Even “white receptionist ladies” can bust out mad skills on the mike, according to Abdominal.
They’ll have their chance Friday when the Toronto-based hip-hop artist, with special guest Maestro Fresh Wes in tow, host the second anniversary of Hip Hop Karaoke at Revival. Amateurs will take to the stage and rap alongside all their favourite tunes, in front of an expected crowd of several hundred people.
“It’s not your usual karaoke. We don’t have the TV with the bouncing ball and the cute little couple kissing in the background. It’s DJs on vinyl doing proper hip-hop,” he said. “But anybody can do it. I’ve seen white receptionist ladies do it perfectly and I’ve seen the drunken birthday trainwreck.”
Local rappers “bit the concept” of hip-hop karaoke from clubs in New York which started the trend, Abdominal says. But he says that from its humble inception, Hip Hop Karaoke has snowballed.
A few caveats for aspiring rappers, however: Absolutely no using the N-word and no freestyling or battles — Abdominal has provided printouts to clean versions of the tracks and act as sideman should singers get lost.
“No one has to worry about getting booed offstage,” he added. “The crowd is very warm and receptive because they’re all in the same boat.”
