The lights were turned down low; it was a packed house; and there was a vibe that was calm and collected, as something great was about to go down at the Trocadero, March 20th. Hosted by WRNB’s (107.9 FM) Lady B, Chubb Rock and DJ Bentrock, the “Flashback Volume One,” show started off with a mix of old school R&B, Reggae and Hip-Hop. The mix alone was enough to start the night and get the crowd dancing.

Dana Dane, of the Kangol Crew opened, giving a short performance, and then promoting his new book entitled “Numbers.” The crowd settled down, as he did a verse acapella describing the book. Still, it wasn’t until Doug E. Fresh came on, that the show began. Fresh controlled the crowd, taking it back to the old school. Fresh and the crowd reminisced together. The delivery was impressive, as he reminded the audience of old school TV shows, video games and of course, the “house and block parties.” It was flawless, but it was his beatboxing that left the crowd in awe.

Dancehall Reggae artist Lil’ Vicious made an appearance, performing “Freaks” with Fresh, who had beatboxed the drum track on the song in the early 90s. The crowd welcomed Slick Rick, but disappointingly, his performance was short. He delivered a part of “La Di Da Di” and “Children’s Story,” but did not perform “Mona Lisa.” Still, having Slick Rick and Fresh in the building was enough to keep the audience up, and Fresh gave them a great performance, incorporating every aspect of Hip-Hop into the show.

MC Lyte and Big Daddy Kane will be in Philly on April 12th for “Flashback Volume Two.”

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