Hey, young world. Y'all know Slick Rick the Ruler (who hasn't been to Seattle since, like, I started writing this column damn near) is coming to the Showbox at the Market on September 10 with Clipse for the Seattle stop of the Sneaker Pimps tour, right? You should also know They Live!, Grynch (catch him in Billboard this month, haters!), Fresh Espresso, Thee Satisfaction, GMK, and upstart B-boy phenoms Them Team are all rocking, too. Sneakerheads, bring 'em out, bring 'em out!
Also all-ages is the music happening at the Seattle Center Skatepark on September 12. Starting at 4:00 p.m., you can see Khingz, Nam, Suntonio Bandanaz, and WD4D for free. Check some tunes while you're, uh, gleaming the cube—isn't that what you kids call it?
On September 13, San Diego's Project Blowed vet Orko Eloheim (FKA the Sycotik Alien) is at Lo-Fi with Specs One, Suntonio Bandanaz aka Asun, Sapience, Smear, V1rus, and Marxman.45. Orko spent some time up here back in the day as I recall, so I hit up Macklemore for his thoughts, as he's one of the many NW MCs you love who were influenced by Orko's stylings. Mack was part of the Elevated Elements and NAPS crews, who built/collaborated with Orko. "We were already all so inspired by the Blowed, that by him coming up here and building with us, our music felt hella validated. He brought a lot of perspective and change to our crew for sure. That was the end of white guys claiming a crew called 'NAPS.'" The more you know...
I know a lot of y'all will be loving the fact that the Foreign Exchange—the soulful combo of Little Brother's Phonte aka Phontigallo and Dutch producer Nicolay—are coming to Nectar on September 15 along with their cohorts YahZarah, Darien Brockington, Carlitta Durand, and Zo! & the ELs. (With Zo there, will we see some of those incredible '80s covers from the Zo! & Tigallo album?) The FE has sort of a culty following, so if you count yourself amongst it, don't fucking cry about it if you sleep on this show!
The next night is jam-packed—at Nectar you got Chicagoans Qwel and Maker plus Phreewil, 33&1/3, JFK (who's crew, Grayskul, just completed a whole album with Maker called GrayMaker), XP, FIlkoe176 and Audiopoet. Also on September 16, at the Crocodile, is the CD release for Ali'Yah, the long-awaited sophomore album from Sportn' Lifer D.Black—hands down one of the brightest moments in 2009 Seattle hiphop, which is already shining like Scatman Crothers. That show will also feature Dyme Def, They Live!, Darrius Willrich, DJ Vitamin D, and your host SpaceMAN (you gotta say it like that). Speaking of Space, who's currently working on an EP with the Saturday Knights' maniac Suspence, he's on my favorite (so far) track off Ali'Yah, "I Believe," also featuring Choklate—on it, Black speaks on his plans to retire... plans no 206hop fan should find acceptable. Luckily, Black is already working on an EP with his boy B.Brown, and their "On the Go" is out there for the finding. Like my man Candidt says, do work, wodie. 
