It’s good to see some authentic, underground hip hop coming to Barcelona, and Dilated Peoples are one of the best there is. Formed by DJ Babu and MCs Evidence and Rakaa Iriscience in Los Angeles back in 1992, they recorded four albums for Capitol Records, a couple of which – The Platform and Expansion Team – are true hip hop classics. Now, after a break of five years during which they all released solo albums, they’re back together and about to release a new record Directors of Photography on Suburban Noize.

Evidence and Iriscience are great live performers, each with their own original style and holding the whole thing together on the decks is the legendary Babu. A winner of the Vestax World Championships and many International Turntablist Federation competitions, Babu is also a member of The Beat Junkies, the collective responsible for bringing the beat juggling and scratching skills of the DJ to center stage. Many consider him to be one of the finest practitioners of the art.

Lyrically, Dilated Peoples have never been afraid of wearing their opinions on their sleeves, taking on poverty and capitalism, the media, war and the music industry itself, but at the same time they know how to use humor as a weapon, as in their collaborations with fellow Angelenos Tha Alkaholiks. They’ve had some European chart successes with a couple of UK top forty records and their 2004 release “This Way,” produced by and featuring Kanye West, did well for them at home.

So if you have the taste for some genuine old-school, hip-hop flavors then be certain to catch Dilated Peoples at Bikini, you won’t be disappointed.

dilatedpeoples.com