Brisbane was freezing on Saturday night as a modest crowd packed into the upstairs room at the Transcontinental to see legendary Brooklyn MC Masta Ace.

Up first were local supports Exit Strategy and Sus One, who entertained the small but vocal crowd and got things ready for Kings Konekted who were plugging their latest EP, ‘The Campaign’. KK have been making moves in recent months and this is not lost on the punters who give them a raucous reception. Coming up toward midnight DJ Marco Polo hits the stage before the headliner, playing tracks off his new LP including the Gangstarr tribute ‘G.U.R.U.’ that went down well.

Masta Ace hit the stage next and the intensity level was turned up a notch as people made the way to the floor. Ace, along with his rhyme partner Stricklin, made their mark early with tracks from his latest album, ‘Son Of Yvonne’, getting an early airing along with Ace’s classic verses from Marley Marl’s ‘The Symphony’ and Crooklyn Dodger’s ‘Crooklyn’. The night took a somewhat surreal turn in the middle of the set with a mystery mic being turned on somewhere and someone actually rapping inaudibly over the top.
It only took a couple of minutes for the show to restart with Ace joking about “The curse of the wack MC”, and going in to ‘Sitting On Chrome’ from 1995’s effort of the same name. The show was interactive with plenty of banter from Ace and Stricklin, who were happy to take requests throughout making sure Ace’s entire career was covered from ‘Take A Look Around’ all the way through to his MC work.

While the sound wasn’t the best due to the massive hole in the middle of the floor where the stairs are located, Masta Ace’s personality and skill shone through, creating a warm vibe to counter the chill coming from outside and giving Brisbane a solid night of hip hop we don’t get to see to often.



Photos: Andrew Garden