RIP Andre Young Jr. My condolences to Dr. Dre and his whole family.
Our friends at Sportn' Life Records and On a Mission Entertainment have jumped off a brand-new jump-offâthe first Friday of every month at the Re-bar. It's called Yes Yes Y'all and features live performancesâthis Friday, September 5, it's Dividenz, Speedy, and Sawchosiz, with cuts spun by Life Cycle's DJ Hanibal. I been fuckin' with that Dividenz since their last record on Street Level Records, Hollow Point Lyrics, back in '03; now, MCs Notes and C.O.L.A. have just dropped their long-awaited follow-up 10% Rap, 90% Hustle. If Yay Areaâinfluenced hustler music is not your bag, it's not for you, but if you can yadadig it, there's plenty here for ya. While I like the brolic, synth-happy slaps that dominate this disc just fine, I'm a sucker for a slick sampleâthe dusty dashboard-funk of "U Can Never Know" brings the best out of Notes, C.O.L.A., and Skuntdunanna, sounding like a midnight mission across state lines with a trunk full of anxiety. The lazy slap-bass on "Another Day, Another Dollar" makes for some classically West Coast rider music, with an almost UGK vibe. Gyeah.
On the same night at Nectar you can catch Grayskul, Josh Martinez, Mad Rad, Locke, and DJ Zone (who has the card trick game on lock). My man P Smoov recently put Mad Rad's new LP White Gold in my handsâin addition to Smoov, the Mad Rad movement is made up of Terry Radjaw and Buffalo Madonna. By now most of y'all are either hip to these cats bugged-the-fuck-outta-here steez, or you've seen their name on a wall, flyer, or sidewalk near you. This shit is a quite deliberate stab at hipsterfied neon-jeans rap, and not my cup of teaâthe "put that pussy on display" raps all tend toward a sneering, novelty-level crassness that come off a little more 2 Live Jews than Spank Rock. But I can't front, P Smoov got beats like a mugâhis raved-up synth madness is quick to morph into some skitzo grime shit or bass-heavy screw music, with seizure-inducing chopped vocal hooks (watch out, JoJo Hailey!). It's not really me, but I'm not mad.
Party people... Party people... Can y'all get funky? The man, the legend, the original Renegade of Funk, the founder of the Universal Zulu Nation, yes, Afrika Bambaataa is coming to town. He'll be at the Zulu Jam going down September 6 at Nectarâalso featuring 206 Zulu reps Silver Shadow D, Alpha-P, Specs One, Waves of the Mind, along with DJs Luvva J, Tecumseh, and WD4D. If you're still searching for the perfect beat, this is the place to be.
That is, unless you're hitting Rock the Bells at the Gorge. I mean, Tribe, De La, MF Doom, Blue Scholars, the reunited Pharcyde... it's kind of a big deal. Start saving gas money! 
