DJ Quik Surprises Crowd With Rodney O Performing Future & Metro Boomin’s “Like That” Inspiration
As self-anointed “influencers” and millennials high on Molly twirled around to manufactured DJs at Coachella, Hip-Hop heads in Colorado were witnessing history. On Friday (April 19), AEG Rocky Mountains hosted Ice Cube, DJ Quik, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Living Legends at Red Rocks Amphitheater for its annual 4/20 event—in an unexpected yet somewhat predictable spring snow storm.
Living Legends (minus Murs) hit the stage early, warming up the crowd with material from the West Coast collective’s latest album, The Return, and other underground classics.
Bone Thugs were up next, although only three of the five could make the trek: Layzie Bone, Wish Bone and Flesh-N-Bone. Backstage, they took photos with their fans, did a bizarre Quizno’s ad (free drinks and sandwiches included, of course) and touched on Krayzie’s absence.
In a text to AllHipHop, Krayzie revealed a show in Boston had left him unable to use his voice due to wafts of weed smoke overpowering the venue. Considering his near-death experience last year, it was smart for him to stay behind, especially when it’s a 4/20 show in Colorado. After sailing through iconic songs like “Look Into My Eyes” and “Tha Crossroads,” the shivering temperatures sent them back to their dressing rooms to warm up.
DJ Quik, who introduced AllHipHop to Rodney O of the duo Rodney O & Joe Cooley prior to his set, soon stepped on stage to bring his signature West Coast gangsta rap to the freezing audience. As a welcomed surprise, Rodney O unexpectedly grabbed the mic to perform the 1988 single “Everlasting Bass” from the album Me & Joe. With the bravado of a seasoned vet, Rodney murdered his verses and elated those who knew their Hip-Hop history. (Those who didn’t, well, let’s hope they learned a little lesson.)
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Rodney O is currently experiencing an exciting career resurgence after Future & Metro Boomin sampled “Everlasting Bass” for their No. 1 single “Like That” featuring Kendrick Lamar (the now-infamous diss). DJ Quik and crew then made the wise decision to play the We Don’t Trust You track for the sold-out crowd, almost like “yeah, kids, we were first.”
Speaking to AllHipHop outside of DJ Quik’s dressing room, Rodney O briefly spoke about the sample of “Everlasting Bass” being used for the biggest song in the country.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “For something I made when I was 16, 17 years old to come back and be bigger than it was, ‘Hey, I’m all in!’ Keep it moving. Y’all keep listening!”
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Hitting the stage 15 minutes ahead of schedule, Ice Cube put on a stellar performance as usual, expertly executing fan favorites such as “Friday, “Check Yourself” and “Today Was A Good Day.” But the highlight was seeing the camaraderie behind-the-scenes, a reminder of just how tight-knit the Hip-Hop scene really is.
Layzie, Wish and Flesh were taking photos with DJ Quik, Quik was clearly ecstatic to bring out Rodney O and Living Legends member The Grouch couldn’t hide his enthusiasm when crossing paths with the “Tonite” legend in the hallway.
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For those unfamiliar with Rodney O, like he says in his Instagram bio, you “betta ask somebody!” In the late 1980s, he and Joe Cooley were signed with Egyptian Lover’s label, Egyptian Empire, for the aforementioned debut, Me & Joe. Subsequent tours included bills with MC Lyte, N.W.A, Kool Moe Dee and Grandmaster Flash. Interestingly enough, they gained more popularity in South Florida and played a pioneering role in the Miami bass scene.
Rodney O still retains 50 percent of the rights to “Everlasting Bass,” meaning the Future & Metro Boomin track is putting some well-deserved money in his pockets. After all, “if it don’t make dollaz, it don’t make sense.”