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In celebration of their sophomore album Oil, Philadelphia Slick partnered with former Jurassic 5 member Akil The MC and the Bring Your A Game Tour for what looked to be a great hip hop show on paper. Unfortunately, as often happens, the show was pushed back due to the Bring Your A Game artists bus getting caught in traffic and maybe even a bit lost making their way to Philly from New York. The show did go on, and after some plan changing by those involved in the decision making, things finally kicked off with Bryan McNamara’s band, Strength In Numbers, taking the stage shortly before 10:00 p.m. The six piece jazz/funk/hip-hop ensemble provided a decidedly smooth sound for the audience, with mellow music combining perfectly with vocals from singers Dali and Emma Frank. Frank was definitely the band’s centerpiece, and her silky smooth vocals earned the crowd’s attention quickly, and held it easily throughout the band’s 45 minute set.

Strength In Numbers received a very warm reception from the World Cafe’s crowd, but when Philly Slick took the stage, it was all to apparent who they really came to see. With explosive energy from emcees Noesis and Tjader, Slick easily stole the show. Fittingly, their set consisted of a large amount of songs from their latest album, but they also snuck in a few gems from their 2007 release, Culture Industry, for their longtime fans. Rocking long and strong for over an hour, Philly Slick mixed things up a bit with various background images and videos being played on a projector as well as some slightly remixed live renditions of their more popular songs. While both seem subtle, there is definitely something to be said for seeing old school Donald Duck cartoons running at the same time as bassist Mike Polinsky strums out the Cool Like That bass line. Another great additional aspect of the show was artist Mike Giorgi, who painted live throughout the performance.

Philly Slick’s performance cranked up the energy level at World Cafe dramatically, as the crowd jumped, screamed and danced along with the band. However, the biggest display of who the crowd came to see was apparent when Philly Slick left the stage, as the majority of people took that as their cue to exit as well. By the time they got done rocking, it was a bit after midnight, and with Tuesday’s morning work looming, it would be hard to blame those who left. Despite the very diminished crowd, the show kept moving, with Queens emcee Evaready RAW and Quanstar taking the stage a rocking for a few before being joined by Ghani Gautama and Oakland rhymer DLabrie for a relatively short set.

When Akil The MC finally made his way to the stage and saw the crowd, he decided to treat those that did stay to an up close and personal performance. With his DJ backing him, the Cali veteran rocked material from his solo work as well as a few J5 classics, getting the crowd’s participation throughout. Local singer Jen Z, who is prominently featured on the latest Philly Slick album, was one of the people Akil went to for assistance and she showed off some of her skills taking the mic and somehow managed a few break dance moves in her four inch heels. Akil capped off the evening with an impromptu group photo with the crowd members that stuck around, and each artist personally expressed their gratitude as well.

Those that left after Philly Slick performed definitely got their money’s worth. Strength In Numbers were great, and Philadelphia Slick gave one of their best performances ever. Still, there’s definitely something to be said for rocking in a cypher with one Cali’s legends and getting to interact with the artists on a much more personal level. Although it wasn’t planned, the two dynamics worked wonderfully for a very memorable show for those who saw it through to the end.