Naughty By Nature

First Avenue, August 19, 2007

A A A Comments By Amber Schadewald Wednesday, Aug 22 2007

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Better Than: watching 50 Cent do pushups in your parent's basement.

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You down with OPP? How 'bout--do you know what OPP stands for? I'd have to guess that the majority of the "all ages" crowd is too young to have a clue, judging by the fact that most of them had a curfew to mind that evening. Naughty by Nature started out their set with their super hit, "OPP", putting things in old school perspective and reminding the older cats of their hip-hop roots.

Treach wore more bling than a Christmas tree, including a shimmering belt buckle in the shape of a crown. His co-star, Vin Rock, came out in a Twins hoodie. Naughty by Nature was all about getting the crowd involved, instructing them to make fists, jump, or wave their arms from side to side. The audience ate it all up, and didn't hesitate to shout back a "turn it up," or "check it out" when prompted.

Treach started out wearing multiple layers, but began shedding pieces of clothing until he was down to a white tank top, perfect for showcasing his big guns (as in biceps). Only half-way in, he decided the shirt had to go and attempted to rip it off. Unfortunately it ripped awkwardly into shreds, leaving chunks dangling around his waist. Eventually he slipped it down to his ankles and stepped out of the mangled cotton.

At one point, he stood mid-stage and took pulls from a bottle of Hennessey. Then he kissed the tattoo of 2Pac on his arm and poured Hennessey all over his arm. Talking to his tattoo in a low voice, Treach uttered, "When I drink, you drink. When I smoke, you smoke. When I fuck, you fuck."— uh, wtf?

The group played classics like "Hip Hop Hooray," "Uptown Anthem," "Everything's Gonna Be Alright", and a few less known in-betweeners. A chunk of their performance was filled with random samples of Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, and other more recent club hits. In closing the show, Treach made the DJ cut his beat to clear up any speculation that Naughty By Nature was a one hit wonder. (They at least had five).

Personal Bias: I got hit in the face by the condom Treach threw out into the crowd.

Random Detail: Treach was wearing "Naughty By Nature" boxers.

By the Way: Treach made a shout out to popstar Pink, saying, "She's gangster as a mother fucker. We love Pink."

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