Last Night: Common and Erykah Badu at Chakra

Erykah Badu & Common
August 4, 2007
Chakra

The Review:

This past Saturday, a dose of real Hip Hop and R&B drowned out the typical South Beach sounds of music. Hours after the curtain closed on the uber-hype Rock the Bells festival, Gorillas Lifestyle Marketing ( www.gorillasrevolution.com) brought conscious rap god Common and one of Neo-soul's originators, Erykah Badu, to Chakra for a live show that rocked our bells in a different way. The crowd in the large, yet surprisingly intimate club was packed by midnight causing organizers to shut the door down.

Common hit the stage at nearly 1 am running through a full set of freestyles, classics and stuff people had never heard, but rocked to nonetheless. He even brought out fellow backpacker rapper Talib Kweli for a lyrical tennis match. But the highlight of the night was when Ms. Badu graced the stage. Rockin a huge afro, mustard-yellow shift dress, and her signature bravado, she held the audience from beginning to end. With a thermos full of tea by her side, she performed her hits "On & On," "Bag Lady," "Love of My Life," "Tyrone" and more all with a new twist, only for live ears. She threw in some "Lodi Dodi" here, jumped on a drum machine there, leaving the crowd salivating for her next studio release. -- Raina McLeod

Critic's Notebook

Personal Bias: Erykah is one of my all time favorites, and the soul and depth in her lyrics take me there....

Random Detail: The club was so packed, even Scary Spice couldn't get in.

By the Way: Former lovebirds, Common and Erykah kept their performances separate, not even reuniting for their Grammy winning hit "Love of My Life."