Dayton Family versus Top Authority event draws hundreds of attendees

Burton, MI–Two of Flint’s most popular musical acts from the ’90s were met with fanfare by a crowd of hundreds inside the Dort Financial Center on Saturday, Oct. 30.

Touted as the concert that never was, the Dayton Family/Top Authority Versus event pitted the two rap groups against each other in a fight for lyrical supremacy. The event, however, felt more like a collaboration, if not an admission of admiration between the two groups.

With a stage fit for four kings, thrones and all, Ira ‘Bootleg’ Dorsey and Raheen ‘Shoestring’ Peterson of the Dayton Family performed on stage with Dia ‘Shotgun’ Peacock and Diallo ‘Flex’ Peacock from Top Authority for just over two hours. In the process, the two groups regaled their audience with all of their classics, bringing an entire room full of attendees nearly 30 years back in time.

Those in attendance included artists like local rapper Tay Boogie, whose newest album, “I’m Her,” has been making its rounds in the city.

Boogie, who grew up listening to Dayton Family, said being at one of their events after years of only listening at home when her dad would play them was “an honor.”

“Growing up in Flint I feel like Dayton Family was a staple in my household … my dad was really big on instilling the history of the city and its music in me. They (Dayton Family) definitely have influenced me and inspired me. They’ve shown that people in our city can do this and we’ve been doing it,” Boogie said.

Though no winner between the two groups was declared, the crowd appeared evenly split, with some people sporting shirts reading “Dayton or Nothing” while others wore entire tracksuits with the words “Shotgun, Flex and Top Authority,” wherever the words would fit.

As he stepped off the stage at the end of the concert, Flex said “this is one of the best days of my life.”

“I mean, seeing everybody come out to see Dayton Family versus Top Authority, oh man, it’s the best thing that ever happened. I loved it. Everybody always wanted to see us perform and do a show like we did today. We put out for the city. We showed up and sold out. It was amazing,” Flex said.

The event also prominently featured a lengthy in memoriam in honor of legendary Flint producer Bernard Terry, who died earlier this year.