@ NXNE: Ninjasonik

By Kate Xian

Promoting all out anarchy, the Brooklyn based Ninjasonik took on a shorter than the usual forty minute set at NXNE’s free concert series at Yonge and Dundas Square on the festival’s closing day. In the sweltering heat of the first day of summer, Ninjasonik put on a highly energetic...and crass show.

Tiny toddlers and six year olds sat endearingly in lawn chairs spread out through the perimeter of the Yonge and Dundas Square, licking their ice cream cones as “we don’t give a fuck, this is real shit nigga,” repeatedly rang out from the speakers interrupting a generally thought to be relaxing Sunday to bring out the tots. Unapologetically - no that doesn’t even quite reach the depth of their lack of self-censorship – they spectacularly weaved in the f-word, or some other expletive to the nth degree into every sentence at least five times over.

Sticking it to the man, their mix of house beats, rap, hip hop and spoken word, was brass, offensive, and strangely refreshing...Pointing at every giant ad that surrounds Yonge and Dundas Square, Ninjasonik encouraged individuality, free speech, and opinions. Though a mid-afternoon public performance on a beautiful Sunday is hardly the place to expose youngins to a new vocabulary. Hence the shortened set, where “the man” threatened to shut down the show on numerous occasions. They reluctantly complied – by the third threat.

Putting their money where their mouth is, Ninjasonik broke the barriers, yes bad pun we know, as they hopped over the security rail and performed their show with the audience. Again, not wanting to seem hypocritical, they even passed the mic on to an audience member promoting a slew of vulgar expletives. The children’s ears bleed.

And with songs like Tight Pants, Art School Girls, Shoot the Lasers and my favourite Somebody Gonna Get Pregnant, your imagination need not go far in interpretation. Although they discouraged “Chris Brown-ing your woman” - which they sadly had to rouse the audience to cheer for, “c’mon, you don’t hit women!” – they got the audience going, jumping and cheering like an early-90’s grunge mosh pit.