On Sunday (July 30), hip-hop forefathers The Rock Steady Crew held their 40th anniversary celebration in Central Park as part of this year’s annual City Park’s SummerStage initiative.
Not only did Rock Steady bask in their glorious four-decade legacy, but they also took time to place some of the spotlight on Mobb Deep. MC Eiht, with tag team partner DJ Premier, and MC Lyte were the other headliners.
Wearing all white once she took her her black bedazzled jacket, the timeless “L.Y.T.E.” doused the crowd with her electric classics from “Paper Thin” and “Cha Cha Cha,” all the way to “Ruffneck.”
Eiht came with his catalog, as well. “Wake your punk ass up!,” he yelled before coming onstage. “Growing Up in the Hood” and “Streiht Up Menace” were highlights. He let off a few rounds from his new Which Way Iz West album, executive-produced by DJ Premier.
The West Coast veteran was also a part of the Prodigy tribute package that played on the stage’s screens. Pictures of various fan artwork of the Mobb Deep member and Havoc displayed in a collage on top of Mobb’s “Got It Twisted” song.
Later, Havoc took the stage and to rep his team with various Mobb beloved gems.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling,” Hav told REVOLT News before taking the stage. “I wish my peoples, Prodigy was here. On the other hand, it feels good, they paying tribute. It’s well deserved.”
Hav; started with “Give Up The Good” and had Big Noyd right by his side: “Yo, it’s the R-A-double-P-E-R / N-O-Y-D, niggas can’t fuck with me / Coming straight outta QB / Pushing an Infiniti / You ask can I rip it constantly? Mentally? / Definitely, to the death of me, come and test me.”
“Salute to Prodigy today,” Hav said. “We gonna rock out. We gonna do all Prodigy verses. Imma need y’all to help me.”
“Survival of the Fittest,” “Eye For an Eye,” and “Temperature’s Rising” all followed in succession. “The Learning (Burn)” and “Hell on Earth” also came. The treasure chest was officially open.
“It means a lot,” Havoc said about performing as part of the historic festivities. “Central Park is one of the big pinnacles of New York City. It’s a big staple. Rock Steady, 40 years in the game doing it. [They are a] foundation of hip-hop. It means a lot to be invited down to the event and be part of it.”