This past Saturday (1/21), the people of Milwaukee were treated to a special show at local venue Mad Planet. Hometown Hip-Hop hero King Kamonzi was in the building fresh off a trip to Europe with the legendary Afrika Bambaataa. Though he was just there to help open for veteran Horrorcore rapper Kool Keith, he rocked the crowd like a headliner. While most rappers do who knows what backstage during the set-up process, Kamonzi was front and center hyping up the crowd with a little call and response. He also took some time to drop a little knowledge about Hip-Hop and humanity too and the audience was feeling him all the way. Once the deejay was good to go and the crowd was ready, Kamonzi grabbed the mic and went in. He let the crowd choose his mic too by the way, that was neat. Anyways, he kicked things off with a track called “Off The Top” and went on to have a little fun with a cut entitled “No Tricking (The Anti-Tricking Anthem).” Some brief footage of “No Tricking” can be seen below. From there Kamonzi performed a few more singles off of his Mixtape Monster project. One of his highlight moments was his a-cappella performance of a piece called “Letterbox.”
The focal point of the piece is Kamonzi’s feelings towards mainstream rappers. Let’s just say he has a few issues with some of your favorites. The impressive thing about the piece was that despite his lack of fondness for a lot of big named rappers, the crowd showed Kamonzi love during the performance. No one was offended, got upset, or anything. It was a daring piece to perform on his part but it was a good testament of the crowd’s loyalty to the hometown native too. Kamonzi didn’t just stick to already recorded or safe material though. He tossed in a few freestyles as well and even gave the crowd a taste of how he gets down when in Europe via his song “Fire, Fire, Fire.” He wrapped things up with a little Reggae tribute for all those in attendance who happened to be fond of the Jamaican music genre. Even those who may not necessarily like Reggae had a good time, as Kamonzi went above and beyond to ensure that he left the audience on a high note. No joke intended. Those at the show would understand that last line. All in all, King Kamonzi gave an incredible performance. He had a strong connection with the crowd, amazing energy/passion, and he kept things interesting. He left his all on the stage and made it very clear why he is such a beloved figure in the Milwaukee Hip-Hop community. And word has it that his shows in Europe go twice as hard as the one he did at Mad Planet. His European fans are a lucky group.
**My Two Cents: Mad Planet is a cool venue that attracts a diverse and eccentric crowd, lol. But Kamonzi owned the show and had everybody rocking with him peacefully. It was a great thing to experience and it makes a striking statement about the power of REAL quality Hip-Hop. I enjoyed Kamonzi’s performance a lot and was glad that I came out to support my Blaqlizt family. If given the chance, I think everyone should check out Kamonzi live at least one time. It’s a dope thing to witness. -MinM
