Three Must-See Acts At "Takin' It To The Streets" That Aren't Brother Ali or Mos Def

By Jon Graef in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 18, 2010 3:40PM

Big music festivals are too often light on hip-hop and world music talent, both on the local and national level. Fortunately, there’s “Takin’ It To The Streets” to fill that void. The full-day festival, sponsored by the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, takes place Saturday at Marquette Park, includes heavy-hitters like Brother Ali and Mos Def, not to mention local stalwarts like All Natural. But considering the strong amount of talent involved in the diverse line-up (which includes folk, spoken word, rock and soul acts from across the globe) we figured that there’s no harm in shining a little light on a few lesser-known acts to storm the stage. Here they are:

Mikkey Halsted (2:00 p.m., Hip-Hop Pavilion)
As perhaps befitting for a mixtape called The Best You Never Heard, Mikkey Halsted’s February collection of new, old and unreleased material contains its fair share of boasts. (The most memorable of which is the former Cash Money rapper saying his rhymes are “ghostwritten by God, He just let me keep the publishin’). However, as the saying goes, it ain’t bragging if it’s true. Heard, which functions as a sort of musical Cliff Notes to the rapper's career, gives listeners ample opportunity to acquaint themselves with Halsted’s nasally, rapid-fire delivery and socially-aware raps, both of which can be favorably compared to Pharoahe Monch. Not everything on Heard is sonic gold waiting to be discovered at the end of the hip-hop rainbow -- after all, there’s 38 tracks to wade through. But tracks like the explosive “Israelite Gangsta”, the spare, dirty south-like “Whoa” serve as more than admirable showcases for Halsted’s talents. If he remains in the shadow of his Chicago hip-hop brethren after Saturday, it won’t be for a lack of trying.

M.anifest (3:45 p.m., Hip Hop Pavillion)
Deftly blending soul-tinged hip-hop with hard-hitting percussion and siren-emulating horns of Afro-beat, Ghana-born emcee M.anifest has played a significant part in an energetic Twin Cities hip-hop scene through releases like 2007’s full-length Manifestations and last fall’s mixtape, The Birds and The Beats, which he gave away for free while encouraging donations to Young Entrepreneurs Africa. M.anifest is at his best when he’s calling attention to the strife felt by citizens in both continents while maintaining a practical outlook on what can be accomplished. (On “Pardon Me”, from Beats, he raps that “I just speak on the issues that I believe in the most” while also admitting that “you can’t expect revolution from a verse”). While it’s unfortunate that M.anifest has a more traditional view on gender roles (“calling me sexist because I want breakfast” - dude, is it that hard to pour yourself a bowl of Wheaties?) bangers like “Ghana, 52”, “The Birds and the Beats” and “Slow Your Roll” should have the Marquette Park crowd bobbing their heads and contemplating their roles on the world stage.

Tinariwen (6:30 p.m., Streets Stage)
After picking Northern Mali-based musical nomads Tinariwen’s fourth album Imidiwan, for their Best Album for their music awards, Uncut Magazine editor Allan Jones explained the decision by saying, “You don’t need to listen to the words of rock 'n' roll to be excited by it.” The sentiment may be a little cornball, sure, but one listen of Tinariwen’s mix of traditional West African instruments and an inventive approach to guitar comparable to (though not directly influenced by) American blues-rock bands easily reveals why Jones could reach that conclusion. Around since the 1970s, but only releasing albums since the start of the decade, Tinariwen’s restless creativity and boundless enthusiasm (chanted vocals help on that front) have driven records like 2007’s Aman Iman: Water Is Life to international acclaim. Their live show brings audiences to their knees, though they’re less frequent these days due to leader Ibrahim Ag Alhabib’s health. So if you missed them yesterday at Millennium Park, check them out on Saturday. The music from these desert boys are tailor-made for it.