There were no fights on the evening of May 9 in Janet Leigh Plaza.No guns, either. No misogyny, no grills, no bling.Just some phenomenal music.And it was hip-hop.The day after the Stockton planning commission effectively closed the city's lone rap venue, some of the city's best rappers put on an incredible show in the heart of downtown to kick off the Downtown Stockton Alliance's Music in the Square series. They proved that, when you cut through the commercial hype that drives the mainstream, hip-hop can be a powerful and moving musical force.The show was sponsored by 209Vibe.The emphasis was on the music, as each act featured a live band. Greyspace opened with a short but strong set that dared the crowd in the plaza not to listen. They addressed social topics with forceful rhymes and stirring lyrics.The audience grew slowly, as those who had been scattered around the plaza hanging out with friends came over to check out the show. More than 100 people surrounded the band by the end of the set.Icarus Jones and Neglected were next on the mic, showing the verbal athleticism that makes them so much fun to watch.It set the stage for the debut performance by the Icarus Jones Collective, which features some os Stockton's best musicians, guitarists Stanley Raquel of the Stockton Royale and Esteban Aguila of The Second String Quintet, bassist Nick Johnson of The Second String Quintet, DJ No Shame and keyboardist Mike Klooster, also of The Second String Quintet and Smash Mouth. They backed Icarus Jones, arguably the area's best rapper and verbal acrobat.What followed was one of the best shows I've seen in my three years covering Stockton music. The band was unbelievably tight, grooving and jamming through the beats of Icarus' songs. It added a new dimension to the work of an already fine musician.And they explored the breadth of Icarus' work, from his standout early songs to tracks like "Brand New Revolution"and the incredible "Disconnected" from his new CD "Smoke Signals to Satellites." The rapper proved to be the perfect front man: He knew when to stand out with his tremendous flow and when to kick back and let his band do its thing.Icarus also doesn't try to appeal to the masses with the formulaic rhymes about women and money that are so common on mainstream radio and music television. He shows what hip-hop should aspire to be by dropping intelligent, challenging lyrics about topics the range from the Iraq War to the frustrations of modern life.Like all great artist/musicians, Icarus Jones engages you and makes you think even as you're bobbing your head.Fortunately, I had my video camera handy as the icarus Jones Collective played for more than an hour. Be sure to come back to 209Vibe.com later this week for footage of "Brand New Revolution" and 'Waking Up." - Ian Hill 209Vibe
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