Last night we went to the Fine Line in downtown Minneapolis to see Murs perform. While Murs may be a rapper from California, he'll always have a strong fan-base in the Midwest because of his part in Felt (group formed by Murs and Slug, who have different deejays produce their LPs). And during the show, he definitely made it clear that he respects what Minneapolis is doing with hip hop. I thought Murs' set was great. He was very energetic. He did all he songs we wanted to hear. He engaged the audience, but didn't spend too much time talking in between songs. My only qualm with this show was his openers. I've noticed this with quite a few indie hip hop artists. I like the hip hop that is prolific, full of impressive vocabulary, pop culture references, and political undertones. There is a ton of really smart hip hop out there. However, a lot of these artists go on tour and get openers who don't match their feel or fan base at all. The openers for Murs were Tabi Bonney and Whole Wheat Bread. While Tabi at least matched Murs in energy and hometown pride, both openers were bordering a little too close to rap. There is a distinct difference between rap and hip hop, and openers need to be chosen more carefully for hip hop shows. We don't come to see rap. Artists, pick people who match your sound. Don't just pick them because they're your friends.
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