We first encountered Dub FX busking on the streets of Bristol in the UK in a 2009 video ‘Flow featuring Mr. Woodnote’. The video, shot in black and white, shows an then-unknown rapper who builds a beat from scratch, dives into flawless lyrical delivery before holding the mic up so the saxaphone player can weave in with a devastating interlude. The performance is a work of art, as the two musicians create a polished, groovy masterpiece that has garnered over 36 million views in the years since, and helped the rapper find a following.
I don’t know if he’s ever been able to tour the US, but if he does, I hope to catch him.