Ghostface Killah

There are some acts you never imagine you'll get to see live, especially right here in our fine city. Ghostface Killah and Killah Priest are two of those, and it wasn't just me that was pumped to the max to hear they would be playing the Waterfront - this show was a packed out, sweaty, vibrant, sold out affair. I was delighted to see a lot of young people there as well all the old familiar faces from every hip hop gig I've ever been to in Norwich. Nice.

Starting the night off with a 20 minute wait at the bar soundtracked by a DJ playing some fresh tunes, we get down with our bad selves despite the lack of dancing space and the floor swimming in beer. INJA's up next, a cheeky, likeable character who's not only just MC'd at the International DMC championships but also had a car accident on his way to the Waterfront. His name apparantly stands for Importance Does Not Justify Anything. So shouldn't it be IDNJA? Sure. But just try saying it. He plays us some beats through his mobile, which come through surprisingly clearly, crisply and loudly, and raps with some panache over the top. The crowd are hip to it, his banter in between tracks is both confident and entertaining, but as the Wu symbol flashes up onto the screens, it's clear that we're really only here to see two people, and neither of them are yet on stage. In fact, poor old INJA has to fill an extended time due to the now virtually guaranteed wait for hip hop stars to decide they are ready to relinquish the no doubt delicious rider backstage and come and do their thing for us. He does a good job in keeping the vibe mainly peaceful, until the last 10 minutes when we just get pure silence. Grrr.

ANYWAY. Ghostface Killah and Killah Priest finally arrive, and it goes off big time. There's leaping in the air, there's dancing, there're many people who know every single word of every single lyric and there's a hella head nodding going on. Their trick is to play not more than one or two verses plus a chorus of any one track, and whilst I've seen this before when it's just been irritating, tonight it mostly works, meaning there are shouts of delight every 3 minutes or so of their hour-long set. Having said that, I really could have done with some classics from Ironman in full...and I reckon that everyone in that room would have known most of the lyrics to all of those as well. Trust your fans' loyalty, yo.

We do get loads of classics though, including the highlight for me, a medley of Wu classics that everyone goes insane for. There's a good balance between their two voices although Ghostface is clearly the stronger of the two, plus it's good and loud although the sound was a touch muddy which was a shame. The last 10 minutes of the set sees a selection of young female fans being invited up onstage to dance and grind with Ghostface and Priest, making us all feel a little uncomfortable, especially when Ghostface ends up with his back turned to the audience gettin' busy with a lady. Awks. Really, the finale should have been the crowd carrying them through the venue whilst they slayed us with C.R.E.A.M but the whole thing sort of peters out in the end. I'm surprised not to see a fully stocked merch stall tonight - I'm sure they would have made a lot of cash tonight. Dollar dollar bill y'all.