Rock The Bells (June 27, 2009 in Tinley Park, IL) had some real talent. Nas, The Roots, Sage Francis, GZA, Raekwon, Reflection Eternal, M.O.P, Murs, KRS-One, Slum Village–all present.
And while there were highlights (M.O.P., KRS-One jumping onto BuckShot’s set, Sage Francis’ rant about hip hop celebrity fat camp) the sound was attrocious and the blatant lack of rehearsal by the majority of the artists made for a real buzzkill. I seriously thought about quitting hip hop for ever during Tech N9ne’s set.
The suburbs, $14 beers, lame $30 t-shirts, and terrible sound. Lets hope for something better next year.
My biggest disappointment was Eyedea and Abilities. If I didn’t like them already I would have walked away from the stage at the 1 minute mark. K’Naan was one of my highlights, however, as was Slum Village.