on some songs while on stage.
The show was a New York show through and through. The special guests for the evening included Benny the Butcher, Cormega, and Mr. Cheeks. Each performed verses from popular songs, and all three were roundly applauded while on stage. When Cheeks performed two verses of “Lights, Camera, Action,” the hardcore hip hop show turned into a dance party.
During the show, which was scheduled to start at 8 p.m. but began at 9 p.m., Raekwon and Havoc performed songs not featured on their albums. On “It’s Mine” off the platinum-selling “Murda Muzik” album, Havoc performed his verse and brought the already standing crowd further on its feet.
There was a moment where it felt like prodigy was in the room when DJ Scratch played the beat to one of the new songs off the latest and most likely last Mobb Deep album, “The Infinite.” Prodigy’s verse on “Against the World” was rapped by the crowd word for word.
“One finger in the air for Prodigy,” said Havoc. “It’s Mobb Deep against the world.”
The tour has already made stops in Portland, San Diego, Los Angeles, Denver, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, and Detroit. There are dates in St. Petersburg and Miami after this show in Atlanta. If they are lucky, it will be as good as this one was.
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Donnell Suggs
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