November 5–12, 1998

music|concert review

Power 99's Powerhouse

With a star-studded roster of DJs and special guest MC Keith Sweat hosting the show, the 16th Annual Powerhouse concert lived up to its high expectations. Despite the usual sound problems that accompany rap shows, popular acts such as Mya, Monica, DMX and Jay Z wowed the mostly teen audience of over 15,000. And despite pre-show controversy—rival station 103.9 had purchased thousands of dollars worth of tickets to give away on air, calling the show Our House—it never surfaced Friday night.

The Powerhouse lineup was balanced, diverse and exciting. Smooth R&B artists like Nicole, Mya, Jagged Edge, Monica and the freakysexy Aaron Hall meshed well with the edgy street commentary from rap acts like Fat Joe, Big Punisher, Noreaga, Cam'Ron, DMX and Jay Z.

North Philly's own Da Fat Cat Clique opened the show with a few older songs and ended with their new single, "Watch It Sucka," which lifts the Quincy Jones-produced Sanford and Son theme song.

DMX, one of the evening's most anticipated performers, strutted on stage through clouds of fog wearing dark glasses and a dog chain. Sounds of string instruments invaded the space, as X's rowdy Ruff Rider crew threw foam bones into the audience. DMX performed well and performed hard, sweat pouring from his shaved head. He spit the anthemic hook from his hit "Ruff Riders Anthem" with passion and venom: "Stop/ Drop/ Shut 'em down, open up shop/ Hey, ho/ Let the ruff riders roll." A surprise performance featuring Redman and Wu-Tang heartthrob Method Man thrilled the crowd midway through the DMX set, and took the show to an even higher level. DMX, in turn joined Jay Z during his infectious set to add his bite to "Money, Cash, Hoes"—one of the songs on Jay Z's already platinum Hard Knock Life Vol. 2 (roc-a-fella). Jay Z's set was one of the most crowd-inspiring, especially during his performance of "Hard Knock Life," also known as "The Ghetto Anthem."

The show did have its flaws, however. The sound system was so bad the artists couldn't hear themselves through onstage monitors and often microphones didn't work. Both Noreaga and Cam'Ron got so frustrated that they threw the mikes about 100 feet into the audience. "I think it's unfair to all the people that came here to see their favorite artists," said Minya Oh, an editor at Vibe, on hand for the show, "and it's also not fair to the artists who come out here to really represent for their fans."

Profits from the concert benefited Power 99's Stop the Violence/Increase the Peace scholarship fund, which has awarded 36 scholarships to Philadelphia's high school seniors in the past three years.

-Ogbonna Hagins

(werockrec@aol.com)