Concertgoers at last night’s sold-out Bandersnatch show might not have signed up for a history lesson, but they certainly got schooled.

‘I couldn’t get into Syracuse,’ said D.C. rapper Wale to the crowd in Schine Underground. ‘But I can teach you a lesson.’

True to his word, Wale (pronounced Wah-lay) brought the audience up to speed on go-go, the percussive party music native to the nation’s capitol.

Recently signed rapper J. Cole kicked off the night with an a cappella rap and a few other songs to modest crowd approval. The next performer, pop-soul artist Colin Munroe, drew a more mixed reaction; some people were singing along, while others shouted ‘We want Wale.’

On came Wale with the UCB go-go band, opening with ‘The Breakdown,’ which had the MC spitting memorable lines like, ‘My name Wah-lay, don’t say Wall-e.’ He sensed the surge of energy flowing through the crowd that would only increase as the night went on.

‘This s**t is great,’ he said. ‘This is a great hip-hop crowd.’

He delivered song after song with a smooth, effortless flow. Sometimes he freestyled or took a moment to joke with the crowd. Other times, he and the band would stray off into cover songs that ranged from A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘Electic Relaxation’ to Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit.’

Throughout his set, people danced and threw their hands in the air on command, singing and rapping along. At the point of the go-go ‘lesson,’ Wale threw lyrics aside as he urged the crowd to cheer the conga player who tore up a solo.

Go-go grew popular in the 1970s and 1980s, when live bands would play nightclubs with their high-energy brand of funk. Bands would play several instruments, often including drums, bells and congas complemented by call-and-response with the crowd.

‘Growing up listening to that helped me mold my sound,’ he explained to the audience.

Wale has become a hyped artist over the past few years with the help of Internet sites like MySpace and hip-hop blogs. He earned a name for himself with the popular single ‘Nike Boots’ as well as a series of acclaimed mixtapes, such as last summer’s ‘Seinfeld’-inspired ‘Mixtape About Nothing.’

Now signed to Interscope-Allido and a protégé of big-time DJ and producer Mark Ronson, Wale seems poised for mainstream success. His latest single, ‘Chillin,’ features pop sensation Lady Gaga and will be appear on his debut album ‘Attention Deficit,’ due this summer.

Syracuse University undergrads were not the only ones to show their love for Wale at the show. Audience members came from places as far as Utica, Rochester and Watertown, and some were native D.C. residents.

Mike Robinson, who lives and Watertown, N.Y., but grew up in D.C., thinks Wale is the freshest thing in hip-hop these days.

‘You gotta be different. That’s what the game needs right now,’ he said.

Wale’s performance marked the only Bandersnatch series show of the semester, as well as the only hip-hop event put on through University Union this semester. Later this month, Ben Folds and Guster will perform at Block Party, which for the past three years has featured hip-hop and pop acts such as Kanye West and Ciara.

‘I do think this (show) is a little consolation prize,’ said junior magazine journalism major Katie Garton.

Andrew Friedman, co-president of Bandersnatch, was impressed with the turnout for what will be his last planned event. He thinks Wale’s on-the-verge status makes him the ideal fit for the Bandersnatch series, which seeks to highlight up-and-coming and indie acts.

‘I just think he’s one of the best new rappers out there,’ he said. ‘To be able to say two years from now that Wale played here will be (awesome).’

jgaskena@syr.edu

Published on April 1, 2009 at 12:00 pm