By Eli Audin, Third Year Chemistry
Rap trio Injury Reserve proved their acclaimed status in the hip hop world with their 'Slam dunk' performance at The Fleece last week, as part of their ongoing world tour.
At the moment, hip hop has enough self-important rock stars. Hip hop needs more convention-flouting rock stars. Standing out in an increasingly busy crowd is no mean feat, and Injury Reserve passed this litmus test with flying colours; hopping from jazz-rap to ‘spazz’-rap to noise pop-rap, enthralling a midweek Fleece crowd. They even began on time, a shocking violation of standard rock star behaviour.
The blend of performer and venue produced a predictably intimate event. Producer Corey Parker opened the show with a modified version of ‘Rap Song Tutorial’, before introducing the opening beats of ‘Koruna & Lime’. When Stepa J. Groggs and Ritchie With a T eventually emerged from the smoke, the crowd responded rambunctiously; think plenty of flying elbows and butting heads. The trio had the good sense to play some more mellow cuts as well, allowing the casuals to evacuate the middle of the room, ‘Gravy n’ Biscuits’ and ‘S On Ya Chest’ being particularly effective to this end. The trio proved adept at working the crowd, playing lead single ‘Jailbreak the Tesla’ as their final track, leaving the crowd with no choice but to demand an encore. And of course, they obliged.
There were plenty of other endearing touches, Ritchie handled the impressive lightshow himself (on the fly), they posed for photos at the end (whether you bought merch or not) and even had the decency to appear patient as every aspiring Gunner Stahl demanded multiple photos (on multiple phones).
There are those rappers who struggle to connect with crowds unless they rag doll themselves, and those rappers who forget the lyrics to ‘No Church in the Wild’. Corey’s imagination, Ritchie’s charisma, and Stepa’s presence set the trio apart from the pack. The closing track ‘Three Man Weave’ a reference to an intricate basketball passing drill, is a metaphor for the chemistry the group share, in the studio and on stage. Overall, a slam dunk.
Featured Image: Francesca Frankis/Epigram
Did you get to see Injury Reserve play Bristol? Let us know in the comments!
