I Gets The Hype On Hyphy

So F-A-B
Originally uploaded by hattie collins.

When I finally got down to some work - in-between the sipping of coktails and the swishing of palms - here's a selection of what happened...

(This from last Saturday's Guardian Guide. Words and Pix by Me, Myself and I)

The fat American tourists aren’t quite sure what to make of the 400 hip hop heads who have just descended on their 5-star hotel in the Dominican Republic’s Paradisus Palma Real Resort. A gathering of DJs, music moguls, industry execs, up and coming artists and established stars, the Mixshow Power Summit is an annual four-day extravaganza of showcases, screenings, panels and playbacks set in a suitably lavish location. It’s the sort of event where you can expect to see Kanye West talking tactics with Jay-Z by the pool or Redman racing around on a golf cart. A blinged-out Butlins, if you like. More important than the star-spotting though, is the actual after-effects of the weekend. Arguably one of the most important forces in breaking rap acts in the US, key DJs including Clinton Sparks, Felli Fell, Cipha Sounds and DJ Drama are flown in from all over the States to be honored at the Mixshow DJ Awards and to hear the latest rap records months before the rest of the world.

Four years ago, a track called Wanksta by some cocky young kid called 50 Cent was crowned the unofficial soundtrack to the Summit; several months later Fiddy sold some 8 million albums. In 2004, The Game and Kanye were the stars of the show, while last year saw the debut of Chris Brown, D4L and Three 6 Mafia, who not only scored long-sought after commercial success with their single Stay Fly, but went onto win an Oscar for best original song last March.

This October, it was less one particular act, more an entire region that stole the spotlight. Known as Hyphy and hailing from Oakland’s Bay Area, the synth-led staccato beats represent an entire culture that encompasses cars, clothing, slanguage, sunglasses, graffiti, haircuts and dances like going dumb and ghostridin’ the whip. At a swish cocktail evening thrown by Jermaine Dupri in which Bow Wow and actor-turned-singer-turned-rapper Tyrese mostly stood around looking cool, teenage quartet The Pack and elder San Franciscan statesman M.I.ST.A.H Fab stood far out from the crowd with their gleaming grills, oversized shades and day-glo painted T-Shirts. Throwing their hats in the pool and miming, somewhat inexplicably, a variety of archery moves and driving maneuvers, the Bay Area crew cut a powerful pose. A day later when they got onstage to perform at their own party, The Pack’s Vans track turned into a riot of trainer-waving and dreadlock-shaking as they shouted along to their soon-to-be-smash hit. With an incessant hook containing the words ‘Got my Vans on and they look like sneakers’, it’s pure genius. Even the bemused tourists look entertained. Fab meanwhile showed impressive lyrical prowess with a triple-time freestyle over the theme tune to Ghostbusters in which he talked invariably about the overwhelming gun crime in Oakland and the advantages of riding on a yellow bus. It’s not hard to see where the name came from – deriving from hyperactive, Hyphy is well over ten years old and was first coined on record by Bay legend Keak The Sneak. While it may be far from fledgling, it’s new to mainstream music ears and thanks to The Pack, Fab and artists like E40 and the now-deceased Mac Dre it’s about the most exciting offshoot seen in rap since crunk.

Of course, the weekend wasn’t all just about puttin’ ya stunna shades on; watch out for names like Mims, Willie The Kid, Papoose, Saigon, Atlanta group The Kadalack Boyz and D4L member turned solo Snap King, Fabo – a lanky lyricist who dresses as a mad scientist with brightly coloured odd socks and a surgeons cap. Elsewhere, the DJs seemed impressed with the return of The Clipse and Petey Pablo but it was Dipset rapper Jim Jones’ infectious We Fly High that was the undeniable hit of the weekend. “We’re here to introduce new music, start new trends and celebrate the DJ,” says Summit founder, Rene McLean. “We had a lot of brands like MySpace, iTunes, Xbox and Pepsi involved this year cos they understand that they have to be a part of the lifestyle or be left out. That’s a beautiful thing for hip hop culture in the future.”

So if you really want to know what’s going to be hot in rap from year to year, ignore the industry pundits and one to watch lists and head for the real deal – The Summit is the place that really has the Power.
Thepowersummit.info