Review: Rap titans DMX, Ja Rule rewind to their heyday in Springfield show (Biz Markie was there, too)

SPRINGFIELD - Rap heavyweights DMX and Ja Rule took over the MassMutual Center on Saturday for a night of retro hip hop, supported by Biz Markie. In a word, the show "REWIND" presented by NV Concepts was cool. In a few words, it was hit-and-miss.

DMX headlined, but if you were in the crowd, you might have wondered why he was given top billing. While he played crowd favorites like "Ruff Ryders' Anthem," "Get It On the Floor" and "X Gon' Give It to Ya," his antics onstage were distracting. His opening tracks were a little weak, with "One More Road to Cross" near the top.

He spent a great deal of time talking between songs. Proselytizing, really, about the virtue of enduring suffering. Maybe he was reading poetry?

DMX dropped to the ground and did dozens of push-ups in silence. Then he hopped to his feet and launched into "Where the Hood At."

When he did play, he grabbed the crowd and held onto them, dropping down from the stage during "Get It On the Floor" to walk and dance among the people. He rapped through "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" while standing atop a wobbly stack of speakers held up by members of his entourage. There was plenty of fun to be had.

Ja Rule, by contrast, hit every mark dead-center. He kicked things off with "Livin' It Up," owning the stage like he just bought it. His set was bursting with energy.

Seventeen years after his first album debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200, it's still clear that he cares about giving the customers their money's worth. He hit them with "Every Thug Needs a Lady," "Put It On Me" and "New York."

Biz Markie, the one-hit wonder behind the 1989 hit "Just a Friend," is a DJ now. Who knew?

Biz performs alongside DJ Cool V, who grabbed the mic and announced, "Biz Markie is in the building!" Then he pointed at the man next to him at the turntables, adding, "This is him. This is Biz Markie." Maybe this was shtick. Regardless, it foreshadowed his plan to stay out of the spotlight at his own show.

Biz, for his part, barely said a word until he capped his set with "Just a Friend."

He hit "play" on classic tracks by hip hop's founding fathers, treating the crowd to 30-second snippets of Run DMC and Notorious B.I.G., slipping in nuggets of "Rapper's Delight, "It Takes Two" and "Jump Around," and boosting the bass all the way to 11. Biz's set was a crowd-pleaser, for sure.

All in all, the "REWIND" show was worth seeing. Next time these acts roll through the area, you probably shouldn't cancel any plans or call out of work. But if you're free, and you want to dance, check it out. It'll be fun.

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