Levi’s/Fader & VICE/XL/Comedy Central PAR-TAYs
Victory Grill, Friday, March 18
The trudging wheels of the M.I.A.-Diplo express checked into the historic Victory Grill Friday afternoon for a joint party thrown by Vice, XL Records, and Comedy Central’s Adult Swim program. Adding visual displays to a stage show that brought down the house at Elysium Thursday night, M.I.A. saw her posh declarations of empowerment further enhanced by Diplo’s phasing the hell out of twin copies of her vinyl. Moving away from revitalized East 11th Street onto the throng of Old Pecan’s Levi’s/Fader party at the Trading Post was nothing short of a star-studded affair. Celebrating his birthday and the instant success of his incarcerated partner Pimp C’s album on Rap-a-Lot Records, Bun B followed sets by DJ Mel and Texan tamale king Chingo Bling with classics from the UGK catalog, including “One Day” and “Pocket Full of Stones.” NYC MC/poet Saul Williams continued the verbal onslaught by setting the stage ablaze with manifestos from his 2004 self-titled release. Among a virtual who’s-who of underground MCs such as Busdriver, 2Mex, Bavu Blakes, and Don Scavone, it was interesting to watch the festive assembly part like the Red Sea in order to make way for Dallas queen and SXSW veteran Erykah Badu. Mingling is what SXSW is all about, and despite a few overturned couches and spilled Red Stripes it was especially nice to see a group of folks typically perceived as an insurance threat getting along so famously. Not to be left out of such a grand opportunity to win over colleagues, the dynamic duo of M.I.A. and Diplo concluded the gathering with yet another electric barrage of bass-heavy missiles.
This article appears in March 18 • 2005.