The Night to Get Drafted

Drafted to Babylon

27.07.2013.

What a night. I’m not sure how else to put it. It was like one of those times when Man United were playing so big a match that minutes before it starts I no longer feel the nerves. Everything just seemed normal, even mundane. I had a bit of a unique experience compared to my other 3 compatriots because I had experienced the nearest example just two months earlier during the Big Band Theory show, but from the audience. I still wasn’t ready to step on to a stage then but seeing the band, singers and rappers made me want to. That leads into another way this was different to me. It had been over two years since I stepped on to a stage to rap. I did something briefly at Word of Mouth, and a poet session a few months back, but that was a different experience. I didn’t feel like I had been away for that long. I just tried to rap like I used to in a random classroom at Unam, doing Saved by Grace.

Anyways, that’s that. It was a night when Christians feel rallied and listen to some Christ-centered music, with the focus of uplifting his name, but that’s not end all be all. It would be failure on our part if that’s where it ended. To just make Christians feel good and then return home. Drafted to Babylon was a show meant to bridge the gap between the Christian and the non-Christian. Create a level playing field so non-Christians don’t feel the need to put up their guards when talking to us. We can just hang, have a great time and talk about whatever. But even during the planning we wary that only Christians were gonna pitch. We feared it would be another gospel show, just at the warehouse. But 30 minutes into the show that fear was dispelled. Yeah, there were Christians but the balance was encouraging. It was great to see people who were standing having a beer or cigarette bumping their head to our music. Black, white...it didn’t matter. It was great to see a few fellow rappers come out to give their support, Wambusien and Mark Mushiva who I’ve been looking up to since I was in grade 10.

The turnout was fantastic, which just made the evening even better. Picture Juice throwing freestyle punch lines to a packed audience. We started with a cipher; rapper after rapper coming onto the stage to bits and pieces of well known songs. Then came the Bboys and girls break dancing and finally OddDigital with his beat set. The dude is pure genius. Picture a ragtag white guy in a backpack and Silver Surfer t-shirt making beats live on the spot on an MPC to an impressed audience.

There was a short break and me and Dewi feared people would leave, but lo and behold they stuck around for the main event. The band. Dear me, the band. When they all did their solos during one of our tracks, I was blown away just as much as the crowd was because it was the first time I was seeing it. There’s not a lot I could say that wouldn’t take something away from the actual thing. It was everything we expected it to be and more. Much more. For me, it was a particularly good night cause I got to see someone I hadn’t seen in a few years. Anyways, get drafted or remain drafted, until the next one, onwards and upwards.

Oh by the way....to the folk that couldn't make it. Here's something for you. *NOTE* Take what you see in this video and times it by 100 and you get what being actually there was.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYZT5hJGh98