Photography by Saint Warhead
While the majority of the We Out Here Magazine crew was off meandering around SXSW I was in Portland grinding local events. This past Saturday I was at the Branx attending the first Sandpeople show in a very, very long time. The entire crew was there except for Ethic–where was that dude? (Ed’s Note: Ethic was off meandering around SXSW.) Also performing for the night were guest appearances from Vinnie Dewayne, Calvin Valentine (feat. TxE), Quiz, and… Andy Milonakis–yes, that Andy Milonakis.
Being a local rapper, I attend a fair amount of local rap shows and the majority of them have less than ideal attendance. The attendance of last Saturday’s show proved again that Sandpeople is not a “local” rap group. For being a group that hasn’t performed together in over a year, their ability to comfortably fill a venue the size of Branx on St. Patrick’s Day is impressive.
Even more impressive was the quality of the show. Sandpeople took the stage shortly after 11:15 P.M. with an opening introduction reminiscent of something the Portland Trailblazers would play before taking the court. The two scheduled emcee battles were cancelled due to no-show rappers. Illmaculate made it a point to clearly convey his feelings about this – by having the entire audience chant “fuck Flashmatics” and “fuck Uno Lavez” for a video camera. I personally would like to thank Flashmatics and Uno Lavez for not making it out, as the battles were replaced by a freestyle session involving Illmaculate, Andy Milonakis, Sapient, Gold, and OnlyOne.
While Andy Milonakis kept the evening peppered with humorous freestyles in between sets, Sandpeople kept the crowd peppered with confetti during their set. They kept their performance appropriately mixed with new, exclusive material and classic, well-known Sandpeople bangers. They topped the night off with their most anticipated song – Hate Aside. This was definitely the best hip hop show comprised of Portland-only artists that I have been to in a long time.
Sandpeople started a Kickstarter campaign yesterday. They are looking to raise $7000 for their upcoming European tour.