Jelani Blackman makes Hyde Park Book Club his home for the night with fantastic performance
Situated in the leafy surroundings of Headingley, Hyde Park Book Club hosted Jelani Blackman on the 27th of May.
The renowned and influential venue is a staple in the creative arts scene of the city of Leeds. The quirky café – set up and run by locals and students, has transformed itself into an artistic hotbed of talent, with book launches, spoken word, local poets, and big names in the rap scene now synonymous with the venue. Bearing this in mind, Hyde Park Book Club was the perfect backdrop for Jelani Blackman to perform to his northern fanbase, a rapidly rising star in the UK scene.
As I was waiting for the gig to start, I felt the sensation of excitement and nervousness, being a big fan of Jelani’s work and anxiously impatient to witness him live. In the past, I have been let down at concerts where rappers that I expected to sound the same live (as they do on records) sounded nothing alike in person. Jelani Blackman did. In my opinion he sounded even better live than he did on records. This was echoed by the dozens of fans I interacted with, all of whom felt like they were being treated to a genuine steal.
Right from the very first song, his renowned smooth baritone voice magnetized the audience. Blackman’s delivery was impeccable from the get-go to the very last song in a wonderfully choreographed set. Ranging in several different styles, his musical background was apparent – after all this is an artist who is well versed in playing the saxophone and was raised in a very musical household.
I have grown up on grime sets, and Blackman’s flawless flows on 140 BPM was an early Christmas present for me. The versatility on display impressed everyone in the audience as Jelani seamlessly transitioned from the fast-paced tempos of Hello to the more rhythmic slower-paced instrumental of Secrets. The smooth transitions from rapid grime beats to politically conscious melodic rap was particularly impressive. It only took the crowd 10 minutes to engage in an infectious, wild mosh pit.
Between the songs, Jelani’s raw charisma shone through, talking to the fans in the intimate setting; throughout the whole show he was smiling and interacting with the crowd. Jelani was bouncing around the stage, radiating vibrant, raw energy. Constantly dancing and interacting with fans as he jumped into the crowd on two occasions. He was a man on a mission to deliver a passionate performance to his fans, hyping them up by creating a mosh pit around him. This was clearly not part of the plan, but the unexpectedness of it all made it work so well.
This is a rapper who rose in prominence during the start of the first lockdown, all the way back in 2020. As a result, Jelani had been unable to enjoy performing for his new fans, and he expressed how overjoyed and relieved he felt at being able to perform. The impact of COVID restrictions on musicians often goes unnoticed, and Jelani’s mention of the affect lockdown had on artists really caught my attention.
When Tricky came on you could see the change in the audience’s demeanor. The emotionally charged racial and political undertones of the song touched the crowd. Jelani perfectly found the balance required to perform an emotional and honest track like Tricky. “Sometimes I condone violence, you’re a liar if you say that you don’t, you vote for people that send out soldiers, you just don’t like violence you don’t own.’’ Jelani is from Ladbroke Grove, West London, an area famous for its extreme contrast of wealth. Ladbroke Grove has always been a postcode where millionaires live comfortably on one side of the street, and at the end of the same street you can see council homes with many people struggling to get by. The locals have a strong case to make about negligence of care on the government’s behalf (in providing employment, support, and care). This is one of the main reasons Grove has seen a lot of criminal, gang activity in the last 20 years. Jelani displays his maturity in social awareness at identifying these issues, eloquently highlighting the deep-rooted distrust in government. He touches on the corruption of modern-day politics, displaying his stance on the wars western governments have sanctioned.
The message of the song Tricky is wonderfully inspiring. Jelani is clearly alluding to the knife epidemic of 2022, and he wants us to know these young men are still people and that when vulnerable men are put in certain situations, they respond in a certain way. “If I held a knife to your throat and you felt it, would you call your next action selfish, or would you be defending your future, see how quickly your ego melted”. Commenting on the current knife epidemic of London takes bravery, the ability to articulate his feelings on an issue so sensitive and complex requires a high level of maturity and self-awareness. I can only salute Jelani for being a role model to the youth. What Jelani wants his fans to take away from Tricky, is despite the setbacks and the social issues of London that youths face, you can still make it – “but imma smile when they give me one mil”.
At one interval he stopped the DJ abruptly, to let his fans know that Leeds is extremely special to him. “I studied in Leeds, this city has been good to me, so I am excited to come back”. This thrilled the fans and added an even more personal feel to the gig. At the end of the performance, rather than immediately leaving the venue like many artists do, Jelani came to the smoking area outside and stayed to talk to fans. He came across as a very humble and approachable man – a perfect conclusion to a wonderful gig.
