Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito 25th Anniversary Concert and Screening

Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito 25th Anniversary Concert and Screening

By J. Burke

        

     Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia are pioneers in so many ways.  While most of New York may have come up in the 90’s listening to Hot 97 as the home of hip-hop, it was this duo broadcasting on WKCR; college radio that was creating classic moments we didn’t realize were classic at the time.  Looking back, who could foresee the first or early radio appearances from artists, sometimes unsigned at the time, such as Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Notorious B.I.G., and a now famous freestyle session from Big L & Jay-Z.  This and more all came from the duo known as Stretch and Bob and they held a concert in Central Park to celebrate 25 years, as well as the first screening of their film “Radio That Changed Lives”      

     The actual concert portion of the show wasn’t even 2 hours long but what Stretch and Bob brought to the people was history on stage. 2 hours was more than enough time for the artists they brought out to give the people some unforgettable moments. Stretch and Bob were joined on stage by longtime co-host Lord Sear, each did their own DJ sets and around 6:15 pm brought out the first act, which was the full D.I.T.C. (Diggin’ in the Crates). The entire crew meaning Showbiz & A.G., Diamond D, Lord Finesse, O.C. Buckwild and Fat Joe performed and ran through classics such as “Next Level” and “Da Enemy”.  After they were done, in true Bobbito fashion, he quickly moved the show along to the next act.    

     Kurious hit the stage and performed and then the Artifacts hit the stage to perform “C’mon Wit Da Git Down” and “Wrong Side of Da Tracks”, both songs being a staple of east coast hip-hop in the mid 90’s.  Rob Swift also performed and gave the crowd some time to cool down a bit in the sweltering and humid weather that seems to accompany every show in Central Park. After that it was back to business as Brand Nubian came on stage with the full crew, Sadat X, Grand Puba and Lord Jamar as they ran through some songs, and right after Pete Rock hit the stage with Puba still on stage along side him to perform as well. It’s rare that Pete gets on stage just to rap and not DJ, but this was one of those occasions on a memorable night. 

     

     The show didn’t stop there as Smoothe Da Hustler and Trigga Da Gambler performed “Broken Language” which sounded as good as when it first dropped. Their chemistry is still amazing and the song stands the test of time 20 years later.  Next out was Large Pro, who performed “Extra Abstract Skillz” with Mad Skillz and the “Stress” remix with Pharoahe Monch who was out next. The fun didn’t stop there as Large Pro, Monch, and O.C. along with Lord Sear proceeded to re-create an on-air session over Large Pro’s beats; a great hip-hop moment.  It’s rare to catch this combination of mc’s on stage together in a cypher which usually only happens on the radio, but that is what this night was all about.

     To end of the performance aspect of the night, Kool Keith hit the stage performing “Poppa Large” and finally O.C. who ended things off with “Time’s Up” as the show came to a close with him and Bobbito embracing on stage. It was a show of appreciation for all of the great opportunities that Stretch and Bobbito have given artist over the years and the classic moments they’ve brought to fans. At this point the stage was cleaned up and people were informed that cameras and cell phones were not allowed to be out during the screening of the film.  At around 8:15 pm the screening of  “Radio That Changed Lives” took place and it was a documentary of how Stretch and Bobbito got started and the rise, fall and eventual reunion of the greatest radio duo in hip hop history. I was taken back by so many of the moments in the film and it was great hearing freestyles and moments recounted from Fat Joe, Jay-Z, Eminem, Nas and many others who have gone on to do big things in the hip hop community. It was also nice that footage was included in the film of the duo’s time on WKCR and Hot 97 and the fans appreciated the film greatly as evident by clapping for several moments in the film.

      I know that what Stretch and Bob did is part of my history growing up as I have boxes of cassette tapes from the era when it was just Bob and Sear doing the show on WKCR. I remember never being alert in class because my class was at 8 am and I stayed up until 5 am listening to the show and one of them had to go. Goodbye early Friday morning class as listening to the show was way more important than a class in a field I would soon end up losing interest in anyway.  When the film is officially released in October of 2015, I recommend that everyone go to see it or pick it up when it’s available for home release. It’s well worth watching and then telling other people about it to watch again.  This was another SummerStage home run season full of shows, and what a perfect way to end it; with Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia, living legends.

To donate to the film, click the link and please support the Radio That Changed Lives Kickstarter

     

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