Style Factory 3 @ The Knitting Factory

In only their third installment the Style Factory series of shows have already become one of New York City’s hottest Hip-Hop hotspots. The events pack the Old Office at The Knitting Factory and never fail to bring a ton of talent to the stage. This past Saturday was Style Factory 3, and although it started out late the crowd stayed for every act.

Starting out the night was Propaganda. Propaganda is a member of the Mindspray crew and with his solo album almost complete he was ready to hit the stage on his own to show what he has to offer. Propaganda’s rapid fire delivery was equaled by his physical intensity on the stage. For fifteen minutes he rhymed so hard his face turned red and looked as if it might pop off at any second. Style Factory has a way of leading off with an insanely intense artist and Propaganda carried the torch for that tradition well.

Following Propaganda was Core Rhythm and DJ Spliff. Core Rhythm is a deep voiced MC who spits in a way so as the audience can (hopefully) understand the vast majority of his lyrics. Fans of Core Rhythm recited his lyrics with him which made for a great performance. I think every artist likes it when people in the audience know their work. Core Rhythm also stayed up front with the crowd while the other acts were performing, which I felt was a very nice gesture that more artists, no matter the genre, should take note of and start doing. Just because you’re done with your set doesn’t mean you should just up and leave. Support leads to support and Core Rhythm clearly recognizes that.

After Core Rhythm it was time for the Who’s Rhyme Is It Anyway? freestyle competition. This month saw Bisc1 defending his title against Tah Phrum Da Bush, Chaz Kangas and Cern. Cern deserves a ton of props for stepping up to the plate when one of the original competitors ended up not being able to do the battle. The competition is set up in true Who’s Line Is It Anyway? improv format, with the MC’s going back and forth in four different freestyle games. Though Bisc1 successfully defended his title props go to Chaz Kangas who was saddled with being on the affirmative for the topic of “The Smoking Ban.” He absolutely killed it with the line “I came in here to have a Zima / not get emphysema.”

The Mindspray crew were up next and there were so many of them the stage could barely hold the group. Luckily the Mindspray crew was smart enough to all come dressed radically differently so everyone could easily tell each MC apart. Whether is was Domer and his ever-expanding afro, brokeMC and his army fatigue jacket (which was a bold choice in gear being that it can get very hot at The Knitting Factory), or Dyalekt and his Fidel Castro look, each member of the group was most definitely an individual. Mindspray’s five song set included fan favorites “The Witness (It Could Happen To You)” and “Problem With Authority.” Every member got at least one turn on the mic for what had to be deemed a very successful performance.

Closing out the night was Creature. Creature had just returned from doing a show in Chicago a few days earlier but if there was any jet lag from touring it didn’t show. When the man took the mic it became obvious why artists such as Slug from Atmosphere and MF Doom have worked with him, simply put, he’s dope. Not a lot of artists can keep a crowd from leaving when it hits 2AM, but Creature was up to the task as the vast majority of the crowd, many of whom had to be tired, stuck around and became motivated by the New York native’s music and that’s a testament to the artist.

Sightings: I know I was there, DJ Halo was there, and all the artists who hit the stage were fantastic at politicking. Admittedly, I knew the Mindspray Crew, Tah Phrum Da Bush, Core Rhythm and Bisc1 beforehand, but the networking was still fierce.

Liks: The Knitting Factory has a great list of $4, $5 and $6 drinks. Even mixed drinks weren’t expensive by New York standards and the bartender had a very heavy hand.

Verdict: If you’re involved in Hip-Hop at all you owe it to yourself to attend a Style Factory show. From a performance aspect, from a networking aspect, and from a just plain fun aspect the shows are well put together, making them must attend events.

For pics from the show click here