Street Reporter: Naughty By Nature Review

Naughty by Nature killed it last year in Queensbridge, so I was eager to make the trek into Staten Island from Brooklyn to see them again.  The opener, an emcee by the name of Final Outlaw proved a powerful presence as he spun lyrical tales of his impoverished childhood.  A true emcee, Final Outlaw was a well worthy opener for the legendary Naughty by Nature.

As Treach and Vin Rock took to the stage, the nearly filled up park erupted with applause.  They broke into their classics which included O.P.P., Uptown Anthem and Everythings Gonna Be Alright.  In addition to playing their most well known songs, they dug deep into the crates for some old school classics even before their time to see if the audience was up on their old school hip-hop.

The only downside to this concert was the intense and persistent police presence.  In addition to being searched before entering the premise, the police had set up a gate nearly thirty feet from the stage preventing people from moving up to the front.  This was unlike most of the other concerts where one could walk around freely without feeling like a criminal.  Aside from these unpleasantries however, the audience appeared thoroughly satisfied with the performance.

– Text by Daniel Keltz, Contributing Writer & Sophomore at Temple University.

Tags: Brooklyn, Concerts, final outlaw, free, Free concerts, free events, naughty by nature, NYC Parks, Staten Island