Hip Hop Comes to Lollapalooza

© Dave Vann / RumBum.com

Asher Roth does the party rap thing at Lollapalooza.

Lollapalooza is a fest that spans so many genres, you can't expect them to be masters of every domain. Lolla came out strong in the world of rock n' roll and swingin' in the genre of electronic and dance music. As for hip hop at Lollapalooza, there were five acts in total. Things were just a'ight in the '09, which just served to make us even more excited for next year's offerings.

Fresh New Cats

Hip hop heads who arrived early enough on Friday got a taste of good things to come. The Knux took the stage at 1 p.m., before the bleak drizzle had a chance to bog down anyone's spirits. Clad in black leather ala early Run-DMC, the New Orleans group fronted by brothers Krispy Kreme and Rah Al Millio played their own instruments, hyped the crowd, and got the party started to ill effect. Their musical formula is unique and memorable - electric guitar, synths, hooks made for singing along, and a don't give a damn attitude. Lolla loved it, despite the unceasing rain. Afterwards the MCs strode around the media area like kings of the castle, oozing celebrity swagger.

Misogyny in the Air

Asher Roth was next on cue, and this Caucasian rapper panders to his audience quite well. All the backwards hat, shirtless muscle boys were rapping along to his song "I Love College," and the minidress clad babes squealed and ran to the stage when he invited them up to dance. Roth's range of subject matter is limited to two main topics – getting wasted, and mackin' on chicks. But he gave the people what they were asking for and even managed to win over some new fans by showing the lighter side of his personality. His DJ put on some wacky tracks and let Roth dance to It's Raining Men and Candy Rain, then at another point Roth donned a lion costume over his basketball shorts and casual teeshirt. When the fans weren't dancing, they were laughing. He made for an enjoyable set despite his typical "bitches and hoes" attitude in kicking the dancing girls off the stage.

Cudi Rules the Night

Kid Cudi was a perfect fit for the electro heads at Perry's – the MC who has mastered what Jamaicans once called the "sing-jay" style, had heads nodding happily and hands waving in the air. People were eating him up like candy as he performed "Sky Might Fall," "Make Her Say," and "Sky High," which soared into the Chicago air buoyed by the Kanye West vocal samples. The crowd proved that they were indeed fiending for good hip hop music, but the speakers weren't ready – Kid blew one of 'em out when he performed "Day and Nite."

Feeling the Atmosphere

Anyone hungry for real lyricism got what they needed and more at Atmosphere's set on Saturday. The group's studio recordings are typically sedate enough to bob your head while you absorb Slug's devious wordplay, but the group delivered a surprisingly high energy set in the blazing sunshine. The crowd rapped along word for word on tracks like "God Loves Ugly," "Guns and Cigarettes," and "Trying to Find a Balance." Atmosphere definitely enhanced the hip hop lineup at Lolla, and he's in prime position to return for next year.

Big Snoop Dogg

Closing out the hip hop set, Lolla brought out the big guns. Anyone who came up in the Nineties MTV era has love for the West Coast and Snoop Dogg. He took everyone in his smoke-filled wayback machine to a simpler time, when we all wanted to be "rolling down the street, smokin' indo, sippin' on gin and juice." This stopped slightly short of being a greatest hits set, but nobody complained. We were all too busy waving our hands in the air as the Doggfather commanded us to do.