Last weekend, Connecticut funk-fusion outfit Kung Fu held their annual Toys For Tots benefit at the storied Toad‘s Place in New Haven, Connecticut. The event has become a cherished tradition in the Elm City music scene, collecting tens of thousands of dollars worth of toys for kids at the New Haven Children’s Hospital. The sixth year took the cake for being the best yet, with a “Tribute to Hip-Hop” featuring MC Jack Brown from Sophistafunk, The Funky Dawgz Horns, Elizabeth Dillinger and Johnny Durkin from Deep Banana Blackout on percussion.
Explains guitarist Tim Palmieri of the event, “We collect toys to distribute to kids at Yale children’s hospital on Christmas to brighten their spirits with whatever is ailing them. It’s been getting bigger every year to the point that we rent a trailer just to deliver the [toy] donations. We are happy to spread joy and give back using our music as a catalyst for charity. Although not medicine, it’s still something that can help alleviate and bring cheer to those kids being in a hospital on Christmas Day.”
Watch the full set below, featuring hip-hop classics like “Cool Like That”, “Mo Money Mo Problems”, and “Let Me Clear My Throat”.
Kung Fu & Friends @ 11/23/16:
Fight The Power
Regulate
Woo Hah
It takes two
Don’t Sweat The Technique
The Message
Insane in the Brain
Cool Like That
Mo Money Mo Problems
Encore:
Encore
Show Me What you got
Let Me Clear My Throat
Changes