January 22, 2008
This Week In Hip-Hop
WEDNESDAY:
>>Flex Mathews’ Goodwill Ink brings together some of the area’s best for this mid-week hip-hop affair at the Velvet Lounge. Slated to participate are Oddisee, W. Ellington Felton, and Roddy Rod, among others. 8 p.m., $7.
THURSDAY:
>>It’s been over a decade since DJ Shadow (pictured to the right) released the groundbreaking Endtroducing… album, which almost single-handedly elevated sampling to an art form. Cut Chemist (pictured to the left) made his name as a member of Jurassic 5 and as a producer who loves to go back to sounds from hip-hop's good ole days. Together, they make for a potent turntablist billing for their “Hard Sell” show at the 9:30 Club, along with opening act Kid Koala. 7:30 p.m., $35.
FRIDAY:
>>The previously displaced "Beat Grinder" series makes its return with a championship round. Four local producers will be putting forth their best efforts to capture the crown. Included in the competition are Slimkat 78, The Unknown, Nick Da 1da, and Infinite. Hosting duties will be up to Enoch while Underdog, Damu, and Earth 1ne will handle the turntables. The event will kick off at 7 p.m. at the Universal Capoeira Angola Center (rear of the old Republic Gardens), 1351 U Street NW. $3.
>>The recurring Deep Sang event at the Rock And Roll Hotel promises lesser-known disco (a.k.a. the good stuff), boogie, funk, and other danceable tunes from a bygone era. 9:30 p.m., Free.
MONDAY:
>>Signed to the rekindled Memphis soul powerhouse label, Stax Records, Angie Stone is mounting a comeback of her own. Last fall she released The Art of Love & War which capitalized on her throwback rich vocals and reworkings of classic tunes by the likes of Curtis Mayfield. She’ll be appearing at the Birchmere. 7:30 p.m., $59.50.
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I love Angie Stone's voice, I own her first two albums, and I'm primed to download the newest one later this month. That said, sixty bucks strikes me as an absolutely insane ticket price for someone of her relatively moderate fame and stature. I know she's been getting critical props and dance floor spins for the latest album, but it still seems a little bizarre that she's charging ten dollars more per ticket than the Boyz II Men Nostalgia Revue that's on the Birchmere stage tonight.
I was about to comment on how I thought it was ridiculous to pay $35 for any show at the fucking 9:30 Club, when I saw that the Birchmere was charging $60 for someone who most people haven't even heard of. If you're going to that one, enjoy having the room mostly to yourself!
Really? I thought she was pretty well known. Maybe my musical tastes are more obscure than I thought. I was excited to see that she was performing, and despite being a cheapskate was all set to buy the $60 ticket... until I realized it was on Monday and I have class.
You're probably right. I've heard the name, I'm just not familiar with the music.
Yeah, not too happy about the $35 show at 9:30... not to mention the ticket-rape-me charges if you bought your tickets online.
Is Deep Sang hip hop? did you guys misplace that. Dope event though.
No. It wasn't misplaced.
The general premise of this section is to highlight events hip-hop related (in my view). My definition is a little broader than conventional notions but I've heard my fair share of boogie/disco/funk at "hip-hop" shows.
Plus, like you noted, there's likely a strong chance it will be good, given what I heard on the Web site.
The general premise of this section is to highlight events hip-hop related (in my view). My definition is a little broader than conventional notions but I've heard my fair share of boogie/disco/funk at "hip-hop" shows.
Maybe you should just put that at the top of each of these posts so you won't have to repeat yourself each week.
I don't get why people are such sticklers for what's "hip-hop", especially in light of the low number of heads around here. Anyone that's ever heard The Chronic should know that boogie/disco/funk is to hip-hop, what blues is to rock.
Hey yall, thanks for mentioning the night. I'm a little late responding here, but yeah, the monthly party at Rock & Roll is mostly hip hop, both new and old. Every 4th Friday of the month, hope to see some of you at the next one.
-Deep Sang