Hip-Hop Meets Shakespeare Somewhere Between the Street and the Stage

It Happened Last Night

By Rodney Dugue on January 27, 2008 1:16 PM Comment

Photo by Sean O'Kane

There were makeovers, do-overs, and -- following what would be three lively hours of deft mimicry -- precisely eleven leftovers at the first annual Hip Hop Karaoke Championship Friday night (Jan. 25). NYC's Highline Ballroom played host to the event as some of hip-hop's finest, judges Prince Paul, of Handsome Boy Modeling Boy fame and current Baby Elephant constituent, DJ and video director Ralph McDaniels, and Black Sheep's Dres, provided plenty of colorful commentary.

At stake was a thousand dollars, awarded to the eventual winner, Chef; at heart, the event was a swooning night of revived hip-hop classics. Camille, who began the night rapping to Jay-Z's "Public Service Announcement," played the part of innocent karaoke virgin to its punfunctory and inevitable first-round exit. The only other female, Elizabeth, rapped in vain to Craig Mack's "Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)." While spilling rhymes of all five MCs (Busta Rhymes, Rampage, LL Cool J and Notorious B.I.G. also appear on the track) in impressive fashion, the Brooklyn native stripped off a different T-shirt bearing the name of each rapper.

Without doubt, Harlem's Donni D owned the first round with his absolutely seductive performance of Camp Lo's "Luchini," prompting cries, screams and masculine head nods like only satisfied, rowdy males can do. And if Donni D owned the round, then other karaoke contestants like Charlie, RJD, and Axiom dismantled it, reconstructed it, then imploded it, through which tuxedos, a Dr. Seuss Hat, and shoulder pads each made cameos.

As the competition entered its second and final rounds, a sharp focus on craft became evident as the judges frequently delivered just-passing grades of 6.5 to technique-poor hopefuls. At the end of the raucous competition, it was clear why Chef -- who offered slaying renditions of Big Daddy Kane's "Warm It Up, Kane" and A Tribe Called Quest's "Check the Rhime" earlier in the evening -- emerged as the winner. The Brooklyn-bred rhymer claimed the prize with a stone-cold incarnation of Dead Prez's "Hip-Hop" sans a prop in sight except for his microphone.