After having to reschedule their October 18th, 2024 date in the wake of Hurricane Helene, Method Man and Redman made their way down to Columbia on February 8th.
As I made my way into the Township Auditorium, Charleston, SC-based DJ SCRIB was already on stage mixing and getting the gathering crowd warmed up. He would remain on stage for the first half of the show, providing entertainment and some masterful mixing between the opening artists' sets.
Kicking things off were the only full band of the night, TRVY and the Enemy from Athens, GA. Frontman Heavy TRVY’s alternative lyrical style mixed with the band's psychedelic and funk-influenced sound made for something unique.
TRVY and the Enemy
TRVY and the Enemy : Socials
Up next was my introduction to local artist PATx. His flow definitely has some of that dirty south flavor that gets my head nodding. His music absolutely piqued my interest, but him giving out his phone number to the crowd and telling them to text the letter "x" to enter into a drawing for free merch was hands down some of the best marketing I’ve ever seen from a local act.
PATx
PATx : Socials
Bars all the way from Boston via Bakari J.B. were up next. Rayel would provide some soulful backup vocals from the wings before taking the stage to perform a couple of songs of her own.
Bakari J.B. and Rayel
Bakari J.B. : Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, Facebook
Rayel: Instagram
Landon Wordswell took the stage with a fury. Coming out swinging with some of the fastest rapping I’ve heard in a while before settling into a gritty flow and lyrics that come from hard-learned life lessons. The staff had told him not to, but Landon jumped off stage and performed the final song of his set at the front row of seats making time to fist bump members of the audience.
Landon Wordswell
Landon Wordswell: Socials
The final opening act of the night was SKYZOO. Though he may be a New York native, he has family ties to South Carolina, he explained before shouting out the small town of Moncks Corner. This was a great segue into his song "Home Away From Home."
Once again DJ SCRIB would flex his mixing muscles during intermission while the stage was set for the headliners. The crowd was starting to move, and you could feel the excitement building.
SKYZOO: Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Spotify
Cheers erupted from the crowd as these legends of hip hop swaggered onto the stage. Method Man and Redman wasted no time and started getting down right away. The crowd was on their feet and getting soaked as the duo slung Fiji water onto the front rows. Their age may be showing, but this iconic hip hop duo can still command a stage.
After passing out towels to the crowd so that they could dry themselves off a bit, Mef and Red would move into the older material that made them the legends they are today, along with some classic 90's hip hop covers. The duo would take a moment to remember their friend and ours, Old Dirty Bastard, before breaking into "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" with the crowd singing along.
Method Man and Redman
The classics and covers would continue until the show was pushing dangerously close to the hard curfew the venue was under. After taking some time to clown on each generation that was in attendance, the duo would ask the crowd to sing along to the next song, even if they didn't know the words. As the last song started, you could see the older folks pick up on it right away, and soon everyone was singing along with the final song of the evening, "Rapper's Delight.". It was a perfect way to close out an evening that had so much focus on the love of hip hop.
Method Man: Socials
Redman: Socials
