“Verbs Unlocked Live in Gabs City with DJ Easy” attracted a motley crowd of youths and some parents. It was the curiosity that seemed to have gotten the better of the crowd, eager to see the Christian Hip Hop artist, Michael “Verbs” Boyer II. Hip Hop fans were treated to equal doses of Hip Hop and the gospel. For the first time God did not feature in a quick prayer at the foot of the backstage steps or in the hurried “thank-you” speeches often uttered by most Hip Hop performers, sometimes as an afterthought, as they exit the stage. On this Saturday, God was the superstar.
Stepping into the hall, the stage seemed like a lonely island in an open sea. Franklyn performed a few tracks from his latest R’n’B release. The crooner serenaded the audience who preferred to enjoy the music seated. The pace was slow, and the slow jams did nothing to peel them from the walls.
Taking the pace up a notch was a dance quintet, A-Plus. Their choreography was amateurish and unable to pin down the precision required for a well-rehearsed act. Though they each seemed a pack of “wet behind the ears” amateurs, they had the passion to push themselves to the limit.
Then followed Mothusi “Bounce” Seitshiro who opened his act with the “Are you there?” cheer that is becoming of such a festive scene. In minutes the audience was jolted to life. Before the vernacular rapper staged his performance, he prompted the audience to approach the stage. Then, the ice broke down and the water gushed down the sluice.
After a few tunes he welcomed Bhazuka to the stage for a duet. The duo promoted the spirit of botho with an offering, What about the Ones?
With enough heat on the floor as well as on stage it was time for Verbs to make his debut performance at the hall.
He started off with the urban rap sounds of The Syllabus, I Got It Made, (The Syllabus) and Love Triangle – a spin off of the Jackson 5’s ABC - (Unlocked) and ventured deeper to the raw Hip Hop gospel of God Is Big – a spin off of Lean Back by Terror Squad (featuring Fat Joe (aka Joey Crack) & Remy) - and the more party feel What You Rock Now – a spin off of Mos Def Freestyle by Mos Def.
From the chorus “God is Big, (Huge!) Moves thru any place,
God is so large he can swallow the Outer, Space. God Is Big, (Huge!) from the start, to the end, God is so large we find it, hard to comprehend. God Is Big, Huge!” (Action Figure) of God Is Big to “What you rock now, and how you rock now, (Echoes in eternity), if it’s not you, who then? And if its not now, then when does the greatness begin? Say what you rock now, and how you rock now (Echoes in eternity)” (Unlocked), Verbs kept the audience connected to his lyrics. Between the verses he threw at the audience they would throwback with “Huge” for God Is Big or “Echoes in Eternity” for What You Rock Now. To keep the audience in check he would say “Hey DJ!” and the crowd would go “Rock that beat!” In the interim he plucked a few souls that needed some prayer and took the evening to a closing.
“People are starved for entertainment and tonight they have received just that. If we could get financial support, we could do this more often, another concert is lined up for early June,” said Crossgold Services director Trevor Jones, promoter and distributor of Christian music.
