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Thank you, Mr Ghostface!

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I’ve been to a couple of hip hop shows in my concert going experience and I’ve noticed a strange phenomenon.

When you see a rock band, most give good solid performances – but with rappers it’s either incredibly mind-blowing or the biggest pile of lame imaginable.

Kanye West, Jean Grae and The Roots all left me staggered by their live brilliance, but Missy Elliott and De La Soul made me wish I’d just put all the money I’d spent on tickets to their shows in a little pile, set it on fire and gazed dumbly into the flames as it would’ve been a more exciting visual and aural experience.

I’ve theorised that perhaps this is because most rock bands come up through the ranks by gigging around so they have to reach a certain level of showmanship, whereas for rappers a lot of what they do is more studio-based.

Whatever the reason, I’ve come to feel hip hop shows are always a gamble. So I was incredibly relieved when I recently caught Ghostface Killah at Oxford Art Factory and he decisively jumped straight over to the side of awesome.

(At an earlier concert...Ghostface Killah)

As well as being part of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan, he’s also released a string of well-received solo albums and the whole audience seemed excited to bear witness to his first ever Australian tour – the energy in the room was palpable.

From the moment he stepped on stage in the intimate basement venue, Ghostface seemed to be there to have fun.

He didn’t just to his own hits, but also got his DJ to play a Michael Jackson tribute medley (complete with a failed attempt at getting the hyped up crowd to shut up for 30 seconds of silence) and tracks from Nas and Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

Even in the obligatory rapper move where he got women up on stage to dance, they seemed more focused on trying to hug Ghostface like a giant cuddly teddy bear rather than wiggle around provocatively.

For restoring my faith in rap shows, I tip my hat to you, Sir Ghostface!