This Sunday, the Rock the Bells Hip Hop Festival returns to the Bay Area, offering fans a chance to enjoy a wide array of top-notch talents at Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord including a rare west coast appearance by headliners the Wu Tang Clan, conscious MCs Mos Def and Talib Kweli, hip hop legends De La Soul as well as local heroes Del the Phunky Homosapien, Living Legends and Planet Asia.

Marked by the spare, menacing beats of production guru the RZA and the dense, individualistic rhyming styles of each of the sprawling nine-man crew's MCs including Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard, the Staten Island-based Wu Tang Clan changed the face of hip hop when they first emerged with their debut 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' in 1993. Steeping in mysticism and philosophy drawn from underground kung-fu cinema, the Clan sounded like nothing else in the gansta-funk era of the early '90s.

With the members of the Wu Tang scoring solo record deals and platinum successes (most notably Method Man's 'Tical,' ODB's 'Return to the 36 Chambers' and such critically praised efforts as Raekwon's 'Only Built 4 Cuban Linx' and Genius/GZA's 'Liquid Swords'). After something of a slump with a string of mediocre solo and group releases as the decade wore on -- partially due to the RZA's largely handing over production duties to his less-talented disciples -- Wu Tang made a triumphant return to form with 'The W' and 'Iron Flag' early in the millennium. This tour is billed as a tribute to ODB, who died in the studio of a drug overdose in 2004.

Also scheduled to appear are conscious NYC rappers Mos Def and Talib Kweli performing individually (and may revisit material for their classic Black Star collaboration), influential veterans De La Soul, party-rocking MC and frequent Method Man partner Redman as well as a host of Bay Area hip hop talent including Del the Phunky Homosapien, Living Legends and Planet Asia. Onetime local radio institution King Sway and Tech (now best known as an MTV News correspondent) will host the proceedings.

Date(s):
2006 Aug: 6

Location:

Venue: Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord

Time Info: 11 a.m.

Price Info: $39.50-$50; $100 for VIP tickets