Dispatch From Wilmington: Bridge to Forever
At Waterline Brewing, a night of wide-ranging music — from Georgia to New York, and from the 90s to the present day — along the Cape Fear River.
The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge was built in 1969, with the purpose of connecting New Hanover and Brunswick counties. Heading east from Fayetteville, it’s the first indication — along with a view of the battleship U.S.S. North Carolina in the distance — that you’ve officially arrived in the Port City, a.k.a. Wilmington, NC.
In the spirit of its local nickname “Hollywood East,” the city has maintained a thriving arts and entertainment scene over the years, with institutions ranging from production facilities like Screen Gems/EUE (recently sold to Cinespace) to smaller, intimate live event venues, like Waterline Brewing Company. Just about two right turns from the exit of the Memorial Bridge, Waterline was the location last Monday of Brooklyn MC and Black Star member Talib Kweli’s second North Carolina tour stop in as many nights, after playing Durham’s MotorCo Music Hall the night before.
With docked boats on the Cape Fear River serving as the evening’s scenic backdrop, Coast 97.3’s Brandon “Bigg B” Hickman set the vibe for the night with classic hip-hop tracks from Kweli’s Black Star counterpart Yasiin Bey, as well as music from local acts like Fuzz Jackson. The atmosphere was reminiscent of a backyard BBQ, especially with the aroma coming from the two food trucks, Smash-N-Dash and Rude Bwoy’s Jerk BBQ, parked opposite of the stage.
Opening the show was Athens, Georgia-based band Trvy & The Enemy, whose lead man, Trvy, reminded me of another Athens native, Bubba Sparxxx. Before exiting the stage, Trvy let the audience know about the group’s next project, Choose Your Enemy, explaining that the album’s title was an analogy for picking your battles. The next performer, New Jersey native and Wilmington resident S.Dot Lee, paid homage to female rap pioneers like Queen Pen, Queen Latifah, and Wilmington’s own MC Sha-Rock, with a powerful set that reminded me of the lyricism and creativity of fellow North Carolinian Rapsody.
Following a brief intermission, Florida MC Landon Wordswell — a signee of Skyzoo’s First Generation Rich label imprint — tore the stage down with his rapid-fire wordplay, running through songs like “Grey” and “Forget Everything,” and filming a video for his song “Hold On.”
Next was Landon’s label head, Skyzoo, full of life and ready to bring high-energy hip-hop on a Monday night. Opening up with songs from his Retropolitan joint album with Pete Rock, the Brooklyn MC captured the audience with throwback tracks as well, like 2013’s “Range Rover Rhythm.” The 42-year-old rapper more than proved he’s still got it — cutting the music at one point to drop an acapella freestyle. After his performance, rather than just leaving, Skyzoo hung out in the crowd with attendees, taking pictures and exchanging contact information.
Skyzoo's love for the headliner, Talib Kweli, was evident from the introduction he gave Kweli before exiting the stage. Starting in the late 90s with Rawkus Records, Kweli’s career spans over two decades and more than 20 projects, including the conscious hip-hop classic Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star from 1998. His Wilmington performance pulled from all over that extensive catalog, including Black Star’s “Definition," “Hot Thing," the Kanye West-produced hit “Get By,” and even a preview of unreleased music from his forthcoming album. He closed the night on a somber, reflective note, paying tribute to hip-hop peers Phife Dawg (of A Tribe Called Quest) and Trugoy the Dove (of De La Soul).
As special as it was to have an ambassador of hip-hop history at Waterline, it wasn’t the first time. Back in May, organizer Christopher Everett hosted an event at the brewery called Wu Wednesday to kick off the North Carolina Black Film Festival, joined by longtime Wu-Tang documentarian Gerald “GB” Barclay. Like that event, the Kweli show sought to bring awareness to Everett's upcoming 3 Chambers Festival, taking place December 4-7 in Wilmington with a mission of fusing together hip-hop, martial arts, and anime culture. For more on 3 Chambers, head to the event's website.
Salute to Chris and every activist getting active. Peace.
Rakeem “Keem” Jones is a regular contributor to the Fayetteville Observer, as well as a community advocate, father of four, and the owner of the Keem Jones Content Collection. He lives in Fayetteville, NC. You can find more of his photography and writing via his personal Instagram or his content page, Keem Jones Collection.
