By Odeisel

Tanya Morgan is not a group that rests on their ass. After dropping the critically acclaimed Brooklynati album last year, they’ve dropped multiple mixtapes, both as a unit and as soloists and partners with other acts. Their most recent work, The Sandwich Shop dropped to critical acclaim and member Donwill’s solo album Don Cusack In High Fidelity pushed limits as a concept album and was well received.

In celebration of achievement and preparation for Von Pea’s upcoming solo work Pea’s Gotta Have It and their group project they are hitting the road, doing shows all across the country. Opening for them is Ohio band The Kickdrums.

It was a hot, muggy night in New York and thankfully Mercury Lounge was air-conditioned. Opening act, The Kickdrums, were a talented band, their music a bit reliant on 80s sensibilities and you can recognize certain riffs and feel in their music.  The lead vocalist was a charmingly corny but it worked for the band’s feel.  They did a laudable job maintaining the audience’s attention throughout their set, the highlight of which was a track featuring MC Daytona.

The headliners took the stage, sans third member Ilyas and a DJ, but managed to get through a medley of their biggest songs without a hitch. Tracks like”Bang Bang Boogie” “So Damn Down” and the parody track “Hardcore Gentlemen”   got significant rises from the crowd. Donwill did an abbreviated set of a couple songs from his solo and Pea blessed the audience with a preview of work from his coming album. Che Grand guest performed with the group as well. They also gave an R.I.P. to Guru and a “fuck you” to Solar.

In all, it was a tight, compact show without pyrotechnics but also without late divas, a dozen pointless drunken people on stage, and forgotten lyrics. It was two rappers doing what they loved and not forcing the fans to sing half their lyrics, and mumble-mouthed hype men straight from jail. If Tanya Morgan comes to your town, you should definitely check them out.

[pro-player width=’425′ height=’344′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NvbqUrpzRk&feature=player_embedded[/pro-player]

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