By Danyel Jones
Rakim, Ghostface Killah and Brother Ali will hit the road for the 1st Annual Hip Hop Live! tour, a nationwide trek kicking off this month in Los Angeles that features each MC in front of a live, 10-piece band.
The tour, which starts on October 29th at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, will feature The Rhythm Roots Allstars as the 10-piece backing band.
The Rhythm Roots Allstars is a Latino/Cuban funk soul band, that has worked with rap groups like Outkast and The Black Eyed Peas.
“Hip-Hop’s roots are nourished by live music,” said Rakim. “For artists who dug through crates searching for the perfect sample, always trying to replicate the sounds of a full band, standing on a stage, moving the crowd in front of this talent is both the nexus and the pinnacle of what we do.”
The legendary emcee is touring in support of both an upcoming live DVD and a new album, The Seventh Seal.
The rappers will hit 19 cities, starting with the Los Angeles date at The House of Blues.
The tour winds down at The Trocadero in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 21.
Tour dates are listed below:
October 29 - Los Angeles, CA - House of Blues
October 30 - San Diego, CA - 4th & B
October 31 - Long Beach, CA - The Vault
November 1 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst
November 2 - San Francisco, CA - Mezzanine
November 3 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
November 4 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox
November 7 - Park City, UT - Harry O's
November 8 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
November 9 - Aspen, CO - Belly Up
November 10 - Kansas City, MO - The Beaumont Theatre
November 11 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
November 12 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
November 13 - Bloomington, IN - Bluebird Theater
November 15 - New Haven, CT - Toad's Place
November 16 - New York, NY - Nokia Theatre
November 17 - Baltimore, MD - Sonar
November 18 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
November 21 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
