Afrika Bambaataa, The Hi-Fi May 17

Friday night and the breakers were out as the Hi-Fi witnessed a good ole fashioned, old school block party. With DJ Butcher and Tom Thum (Crate Creeps) presiding over the stage, the late comers (yeah, we had to get dressed up first) had to fight their way towards the front, with a healthy crowd populating the dancefloor.

Onstage, the Elements Collective were ripping it up — with more eye-popping moments than Jim Carrey’s ‘The Mask’ to feast upon, Flix and her crew did Brisbane, and no doubt the rest of the nation, proud with an amazing display of athleticisim, creative flair and out-of-this-world moves (I did witness Tom Thum do a one-handed forward flip, right?).



I did expect more from the night, being that we had the Godfather of Hip Hop in our presence; his hypeman had the crowd rocking from early on, while Afrika’s cuts remain as pure as ever, and his track selection on-point and educational. But he seemed content to remain hidden in the shadows at the back of the stage, allowing the b-boys and b-girls to own the night. And maybe that’s what it’s all about, the full celebration of the hip hop culture — not just the DJ.