Live Show -- DAM at Scoot Inn

Thirty years after hip-hop began in the streets of New York, it has become the soundtrack for youthful discontent worldwide. As one of the members of DAM, a rap group from the Palestinian city of Lod, declared: “We wrote these songs for the ghettos all over the world: the ghettos in Asia, in Europe, in Palestine and the U.S.”

DAM, one of the biggest names in Arabic rap, made their first appearance in Texas at Scoot Inn on Thursday. Fresh off an intercontinental flight, they gave a brief but energetic performance to an enthusiastic crowd of around 100.

DAM is made up of three Palestinian rappers — Tamer Nafer, his younger brother Suhell and their childhood friend Mahmoud Jreri. Their music is a multicultural mix — Arabic lyrics with rapid-fire American-inspired flows over sample-heavy Middle-Eastern sounding beats. Think Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin” in Arabic. Since being founded in 1999, they’ve been on the forefront of a growing Palestinian rap scene.

The crowd was a mix of Arabic speakers familiar with the group and merely curious non-Arabic speakers. And despite rapping in Arabic, DAM did a good job of involving the English-speaking section. Tamer talked to the audience in English between songs as well as free-styling over more familiar beats like Busta Rhymes “Touch It.” Hip-hop became a bridge between different cultures, and by the end of the show, the whole crowd was chanting for them to do an encore.

They saved their biggest and most controversial song for the finale: “Min Irhabi” (Who’s The Terrorist). It’s music with a message - DAM’s hope is that sympathy for the Palestinian cause will follow appreciation for their music. Social criticism has always inspired great music, and when DAM talked about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, the anger was palpable.

DAM -- Min Irhabi

Fatlip & Tre Live Show

Long removed from their heyday as members of the West-Coast alt-rap group Pharcyde, Fatlip and Tre performed in front of a small crowd of fewer than 50 inside Emo’s on Thursday. The two have been scratching out solo careers ever since Pharcyde, an underground group that achieved crossover success in the mid-’90’s with hits such as “Runnin” and “Passin Me By,” disintegrated.

As the small turnout suggests, neither has been able to top Pharcyde’s success. And while they were clearly nonplussed by the initially drowsy audience, they still managed to put on an excellent show. It was old-school hip-hop at its finest: two emcees and a DJ moving the crowd with just a turntable and some microphones.

They opened with a medley of Pharcyde classics, but the biggest reaction came when they started playing their more recent work, in particular songs from Fatlip’s 2005 solo album “The Loneliest Punk.” The duo shared the stage well, alternating verses as the crowd sung along to underground hits such as “What’s up Fatlip” and “Today’s Your Day.”

And even though Fatlip had the more popular songs, it was Tre, aka Slimkid3, who stole the show. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat low on his head and a faded Polo shirt, his infectious energy made him seem like the bigger star. Alternately hectoring and praising the crowd, he won them over by bringing various girls on stage to dance and rap his verses: “I know that Fatlip carries a pack to cure the nicotine itch / because the only itch I have is for the indoe or ‘cess.”

The show ended with Tre passionately pleading with the audience not bootleg their music, a particularly widespread problem in underground rap, whose computer savvy fan-base has been on the file-sharing forefront. He told them if they don’t support their favorite artists, one day they’re going to wake up and wonder where those artists went.

After all, no matter how well Tre and Fatlip perform, if no one’s there to see it, his prophecy might come true.

Pharcyde -- Runnin

Fatlip -- What's Up Fatlip