KRS-ONE, June 8, Odunde Festival

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KRS-ONE, June 8, Odunde Festival

POSTED: Monday, June 9, 2008, 3:23 PM

Filed Under: Comedy | Music | Show | Blast from the Past Last Night

Original photo by Jeff Shaw, B Fresh Photography

I don't know whose fault it is and it really doesn't matter. Yesterday in the basking hot ass sun, we waited for the blastermaster, KRS-ONE to take the stage. He was supposed to be on at 7 p.m. said the Odunde offices that I called a few days ago. 7 came and went. I didn't stress, because it's a hip-hop concert and they always start late. I didn't stress because the sun went down and it wasn't AS hot as the afternoon. I didn't stress because I enjoyed walking around the festival before KRS and connecting with family and friends.

7:55 p.m....nothing.

After an hour of old and new school mixes, some dope poetry by Just Greg and a host that kept throwing bottles of water and juice in the audience (just a suggestion...not a good look when you have a crowd of people hot, sweaty and waiting because if one of those bottles would have hit someone or their child, it would have been your ass), someone came on the mic and started screaming for the hundredth time, "Are y'all ready for the Blastmaster?", "When I say KRS, you say ONE"..blah, blah, blah. After awhile, no one call and responded. The cameras were on stage ready to film, people had their cameras out, the hype music started playing and then it happened.

Dead silence. I'm thinking - What? What? Hell no...what? Did the sound go out? Equipment overheated?

The DJ put his hands up like he didn't know what was going on and swarms of people just starting leaving, including us.

In the distance, we heard some woman get on the mic and say, "This not Odunde's fault", and she seemed sincerely upset. Good try, but at that point - it was too late.

We walked back to the car and got some food. On the way back to the car, we heard someone say that KRS had a previous commitment and that is why he was late getting down here. Who knows?

I don't even know if he came on after we left. Yes, it was free...but still.

Did I mention that it was NBA Finals night and I was with a sports freak?

As we were walking back, we heard a collective of musicians just vibing through percussion instruments and saw people dancing and enjoying themselves....feeding off the spirit and sun of the African culture and of Odunde. So that is what I walked away feeling.

Photo l Deesha Dyer

Get down girl, go head - get down!

Photo l Deesha Dyer

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