Music

The Hiphop Tip

Now that they are signed to the label that brought us such immense musical integrity in Da Band and Loon--Bad Boy Records--Eightball & MJG can finally get the respect they have long deserved. While they've dropped eight albums as a crew, and one each on the solo tip, the duo has pretty much held down the Midwest and dirty South on the underground for a decade. By releasing Suave House classics like Comin' Out Hard, On the Outside Looking In, and On Top of the World (the album that put them on the map), Eightball & MJG laid the foundation for many of the popular Southern artists today. Indeed, with songs like "Space Age Pimpin'," "Friend or Foe" (with E-40, Big Mike, and Mac Mall), and "Break 'Em Off," the duo looked like they were destined to share the Southern hospitality with OutKast. This Sunday they'll be performing at the Showbox with the local Noc On Wood Records family in celebration of Noc On Wood opening a brand-new studio and the Tennessee duo releasing a new album on Bad Boy Records.

Many might know Oddjobs, a five-man crew from New York/Minneapolis, as the group that has toured with the likes of Atmosphere, Eyedea & Abilities, and Zion I. They have a pretty extensive catalog considering they have no distribution--like many unsigned hiphop crews, they use tours as their system of distribution and recognition. One of the emcees, Crescent Moon, has frequently been a hypeman for the likes of Slug and Eyedea on their respective tours. This time around, Oddjobs perform at Chop Suey on Tuesday, March 30 with Grayskul and Byrdie, who also will be performing at the Sea-Style Fashion Show next Saturday, April 3, at Seattle Central Community College with up-and-coming emcee Diggz Dime.

With their new album Fly or Die, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo (the Neptunes), the Grammys' producers of the year, deliver their second effort featuring their high-school comrade Shay as N.E.R.D. This side project got a lot of critical acclaim for its debut, In Search Of..., from cats all over the map--from b-boys to punk rockers to emo kids. Basically, the eccentric personality of Pharrell was personified by this project, which has established yet another victory in his domination of popular music during the past five or so years. Bottom line, though, ladies love cool Pharrell, so don't expect anything other than shrieking when the trio hits the stage.

N.E.R.D. will perform at the Moore Theatre on Wednesday, March 31, with the hiphop group Black Eyed Peas. The best part of the Black Eyed Peas nowadays is their backup dancer, Crumbs of the Style Elements crew. (You might remember him as the one doing the hand-spins on MTV News' video collage.) Still, the real reason to come to this show will be the amusement you'll get from an audience thrilled about these hyped acts.

hiphop@thestranger.com

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