Even though Slum Village is missing two of their founding members, J Dilla and Baatin, T3 keeps the tradition going and honors his former friends by continuing to perform as Slum Village live.
Though I respect T3 and newer member Young RJ for continuing under the name Slum Village, the Slum Village you hear online is of course very different from the Slum Village I saw perform at Mezz last year.
The previously high-energy Slum Village has become a more laid-back, relaxed performance, with T3 and Young RJ tagging each other in and out of a flow that's fun but turns bland after 30 minutes. What they did get right was the interaction with the crowd. It felt more like watching a group of friends performing on stage, very grounded and far more accessible than most artists you see live. Both are skilled rappers with a steady flow, but again, because that flow is so slow, the show has to lean on nostalgia and crowd interaction to keep things entertaining.
I still had a fun time watching them. If you're an old-school fan, just know they're not what they were, but they're still worth seeing if they perform somewhere near you.
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