Immortal Technique early on offered a definition of the difference between rap and hip-hop, suggesting that rap music was just beats and some catch phrases, while hip-hop was "for anyone with a heart." That prompts us to note that IT has used his position and earnings to establish a writing grant program for high school kids, speaks and performs regularly at prisons, and funded construction of an orphanage in Afghanistan, so he not only talks the talk, but also delivers in the real world. Judging from the response he got when he mentioned it, a substantial percentage of Tuesday's throng had downloaded that album. IT's popularity has continued to surge, and although "3rd World" sold over 200,000 units back in 2008, his latest work, "The Martyr" was made available to fans via free download on the Viper Records website. Immortal Technique never quite fit in with most record labels, so he essentially started his own with some cohorts, and Viper Records today has a stable of about a dozen performers. By the time he released "3rd World" in 2008, comparing struggles in this country with the historic battles of indigenous people in South America, he was performing at such big name festivals as Coachella, The Warped Tour, and Rock the Bells. Immortal Technique's 2002 self-produced debut "Revolutionary Volume 1" brought his detailed and uncompromising style to the attention of fans around the East Coast, and his profile continued to rise with the followup, "Revolutionary Vol. Some youthful assault charges landed him in jail for a year or so, where he developed his rhyming and performing skills. Immortal Technique (aka Felipe Coronel) was born in Peru, but his family emigrated to New York City while he was a child, and he grew up in Harlem. The two principals are co-headlining, but Immortal Technique had the main slot Tuesday night at the Paradise Rock Club, performing a 90-minute set that was never less than intense. More than 600 fans grooved to story-songs encompassing big issues like social justice, racism, imperialism, and violence, to more personal perspectives on romance, personal responsibility, and substance abuse. Whether you call it conscious or revolutionary, the "War and Peace Tour" featuring underground hip-hop stars Immortal Technique and Brother Ali spun some provocative tunes Tuesday night in Boston.
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