El-P

"Anybody out there a real fan and not just a hipster motherfucker?” asked El-P as he climbed the small stage. Well, the answer was both. But mostly the rapper was just trying rile up the crowd for his agro set of new tunes. In fact, he also suggested we punch each other in the face ("I don’t condone it, but if you do, do it to someone that’s been fucking with you”). Backed by a live band, including Tortoise drummer John McEntire, his DJ Mr. Dibbs and some serious guitars, El-P got so into his rhymes, his eyes were closed half the time. His pissed-off flow and legendary lyricism kept everyone enthralled despite focusing on then-unreleased tracks from his new Def Jux album I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead.