As musicians sat in position waiting for their cue, a massive turntable sat adjacent to the conductor’s station. It was a sign of what was to come Thursday night at Stifel Theatre. The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra joined forces with one of the first commercially successful rap groups, The Sugarhill Gang, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels, and created a historical night with A Celebration of Hip Hop. Under the direction of Edwin Outwater, the orchestra transposed their classic hits onto strings producing a nostalgic hip hop partyscape.
The audience went wild as The Sugarhill Gang rushed the stage rapping “8th Wonder,” a jazzy tune that was recreated with so much precision that one could have easily forgotten they were listening to live music. The audience nodded along to the beat and did not hesitate to participate in the call and responses.
Hip hop legend Hen Dogg led The Sugar Hill Gang in a performance of “LaLa Song”. The orchestra matched the bright and upbeat tempo of this intoxicating melody – with the xylophone as the standout instrument.
Sugar Hill Gang founding member Master Gee shared his personal history in hip hop as well as the group’s original story of playing basement parties in Englewood/Hackensack, New Jersey.
“I had no idea my life would turn out the way that it has,” Gee told the crowd. “I still to this day feel like that kid doing those parties, even now on this stage and all over the world.”
Gee noted that though the Sugarhill Gang launched hip hop into mainstream media, they recognize “the real architects of the Hip Hop thing.” They went on to pay homage to a group hailing from the streets of South Bronx – pioneers who they show love for every city they perform in.
The opening synthesizer chords of “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five began to play and the audience lit up with excitement. A party ensued with the orchestra playing the track so grandly they impressed both the audience and the Sugar Hill Gang.
“We’re hearing these songs like we’re doing them for the first time,” Gee said.
The audience immediately rose to their feet when the classic party activator “Apache” started to play as purple strobe lights flickered over the hooting crowd. The audience sang and danced electrified by the music – at one point Hendogg left the stage to perform the classic dance moves with the audience.
They closed the show with their biggest hit “Rapper’s Delight,” and gave a nod to the St. Louis region for playing it across commercial radio airwaves for the first time in 1979.
Instead of an intermission, bassist Doug Wimbish played an excerpt from Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” and inserted his own phrasings that showcased his talent and connection to the instrument.
The infamous DJ Charlie Chan, a native of U. City, took over the turntables to introduce Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels, of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winning group, RUN- DMC. After his standing ovation he opened up about what motivated him. “It wasn’t to be rich and famous, it was to be a voice for the people that couldn’t talk about the things we needed to talk about,” he said. “And Rock and Roll and Hip Hop told [me] to go out there and tell the world how it is.”
Suddenly “It’s Like That” began to play. DJ Charlie Chan, the percussion, and the cellos came together to perfectly recreate the dynamic nature of this song. D.M.C. rapped along, with the audience catching him on the chorus. The sensational “Sucker M.C.’s (Krush-Groove 1)” was up next – where the violins led the party. The audience danced and twirled about. Some moved into the aisles to have more room to jam.
He shared the many explanations for the meaning of his artist name D.M.C. First “Darryl makes cash” then “Darryl makes cookies, and Darryl makes comics,” on account of his bakery and comic illustration business.
“King of Rock” and “Mary Mary” kept the party going. Happiness radiated from D.M.C., conductor Outwater, and the orchestra members as they played the rocking hip hop hits. Joy oozed from their instruments and filled the concert hall.
D.M.C. and Charlie Chan then began to play “Tricky” and the audience rose to their feet. They danced about with their hands in the air – and remained that way for the duration of the concert. It concluded with a trumpet solo that brought the song to a dramatic end.
The set concluded with the crossover sensation “Walk This Way.” D.M.C. commanded the stage with his high energy rock-rap lyrics. Blue and yellow strobe lights flashed across the audience like a true rock concert as people sang and threw their arms about.
Still standing, the audience cheered and whistled as the evening came to a close. All were satisfied to once again hear the historic discography of the legendary hip hop group Sugarhill Gang, and iconic Mc D.M.C. – with a whole new vibe thanks to SLSO.