This past weekend the Floralia bands were relased. The headliner is none other than Idle Warship, better known as the recent side project of underground rap superstar Talib Kweli (pronounced KWA-LEE).
For those unfamiliar with the name, Kweli is an underground rap legend — first rising to underground fame back in 1998 after releasing a joint album with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def under the name Black Star — and over the past ten years he has released one of the most consistent and high-quality bodies of work of any rapper around.
Many collaborations (2000’s Train of Thought with Hi-Tek, 2007’s Liberation with Madlib) and four solo albums (2002’s Quality, 2004’s The Beautiful Struggle, 2005’s Right About Now and 2007’s Eardrum) later, Kweli has a major label deal (Warner Bros.), his own imprint (Blacksmith Music), and a new side venture, Idle Warship, with longtime-collaborator Philadelphia singer Res and Canadian singer/rapper Graph Nobel.
Last year the trio released a new mixtape, Party Robot, which had music critics and internet bloggers everywhere bowing down. The mixtape, at fourteen tracks long, features a number of remixes, as well as original tracks, containing a smooth fusion between the artist’s individual styles, blending alternative hip-hop, soul and indie pop.
As performers, the group has been consistently rocking the stage as they tour the country, earning large crowds and a strong following due to Kweli’s great stage presence and widespread fan base. I’m probably going to regret saying this come Floralia night, where getting close to the stage is a wild, lawless free-for-all, but I’m here to give warning: you are going to want to be as close as you can.
While everyone is always most focused on the artist in the highly-speculated headliner spot, there are a number of other great musicians coming that you need to know about as well.
Let’s start with Electrolightz, the L.A.-based four-piece that will be the night’s opener, a more-than-deserving warm-up for the Kweli trio. This electro-dance-hip-hop collective is one I had no knowledge of before writing this piece, but after hearing their newest mixtape Electronightz in full, I know that they are going to leave the stage with a lot of new fans. The group is composed of singer Rami Dearest, rapper Namebrand, drummer Kash, and producer ErOc, which literally formed over night after hitting it off during a studio session. Recently they have been playing sold out shows in Las Vegas and Los Angeles with LMFAO, turning their dance album into a big dance party. Couldn’t be more fitting to get the night going right.
Starting at noon up through when Electrolightz hits the stage their will also be a number of smaller-name performers. Some of you may already be familiar with DownBeat Keys the now Brooklyn-based indie hip-hop collective, which formed at Hamilton College just a little over a year ago. Self-described as hip-hop/funk/R&B, the sixpiece features vocalists Ill Will and Sim, who are backed up by a full live band. I’ve been listening to their latest release, Invisible Ink, and can tell their music is perfectly suited for the college party scene.
Back again will be Barefoot Truth, the folk/rock jam band hailing from Mystic, CT, who is preparing to release a new album this year. Also back again is everyone’s favorite 80s dance party cover band, Orange Crush, who is sure to deliver some great renditions of old favorites. And if that’s not enough yet, there will also be a handful of MOBROC performances, featuring Conn’s best bands and DJ’s.
I imagine you are counting down the days until May 1. I know I am. Check out all these performers if you haven’t done so already, thank SAC, and let’s hope for some great weather.
