On stage promptly at nine o’clock, backed by a lone DJ, CJ Fly informs the crowd his clothes haven’t turned up at the airport. Though he doesn’t allow this dampen his mood, and sporting new garms jumps in to “Eyetalian Frenchip”- a love story in which Fly finds himself in a relationship with two women at the same time– what a pickle eh! “How did I get in to this love triangle? This love triangle”.. Our man resigns with a ‘could care less’ attitude to his status as a lothario, in which his libidinal impulses are fulfilled at the expense of virtue in character– “fuck it I don’t give a shit– I’m infamous for dating chicks”.
The crowd seem to be enjoying themselves as they repeat the hook. CJ Fly is best on his newer tracks, in which the Pro Era member makes his MCing intentions clear to peers and fans alike on “Raising the Bar” and “Do it for the love”. Both tracks have the crowd waving their arms and bouncing to the bass drum and rolling synths. Fans go wild when Pro Era pal JOEY BADA$$ is called on FaceTime to say ‘hello’. CJ Fly gets in the crowd for the closing track and poses for selfies to everyone’s delight. I was surprised when the lights came up after this number, signalling the end of the set. It’s only quarter to ten.
The small but dedicated crowd don’t mind though and are content with CJ Fly’s whistle stop tour of his relatively small back catalogue. I overhear the sound engineer talking to bar staff, who is less happy, as he’s now expected to entertain a crowd of Hiphoppas until closing at half ten with his limited collection of rap. CJ Fly having embarked on a US tour and now playing in Europe, is honing his MC skills in front of live audiences. With more solo releases anticipated later this year, I expect we’ll be seeing lots more good from this chap in the near future. Stay tuned.
DJ Euan Brown
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