Ice Cube @ OVO Hydro, Glasgow, 5 Dec
It's a rowdy night at the Hydro as some of hip-hop's elder statesmen prove they've still got the goods, with Ice Cube, Cypress Hill and D12 impressing in Glasgow
In the world's least surprising news, The Game pulls out of tonight's show just hours ahead of doors. But it seems the organisers may have had a tip-off, as D12 are quickly brought in to open the show. The reliable party-starters are still a lot of fun, even when reduced to the duo of Swifty McVay and Kuniva, plus Jake Bass on guitar for some reason, who just manages to drown out some of the rapping. There's a nice touch when Proof's son Nasaan joins for a few songs and delivers some solid bars and youthful energy (being the only rapper tonight under the age of 45 helps with this). There's a heavy reliance on the legacy of the Eminem era, right down to the cheesy early noughties videos and a cover of Lose Yourself, but My Band is still a jam and Purple Pills a nostalgia trip (preceded by a Purple Rain interlude), though it's a slightly lacklustre closer as Swifty and Kuniva barely featured on the original.
After 35 years of constant activity, Cypress Hill are the slickest and most musically diverse offering of the night. B-Real's vocals are still delightfully nasal as he bounces around the stage, while Sen Dog is a calming presence that can still flow with the best of the them. But the true MVP is drummer Eric Bobo, providing both regular augmentation to the beat or a little extra flavour on bongos. His extended showdown with DJ Lord (whose scratching is also a highlight) is just as engrossing as the muscular Tequila Sunrise and weed-anthem-for-the-ages Insane in the Brain. B-Real's constant smoking slightly undermines the overworked venue staff who are constantly carting people out, though there's no doubt a variety of substances responsible for that.
The arrival of Ice Cube sees the stage at its barest all night – even the DJ is hidden off to the side of the stage. Apart from the early arrival of Westside Connection bandmate WC as Cube's foil for the night, it stays that way, creating a spartan atmosphere that focuses on Cube's iconic flow and lyricism. Regarding the former, he sounds as strong as ever and proving why he's rightly earned legend status. The latter is dominated by his pride-bordering-on-obsession with the West Coast, but that's fine as the violent misogyny of his earlier material is wisely sidelined.
WC and Cube have some wonderfully corny intros but it doesn't detract from their powerful synergy on brilliant hard-hitters like Steady Mobbin' and Check Yo Self. The N.W.A. medley is sadly brief, though the shortened Straight Outta Compton and Gangsta Gangsta are enough to get a taste of the peerless group. Despite expressing love for his former bandmates, he bizarrely chooses to follow this up with No Vaseline, a gleefully violent diss track (“the best ever”) aimed squarely at the lot of them.
In comparison to Cypress Hill's musical grab-bag (bagpipes, rock, rap, bongos, turntablism etc), Cube's relentless adherence to one vibe – West Coast gangsta – starts to wear 20 songs in. Even if he's a perfect archetype of the form, there aren't quite enough hits to keep it fresh for 90+ minutes. Still, quibbles aside, it's a joy to see one of the best to ever do it able to effortlessly rattle off bars, and these type of stacked lineups ensure there's plenty to keep you entertained.