Doomtree is by far my favorite local, with his infectious smile and hype attitude, I wouldn't pay to see any of them on their own. Not that they are all not talented, but together they can create magic. I first saw them open at Mel Gibson and the Pants record release show a couple years back. The obvious love each of them has for the other reminded me of Quannum MCs - Lyrics Born, Lateef the Truth Speaker, Gift of Gab and Joyo Velarde, though Doomtree's style is nothing like the Bay Area's hip-hop heroes - where Quannum is funk fused Doomtree is punk rock.
They all have his or her own style that together - in tandems of twos, threes and sometimes more - mesh perfectly together. Dessa's blend of soul, latin flava and spoken word is a perfect match for Cecil Otter's mix of spoken word, classic story telling MCing. Sims party rocking, big beat energy is a perfect balance for either Mike Mictlan or P.O.S. Mictlan can act as Robin to P.O.S's Batman with utter ease. It's obvious that most of them have been friends since their early teens. Rarely is Mictlan alone on the stage. More often instead he provides the obvious direction to either Sims or P.O.S spitfire delivery.
If I had one complaint, it's that Dessa should have a more active role in the group. Her energy would provide calming to the rambunctious boys the same way Joyo does with the Quannum MCs, minus the overplayed neo-soul that Quannum has been bringing these days. Friday night was no different. It was obvious that at times the boys - Mictlan, Sims and P.O.S - would get ahead of themselves. It appears that nothing could get Cecil Otter worked up into a frenzy. The balance on the stage was not always there. Banging into each other both lyrically and physically transitions and delivery was not always on spot. Dessa would bring something to rein that in.
Beyond the at times chaotic presence on the stage, every other aspect of this group brings it nightly refusing - yes, it feels like a concerted effort - to leave you unmoved. The production by the stable of Doomtree talented beat makers brings out the best in each MCs talents. It was nice to see the Doomtree producers get a moment in the sun, introducing one of the final sets, with a mash up of turntable skills and live on-the-spot drum machine driven beats. It was a perfect prologue to the oncoming MCs.
Minneapolis loves Doomtree and Doomtree loves Minneapolis. Most of the audience had memorized the lyrics - reciting them in conjunction with each MC - even for tracks from the yet to be released Cecil Otter album. Throughout the night, in unison hands would rise forming the Doomtree's winged signs It's as if the audience is a member of an exclusive club that only they, Minnesotans, are aware exists. Doomtree feeds into this with call and response phrases that are true to the Twin Cities. When P.O.S asks "Where you at?" in the track Living Slightly Larger, Mictlan responded, "Minneapolis," which brought a smile to P.O.S's face and an eruption of cheers from the audience.
The mutual affection is not taken for granted by Doomtree. P.O.S's punk roots is obvious in the makeup of the audience, a hodgepodge from of across the board, piercings, mohawks, hip-hop kids, and indie kids all across the board. Like most hip-hop Twin Cities shows, the crowd is mostly white kids from the suburbs. Only this eclectic mix of characters on the stage bring his or her own element to the audience attracting an only in Minnesota vibe.
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