Knife and Miggs @The Jinx
It’s probably a good thing they didn’t name their act Mack & Max, after their real names. For a couple of serious MCs, that might be funny, but it would be, most certainly, slightly less than dope. So before they went all cross-country, Savannah’s Knife and Miggs decided to proclaim their road show the Sandwich Rap Tour. After Dope Sandwich, of course, the long-lasting local hip hop collective co-founded by Knife (aka Kedrick Mack) himself, before the New York-born Miggs (aka Max Lipson) had ever heard of Savannah.
The guys make a lot of the city’s most intriguing music. Knife’s Iconoclast and Miggs’ Son of a Gun were both freshly minted and available to all when the artists, accompanied by Miggs’ brother Freak Tha Monster, began July 20 in Florida, and climbed tooth and nail up the Eastern Seaboard.
Their celebratory homecoming is Aug. 8 at the Jinx (as “The Sentient Experiment”).
I asked the rappers to comment, via e-mail from a tour stop, about their experiences.
Miggs: "Any time we get to hit the road and spread our gospel to the world is an incredible experience, for both us and the audience. Even though we're performing songs from our albums, each show is a chance to put a unique spin on our sound and improve our live act. What is dope can only get more dope. I personally enjoy going back up to my stomping grounds of New York and performing for family and friends.
“Touring is like a marathon. You spend mad time preparing, getting your music/album together and ready to present, then in a short burst —hit a slew of cities with your best shot. I feel the preparation for this tour was on point, therefore the material and energy at the shows is crazy. Plus, my brother lives in New York, so it’s dope to spend time and rock the stage with him.”
Knife: "Tour is always the craziest part of the music biz to me. There's so much info to keep track of that it has a way of both lasting forever and going by quickly all at the same time. By far, the best part is actually getting on a stage and rocking a crowd that has no idea what to expect. ATL, Jacksonville FL, the people don't have that jaded 'local artist' view of you, so when you deliver the goods the response can be almost overwhelming. We've keeping track of what the dopest crowds have been, so far Pittsburgh is in a strong lead, so when we get back to Savannah you guys got some work to do. Support your local musicians." - Bill DeYoung
At 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8. With Broken Glow, Gangreen and guests.
