Slaine Hosts Historic La Coka Nostra Show In Boston

At The Middle East Thursday night, hip-hop fans who came for Southie rap star Slaine and Brooklyn underground vet ILL Bill also got a shocking visit from House of Pain ring leader Everlast. The Everlast on stage in Cambridge wasn’t the same dude who sang blues and picked acoustic guitars under the alter ego Whitey Ford. He was the pub crawling, rhyme hurling rogue who 15 years ago bulldozed the wall between white rap and hardcore hip-hop. Rumors predicting the uncommon cameo first came in September, after Everlast joined members of his new crew – La Coka Nostra – on stage in L.A. to perform House of Pain’s eternal barroom anthem, “Jump Around,” for the first time in a decade.As Boston’s delegate to La Coka Nostra – a white rap supergroup also comprised of ILL Bill of Non-Phixion, Big Left of Knockout Kings and Danny Boy, DJ Lethal and Everlast of House of Pain – Slaine played both host and centerpiece at what was billed as the record release party for his new CD, White Man is the Devil Vol. II: Citizen Cain. With Everlast and ILL Bill backstage, Slaine rocked “99 Bottles,” guzzling draft brews between verses. Joined by Edo G and Jaysaun of his hometown crew, Special Teamz, he worked the local angle before waving in his guests. Towering over the crowd, ILL Bill unrolled a medley of his cult classics, from “Peace Sells” to the ever-relevant “Anatomy of a School Shooting.” The music stopped for a minute when a wasted fan threw his drink on stage, but the score was settled with a barrage of punches from La Coka and a quick sweep by club security.Between Bill’s left hook, La Coka’s Boston debut, Slaine’s flames and Everlast’s mere presence, the show was a memorable moment in local rap history. Even though most people there – artists included – probably won’t remember it at all.