Jamaican rappers in clash

Fabian Ledgister, Star Writer


Rapper Kyle Poole aka Six takes it to rapper Chillum. - Fabian Ledgister photos

Another lyrical confrontationcould turn ugly after a feud between local rap artistes came to a head at the Chaotic live hip-hop show, held at Endless Studio in Cross Roads on Saturday night.

Although the event showcased a slew of local rap talent in an authentically underground atmosphere that heightened the 'rap battle' feel, a true battle brewed beneath the surface.

A delay in the event was easily forgotten, as disc jockey Shane 'the fire starter' kept the vibes pumping with '90s hip-hop hits like What, What by Noreaga and Roc Da Mic by Freeway and Memphis Bleek.

As selections kept the mediocre turnout dancing, an impromptu mini-show took place on a nearby balcony, as anxious artistes began to freestyle.

The performance line-up began quite impressively, as local rapper Six took charge of the microphone with songs like Say Goodnight to the Bad Guy - using the catchy line from the cult classic film Scarface - to throw words at some unknown nemesis.

The night would later reveal that nemesis to be his former friend-turned-enemy, Chillum.

"When I met this guy, he told me his mother and father were in jail, but that same day we went to Half-Way Tree and met his mother. Our friendship ended, but now he's telling me the beef is over and then telling this girl to go and do a diss record," said a melancholic Six after his performance.

Unforgiving

Although Six opted not to do most of the diss track, his lyrical enemy, Chillum, was not so forgiving, instead unleashing an all-out verbal assault on Six later in the night, to the delight of patrons.

Chillum continued his tirade before he dropped diss tracks including Life's Hard, where he attacked Six.

"This going on for some time now, but we squash the beef and a girl in my crew didn't know the beef squash and did a diss song. So now he's talkingagain. He needs to know a me mek him get inna dis hip-hop ting, and him fi know is music," said Chillum.

But Six may have taken Chillum quite seriously, as he could be seen after the event waiting at the gate with a number of persons. However, they left less than a minute before Chillum and his posse made their way out of the venue.

Other memorable acts for the night included Scantana, Bebble Team, Godz and 16-year-old dancer and rapper, Sumoya Smith, who took the night with her hip-hop dance-and-rap combo performance.

Most local rappers that night could be heard melding their own Jamaican patois with their learnt hip-hop Ebonics. They have essentially created an interesting sound some view as the birth of a new musical genre.

Event promoter, Nykkiicia Cion of Simple Chaos, described the event as having met some of her expectations.

"These hip-hop live shows have been staged by us since 2007 to give the young rappers a chance to showcase their talent, but I wanted to find a venue that would convey the underground authenticity that I wanted, and the Endless Studio was perfect, but not enough sponsors are seeing the vision and the potential of hip hop

in Jamaica," Nykkiicia told The STAR.


Rapper Chillum delivers a heated stint at Chaotic, which was held at Endless Studio in Cross Roads on Saturday.