Shinobi Ninja Rock Hood

By Diarra Davis

The sabbatical of my weekend was spent rocking hood on a Saturday night. Shinobi Ninja attacked Atlanta. Free from any expectations, I was ready for whatever. Noticing a different a setup as far as tables and chairs, it seemed like the place was prepared for those predisposed to PUNK posturing crowd surfing perhaps. As always, I am ever ready to embrace any awesomeness Apache has attracted.

Prior to making their moves to Mardi gras, opening act The Lunch Break breezed through to get acquainted with another southern audience. Having a fun loving fan base that reaches obscure areas from Issaquah, Washington to Waterloo, Canada, The Lunch Break boast of wanting to do for hip-hop what the Beatles did for rock. My friends, those are lofty expectations indeed. Born in Atlanta, the three-member group, who is made up of Mike Cease, Jayell, and JDG, has created a movement in Henry County. Backed by DJ X, their coordinated quality sound is represented by a cohesive party pulse. Judging by the constituents who had begun to file in, The Lunch Break had brought a following.

DJ X warmed the house by erecting sick blends of hotness that had the waitresses rocking. X most definitely is in possession of skills. Following an introduction from the group’s manager, DJ X chimed in with an invitation for the folks to fill the front. There were a few responses to this calling, mostly from the young following. Transitioning from N.E.R.D’s ‘Lap Dance’ to the single ‘Jeremy Piven’ I see the vision and the influence. The Lunch Break gets wild, while asking the crowd to get wild with them. Jayell, JDG, and the friendly neighborhood beat maker Mike Cease screamed about shooting out the sun. A little ditty aggressively expressing a nocturnal studio dweller’s aversion to having to confront the rays of the sky bound heat provider.

A bright spot in the extended set featured all seven songs from their EP release, and then afterword the members on stage stepped down to the edge to represent their area. Jayell hails from south Atlanta, JDG from south Jersey, and Cease from Cali. Regional sounds spilled out of the performers while the crew took time out to dance and party with the people.

Unfortunately, a seven-song set is a little long for an opening act. The Lunch Break came with plenty of energy yet; the crowd seemed to lose energy by the midway point of the mini concert. They may have done better to pare down the amount of songs shared, letting DJ X carry the night and get his shine. The applause of the sparse crowd acknowledged the MTV Twitter contest finalist nastiness. Up to this point, he was the highlight.

In spite of a broken trailer, the intense time spent on the side of the road, Shinobi Ninja survived to hype the night. The crew arrived absolutely on time bringing in a fresh radiant, positive energy. After a slight break, just as things had begun to fizzle, the Brooklyn band mates came with the charge. Five guitars rested ready to be wielded, four finger rings featured as front woman adornments, DJ AXIS took over and made his announcements, and it began. The funk, hip-hop rock brought the lingering lovers of lethal language to the front, finally. Lead man DA was spitting, thrashing, slashing, and about to jump through the roof as Shinobi opened with the anthem ‘Rock Hood’. Baby G has a legitimate raspy flow, singing voice that adds just the needed semi-sweetness. Okay. I can dig it. DA’s pairing with Baby Girl makes for a unique male-female lead combo that I can’t recall seeing anywhere else. Plus, they’re, like, best friends…and you can tell. Their rapport and stage presence are more than magnetic. And, I repeat, they both have a legitimate flow. DA’s vocals with BABY G, MANIAC MIKE – GUITAR, ALIEN LEX – BASS, DJ AXIS POWERS on the TURNTABLEs and Terminator DAVE on the Drums had everyone throwing their hands up as the band kept banging our dome to pieces. Maniac Mike switched up his guitar game with each selection, an action that was impressive in its own right.

Shinobi then shared a new joint titled ‘Super R U’, which held up the claim that their genre is ‘the hard stuff.’ DA delivered his lyrics posted on the monitor. Straight to the face and quite convincing with an undeniable energy made this mixture everything I could have expected. I totally get it. Then, as the night began to come to a close, Apache got blessed with a Ninja feel good song about simply being you. Hard rocking hood; inspirational and encouraging. Absolutely amazing it’s a wonderful thing; Brooklyn stand up!

In conclusion, the night was spent joining The Lunch Break on their jaunt through a year in the life. From first lunch, cold fish sticks and limp biscuits, to songs about chasing money and then explaining away the dangers of the monetary pursuit. Well done, yet probably too much to digest in one sitting. Straight to the point rocking turned out to be the best option as the headliners managed to bring life to an evening that could have been considered somewhat a lackluster. I’ll be keeping my eye out for The Lunch Break, and will definitely mark my calendar for Shinobi Ninja’s scheduled April release date. I can say I expect great things to continue to come out of the BK. Tonight the east was in the house and, no doubt, they did come equipped. BLAAAAAAOOW!