Jay Electronica Opens the Stage to Local Rappers in Brooklyn
Last night, Jay Electronica displayed his split between deadly serious lyrical content and sharp wit at Red Hook Park in Brooklyn. The intimate affair was the first of many free City Parks Department shows scheduled for the venue this summer.
The Brooklyn-via-New Orleans MC plowed through recent favorites such as 'Exhibit A,' 'Exhibit C' and 'The Ghost of Christopher Wallace' before putting the local police on blast. While screaming "F--- the police," Elect clarified that that term was only meant for cops that abuse authority and get off on perpetrating senseless violence and shows of power against people that are unable to defend themselves. The rant built to some crowd-stirring real talk levels when Jay eventually proclaimed, "If you blow one our heads off, from now on we'll blow one of your heads off" while pointing down the NYPD standing at the edge of the park.
Eventually, Jay opened the stage up to some aspiring rappers that wanted to rock a verse. This quickly turned into an 'Showtime at the Apollo'-esque free-for-all with varying degrees of quality and lots of crowd participation. Elect's manager (and Shade 45 radio personality) Angela Yee threw local rapper Spree Wilson on stage and Pharoahe Monch eventually made a cameo with a crazy acapella verse that certainly turned a few heads.
Check out the video of Monch going solo and then Jay performing 'Trolley Stop' after the jump. Visit the Summerstage website for other free park shows taking place throughout the summer.