Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Hip-hop is the new pop, but it wouldn’t have come this far without the ground laid by the first few waves of creativity, which began in the early 1970s and fully emerged into the mainstream by the ‘80s.

Rakim, Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick were amongst the pioneers of the latter period, and even all these decades later, continue to “Rock The Mic” as their collective visit the Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana proudly proclaimed.

The casino and concert hall combination was the winner as the exclusive destination for this triple treat tour, starting with “The Original Human Beatbox” Doug E. Fresh demonstrating his jaw-dropping ability to do exactly that throughout solos and collaborations.

“Keep Risin’ To The Top,” “Freaks” co-starring special guest Lil Vicious and the frequently sampled Slick Rick tag team “La Di Da Di” were but a few of the many grooves where no drum or bass were needed, just Fresh’s superhuman abilities.

Speaking of Slick Rick, the early Def Jam Recordings artist picked up where his partner’s history lesson left off by delivering the source material further popularized in over a thousand samples or covers by the likes of Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Beyoncé, Beastie Boy and Mariah Carey.

They included highly detailed and stylized versions of “Teenage Love,” “Hey Young World” and “Children’s Story,” prior to passing the torch back to Fresh for a festive stretch of covers from the surrounding era.

It all closed with Rakim, the MC who’s still a “Microphone Fiend” and armed with a labyrinth of lyrics on his own after rising to recognition alongside fellow rapper/producer/DJ Eric B., widely considered to be the genre’s greatest duo.

In fact, the man responsible for inventing the “flow” spent much of the hour-long set focused on their collaborations, such as “I Know You Got Soul,” “Paid In Full,” “Follow The Leader” and “Juice (Know The Ledge),” each painting the packed Hard Rock a fuller picture of hip-hop’s fruitful foundation.

For additional information on Rakim, Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick, visit TheGodRakim.com, DougEFresh.com and SlickRickIsArt.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana include Bret Michaels (Nov. 30); Vietnamese Winter Showcase (Dec. 1); Northwest Indiana Symphony (Dec. 5); Joe (Dec. 7); “A Not So Silent Night” (Dec. 28); Elvis Tribute Artist Spectacular (Jan. 11); Rickey Smiley And Friends (Jan. 24); Anjelah Johnson-Reyes (Feb. 1) and Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (Mar 28). For additional details, visit HardRockCasinoNorthernIndiana.com.

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