Physicists discovered the so-called "God particle," the Higgs boson, a subatomic particle that supports the idea that the universe is bound together by the same unseen and invisible force. A new age beckons, one where spirit and science are reconciled, where we humans inherently understand that we are truly all one. In the meantime, summer is finally here, and it's getting hot: As of this writing, nearly a dozen people got shot in the Soufend in the last few weeks. Maybe that's cool or no big deal to you—seems like cats are more worried about a mostly bullshit and wholly inconsequential list of who's the so-called freshest—but it sounds to me like we need to get our shit together.

Moor Gang/BAYB/Cloud Nice rep Steezie Nasa (though he variously prefers P Steez) will be touching Nectar Lounge on Wednesday, July 11, (alongside Peta Tosh, the Good Sin, and DJ Same) in a show brought to you by Miss Casey Carter and Detooz Films. What Steez's scrappy East Seattle G anthems may lack in complexity or nuance, they make up for with personality. A new release must be on the way, judging from the Detooz-lensed videos for the Nacho Picasso–assisted "Art of War" and "All Day." Nectar also hosts Neema on Saturday, July 14—that Mr. 10K, ever on his grind.

My born day, Friday the 13th of July, Showbox at the Market hosts one of the best new voices in R&B, Frank Ocean. As some of you no doubt know by now, Ocean very recently (via his later music and some social media posts) opened up about his bisexuality. It's all been said to death at this point, from huge displays of love and support to more homophobia disguised as "NBD" or "I'm over it"—so I'll just say that being that real and open with the world is more G than a million manufactured death threats and drug-lord boasts. That acceptance of him, by himself and his fans, bodes well for the future and makes me a bigger fan of his than I was before. I suppose you'd prefer Chris Brown?

Tuesday, July 17, you've got BK's Black Star, Talib Kweli, at the Crocodile. With him this whole tour is Seattle's J.Pinder, and on this stop will be Raz—whose "They'll Speak" I told y'all about a couple weeks back—and DJ Vega the Virgo. Up the hill at Barboza, something altogether different: the anticipated return of our own bard-Bukowski-badass, my dog Barfly, he of the Saturday Knights and Oldominion—together with Graves33 (who just released his Jason Herbavoorhees EP) on the beats, they are known as the post-rap project Wolf Hotel, whose output will only be available physically, packaged with a hand-bound and numbered book. Also rocking this eve are OC Notes and White China Gold.

Last but hella not least, the Showbox Sodo hosts (M-Maybach Music!) Meek Mill on Wednesday, July 18. Philly bol Meek has made a helluva name for himself in damn good time with his hardcore rap, yelling the whole while—if you don't have his Dreamchasers tape (the first one, mostly), you're losing, though if you have a No DJ version, feel free to send it to hiphop@thestranger.com.