Salem Presents: "Phase 3, The Chosen"

Talent showcase featuring Busta Rhymes
Hammerstein Ballroom, New York
11.09.00

Salem's talent showcase - featuring visual artists, comedians, fashion designers and musicians - gave chosen hopefuls their chance in the spotlight on the evening of November 9th at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom.

Putting a futuristic twist on "Star Search," Salem turned the stately Ballroom into a green-lit, multi-media performance arena, with state of the art visuals, a stageside DJ booth and a star-studded batch of talent judges including Russell Simmins, Tony Touch, Coko and others. But, for all that top-notch set-up, there was still the fickle New York crowd to be dealt with.

The painters and photographers had it easy as they stood beneath projections of their works. But the fun was yet to be had. We were about to face the comedy portion of the night, which provided some uncomfortable but entertaining moments.

After the crowd's less than positive response to various comedians, Hot 97's Angie Martinez reminded us that these were "emerging artists," and to, hint, hint, go easy on 'em. But, even the charismatic host's pleas went unheeded as hecklers distracted the jokers.

While many attendees stuck by the bar with their cell phones, a sadistic (or, masochistic, depending on who was on stage) bunch stood watching the performers. Observing the brave souls on stage, I wondered if I harbored a morbid fascination for watching unseasoned entertainers feed themselves to the proverbial lions.

After the fashion show and a long stretch of mediocre to bizarre musical performances, awards were presented to artists in all four categories. DJ Clue? spun the hottest in hop-hop, smoothing the transition from the talent show to Busta Rhymes as one a.m. crept up on us.

Soon the enigmatic Busta exploded on stage in a frenzy of flying limbs and unbridled energy. Gesticulating like a confident madman and high-fiving fans, Busta commanded the room with Flipmode Squad's Spliff Starr by his side. Other members of Flipmode, including Rah Digga and Baby Sham, joined Busta and Spliff for various high-energy numbers including the break-out hit "Got You All In Check."

Pipes lit up in front of the stage, engulfing the area in a fragrant, smoky cloud. Busta and Spliff joined the puff party before proceeding to bust out an athletic, discography-spanning set.

The wee hours of the night were closing in but the indefatigable Busta threw down like no other, making it worth sticking around through some of the more trying moments of the evening.

- Hal Miller

This review originally appeared on FUBU's Y2G.com.