February 20, 2007 - Bruin Plaza, University of California, Los Angeles, CA  

Coming straight out of Oakland, Crown City Rockers definitely represented in Southern California. With an outdoor venue, they had the entire campus thinking, these guys definitely have talent. A hip hop band with a style that resembles The Roots and A Tribe Called Quest, one thing can be said about the Crown City Rockers, they are definitely entertainers. Performing various tracks off their album “Earthtones” as well as some of their new stuff; they had fans and first time listeners bumping their head to this fresh sound. They came out with a lot of energy as lead singer Raashan Ahmad got the show started with his intricate lyricism and upbeat vocals. Woodstock on procussions kept the beat going and had everyone bumping their head to his sick style. Headnodic provided the support to the complex sounds on his bass and with his backup vocals. Max MacVeety on drums had you wanting more, especially during his solo where those across campus ditched class to come watch. Kat Ouano had all the b-girls cheering as she took care of business on keyboard, providing that smooth jazz that a lot of hip hop acts often lack and could use. Overall the show was amazing, their live band brought out random heads who wouldn’t normally come to this sort of show. Whether you like them or not, you can definitely say they were performers. With bits and pieces of comedic humor throughout the show, as well as solo acts of each artist, they put together an incredible ensemble. The best of which had to be the battle between MC Raashan and drummer Max who went at it with a freestyle vs. drum battle. However, it got really interesting when they reversed roles, proving that these guys are real musicians who can do it all.

-Vishal Vibhaker