Bikes and Raps

Doomtree "Drumsticks" Music Video


Doomtree is a hip hop group from Minneapolis, Minnesota. This nine member crew's bringing six to the BLVD on Saturday night. Should be dope.

Saturday July 18 at the BLVD: Doomtree, Bad Penmanship, Som Jordan. 21+

I wear Vans too!

Bay Area Hyphy crew the Pack are coming to Spokane. This is gonna be awesome!

Tuesday May 26: the Pack, Jamal Ali, Jinx at the BLVD. 6pm. all ages.

Can't Wait?

Can't wait till Sunday for that hip hop? Tonight, there's even more hip hop to satisfy your cravings!

Louis Logic from Brooklyn, the Let Go of Seattle (featuring friend of the blog Type) and Tulsi (of Seattle, formerly a Spokane native) are hitting Spokane on one of the early spots on their Bar-Hunting tour. Dope!

Friday May 8: Louis Logic, the Let Go, Tulsi, Bad Penmanship and Som Jordan at the BLVD for ages 18 and up!

The Best Hip Hop Show That's Ever Hit Spokane (part 3)

Up next in the dopest of the dope Spokane hip hop shows: Aceyalone. He wears many a hat, as a founding member of the legendary LA crew Freestyle Fellowship, as a solo artist (most outstandingly the highly acclaimed All Balls Don't Bounce), and as a partner in different groups (Aceyalone & RJD2, Haiku D'Etat with Myka 9 and Abstract Rude, the A-Team with Abstract Rude). The man is an underground hip hop legend.

His new record mixes hip hop and doo-wop and is hands down the best hip hop I've heard all year:

Aceyalone - the Lonely Ones

Sunday May 10: Aceyalone, Abstract Rude, Myka 9, NoCanDo, DJ Drez and Raashan Ahmad at the BLVD for ages 18 and up.

The Best Hip Hop Show That's Ever Hit Spokane (part 2)

Part two of our series (of the dopest hip hop show ever to hit Spokane) brings us to Abstract Rude, a Los Angeles veteran representing Abstract Tribe Unique. He just released a new record on Rhymesayers produced soley by Vitamin D of Seattle. Hot fire.

Sunday May 10: Aceyalone, Abstract Rude, Myka 9, NoCanDo, DJ Drez and Raashan Ahmad at the BLVD for ages 18 and up.

The Best Hip Hop Show That's Ever Hit Spokane (part 1)

Here's my contention: that this upcoming Sunday's hip hop show is the strongest Spokane (hip hop) show from start to finish that I can think of (please correct me if I'm wrong). This will be a multiple entry post because there is so much ground to cover. So let's start it off with the opener:

Rashaan Ahmad: We've talked about him a few times before. One of the nicest, most down to earth, dopest emcees around from Oakland, California. Here's the new single from Raashan and his crew the Crown City Rockers:

Crown City Rockers: Body Rock

Sunday May 10: Aceyalone, Abstract Rude, Myka 9, NoCanDo, DJ Drez and Raashan Ahmad at the BLVD for ages 18 and up.

Listund

The Listener is one part Dan Smith one part traveling knife salesman. Hailing from Siloam Springs, Arkansas - he has a show full of intimate beat-backed poetry/abstract(y) hip hop. He likes pot lucks, mustaches and touring alongside old washing machines. Bring him some dinner!

Wednesday April 22 at the Empyrean: Listener, Som Jordon, Danny Sherrard, Kurt Olson, Fienix, Danny Danburry. $8 for all ages

Thirsty?

Rhymesayers rep P.O.S. is coming to town tomorrow. I saw him play with Underoath last summer, and he managed to win the majority of the teenage metalcore fans over by the end of his set. He's a beast on the mic. This video's dope.

Friday April 10: Atmosphere, P.O.S., Attracted to Gods at the Knitting Factory.

Is Today Monday?

Holy swoops! In addition to the Loom show going on at Caterina, there's another kick ass show going down at the brand new BLVD. On a Monday!?!?!!!

I saw the Tanks play in Iowa City last fall, and it was a remarkable experience. They're a 3 piece bass-drum-vocal outfit, but they sounded so full I was trying to see where the guitar player was hiding. It seems their singer likes to dress up, and he was rocking a fierce fur skirt, a hairy belly not unlike my own, and 2 metal gauntlet gloves. They're super loud and super rad.

Also, my pal Coolzey is bringing his hip hop waggalicious funocity raps all the way from Fairfield, Iowa. In another life, I played a show with his old group the Sucka MCs at the Double Dribble!!! How's that for street cred!?!

Monday April 6: The Rhombus, Coolzey, the Tanks, Gliss, Takeover UK at the NEW BLVD - 230 West Riverside. 21+

Valor Time

Truckasauras is making their way from Seattle for the 2nd annual Wig Bash. These guys use the Nintendo Game Boy as the main voice of the group, and back it up with a Korg MS-20 and other assorted analog gear to create an electronic/hip hop sound unlike anything you've ever experienced. Rocking trucker hats, swigging Makers and wrapped in the America flag - these guys know how to party.

