Dilated Peoples Turn No Frills Into Big Thrills

Coming out of the underground hip-hop scene in a city that put gangsta rap on the map, Dilated Peoples are quite familiar with playing the underdog role. Maybe that's why they agreed to make the Toronto stop on their latest tour an early-evening, all-ages gig at one of the city's least suitable venues — they clearly like having the deck stacked against them. Even their choice of opening act was risky.

Although North Carolina's Little Brother battled some adversity of their own, most notably a dinner-hour set time and a murky sound mix, they managed to shake the crowd out of its post-work/school daze. Backed by the soul-sampling beats of 9th Wonder, MCs Big Pooh and Phonte kicked out jams from their 2003 debut, The Listening, and their follow-up, The Minstrel Show. Little Brother's set was received with enough enthusiasm to raise the question of whether Dilated could top them.

Perhaps it was the knowledge that they had their work cut out for them — though it likely had more to do with the 9 p.m. curfew for the show — that prompted the Dilated trio of Evidence, Rakaa and DJ Babu to waste little time taking the stage after their warm-up act departed. It was a wise move, as they quickly dispelled any illusions of being upstaged.

From the first bar on, they established themselves as the skilled veterans they are with the kind of crisp, easily decipherable vocal delivery that one rarely finds at hip-hop shows. Evidence and Rakaa make for an effective yin-yang dynamic onstage, what with the former's adrenaline-fueled engagement with the crowd and the latter's sense of calm and cool. Whereas Evidence's eyes bulged and made direct contact with the Dilated fans, Rakaa kept his hidden behind sunglasses for the first portion of the show.

As they dropped tracks from each of their four albums (with an obvious focus on their most recent release, 20/20), they built up a feeling of urgent energy that is sometimes lacking in the CD versions. Without question, though, the highlight of the set — and the force that truly propels Dilated Peoples — was the work of DJ Babu. Halfway through the performance, the Beat Junkie alumnus enthralled the audience with an extended display of scratching and mixing that brought the vibe in the venue to an ecstatic climax. And he made it look easy. If anything, that's the fairest complaint that could be leveled against Dilated Peoples in general.

Their dedication to the staples of hip-hop culture is admirable, but that same no-frills approach results in songs that don't have the sticky hooks that make them unforgettable. In that sense, the group are much better suited to the live environment, where they overcome adversity and transcend their own limitations. Dilated Peoples certainly did so on Friday, proving that they can accomplish more by 9 p.m. than most hip-hop groups do all night.