Truckasauras: Angels Sound Like Bottle Rockets

Saturday March 28: Wig Bash with Shim, Truckasauras, Cyrus Fell Down and See Me River at the BLVD for ages 18 and up!

B-Boy

Rashaan Ahmad returns to the Casbah Friday. Frontman for the Crown City Rockers, he's a hell of an emcee. B-Boy is one of my favorite hip hop songs of all time.

Friday March 27 at the Casbah: Rashaan Ahmad and the Jiggywatts for ages 21 and up.

Sunrifle

Spokane hip hoppers Gun of the Sun play the Knitting Factory tomorrow. They're some of the best emcees in town, don't sleep

Quiz 10 is a pretty prolific dude. Besides GOTS and his solo tracks, he is a part of the groups ESP, Werd Slingers, and the newly christened Cheap Meat Suits (formerly Demons in Disguise). Here's one of their new tracks:

Cheap Meat Suits: Dead Meadow Master

Knothead, Gun of the Sun, Debutante Savant, Livid Undead, Sic Boy and the SpoKings, Mindclicc, Emperical Dynamics at the Knitting Factory Thursday March 19. All ages.

Beats Me!

Seattle/San Diago rapper Grieves has been grinding pretty hard for the last few years, touring alongside Rhymesayers representatives Atmosphere, Grayskul and Mac Lethal - who signed Grieves to his Black Clover imprint last year. He's hitting the road with one of his best pals Type, and will be playing Spokane on Sunday.

This is probably one of the funnier videos that any friends of mine have made, and employs a whos who cast of Seattle hip hop figures. Enjoy.

Grieves, Soulcrate, Type and Jiggywatts play the BLVD on Sunday March 8. Ages 18 and up.

Union Reps

Hailing from Vancouver BC, Sweatshop Union's seven member crew comes to town on Friday.

Based on the tried and true formula [5+ rappers on the stage = hype], it should be a pretty live show.

Sweatshop Union, Gun of the Sun, Sik Nikolas, Som Jordan, 45 at the BLVD: Friday March 6 for ages 21 and up.

Good Spokane Videos

Are hard to come by. Big ups to Spokane/Bozeman resident Ajax Starglider.

True Livin'

Portland's Lifesavas make their way to the Casbah tonight. They've crushed Spokane several times before, you may remember Vursatyl's insane rhymes over Jumbo's fire production one a few wonderful occasions at the B-Side. Normally backed by DJ Rev Shines, tonight they'll be backed by Blackalicious' own Chief Xcel.

Here's a track from their first record Spirit in Stone. Note Vurs completely tearing the first verse apart by the letter.

Lifesavas: It's Over

Lifesavas, Jiggywatts, and Som at the Casbah on Friday January 30. 9:30 pm. 21+

Ughh Ain't Dead!!!

This weekend we get a very special visit from two unique camps of underground hip hop. Sole of Anticon and Myka Nyne of Freestyle Fellowship play the BLVD on Saturday night.

Spokane's had a few different visits from the Anticon camp - Themselves Subtle opened for Minus the Bear a while back and Why? played alongside Wayne Patrick last year, but we haven't had the crew/label's founder Sole visit our fair city. Sole can make some pretty weird music. Here's one of the more accessible tracks from Sole's early material:

Sole: Year of the $exxx $ymbol

Myka Nyne hails from Los Angeles California and is a member of the seminal ground Freestyle Fellowship, who formed at the very famous open mic sessions at the Good Life Cafe in the early 90s. He's got a truly unique voice, check him out on this collaboration with Prefuse 73:

Prefuse 73 with Myka Nyne: Life Death

Myka Nyne and Sole play the BLVD on Saturday January 24. Gun of the Sun opens. 9pm, 21 and up, $7.

Anybody Else Remember This?

Can't wait for summer!

So Much Inspiration

Apologies for my lack of posts. All I've wanted to do since the snow fell was stay inside, watch Law and Order reruns and dance to David Bowie songs in my pjs.

Souls of Mischief are bringing some much needed sunny golden hip hop to Spokane on Thursday. You may know them as members of the mighty Bay Area Heiroglyphics crew, or maybe you just know them from the still classic "93 til Infinity."

Hip Hop connoisseurs, rejoice.

Souls of Mischief play at the BLVD on Thursday, January 15. Bukue One, the Serendipity Project and Jiggywatts open. Aegs 18 and up welcome.

Connect For

Common Market's pretty damn dope. With hot hot rhymes from RA Scion and super duper fire beats from Sabzi (of Blue Scholars), you can't really go wrong.

Their new album Tobacco Road is chocked full of classic throwback production and RA Scion's whole hearted take on religion, the south, hip hop and good ole fashioned farmers rebelling.

Here's an oldie but goodie, that solidified my love for the group.

Common Market: Every Last One [cornerstone remix - radio edit]

Common Market plays Friday December 12 at the BLVD with Blue Scholars and Jiggywatts.