Mikah 9 (from the Freestyle Fellowship and Project Blowed), one of the most underappreciated West Coast underground emcees, will be in Seattle at the Noiselab on Thursday, July 31. Performing with him will be Riddlore from the Afterlife crew, Zac Hendrix from Insult 2 Injury, and Eljase. Mikah 9 has been recording music for ages, yet the true appreciation for his work never seems to see the light of day--aside from your usual discussions in the cypher at Westlake or outside a show. He's the perfect example of the talented emcee who hasn't been able to reach the masses for whatever reason, whether it be lack of business sense, getting shat upon by labels, or (in most cases) stubbornness. Which category he falls into, if any, I don't know--but last time he was in Seattle, he tore it down at a nicely attended I-Spy show. One should expect nothing less at this performance, as it's sure to be filled with great stage presence and off-the-top freestyle rhymes in true Project Blowedians style. While this is a 21-and-over show, Mikah 9 isn't trying to turn his back on the kids, so he'll also be at Respect Records for an in-store performance prior to the jumpoff.

On Friday, if you're into well-dressed men and women and good club vibes, the destination, as usual, is Jumbalaya, the longest-running hiphop club night in town, at the Baltic Room. Week in and week out, DJ Topspin and Vitamin D--with his effortless mixing style--and the vocal talents of Choklate, Darrius, Reggie, Kylea, and Wordsayer, among others, continuously blaze the jam-packed club with a positive vibe amid the cigarette smog and bottomless glasses of booze that fill our Seattle clubs so well.

The preliminary installment of this year's Battle of Bumbershoot will finally arrive this Saturday, August 2, at the Vera Project. DJ Ace, winner of the previous two Bumbershoot DJ battles and most recently the DMC regionals, will be holding it down as one of the hosts. An interesting footnote to this battle: The winner will get the opportunity to open up for Common, De La Soul, and the Black Eyed Peas during Bumbershoot's Hip Hop 101 at Memorial Stadium on August 31. If that isn't motivation to come up with some creative battle routines, I don't know what is. Couple that with a hefty cash prize and a brand-new Rane mixer, and it's no doubt we'll see the best in the Northwest and British Columbia roll through to try to show off their sharpest routines. Expect to see some dope material at this prelim from the likes of Tre, Wundrkut, Dyce, E-Fade, and Waystylez as they compete for the bragging rights of Northwest supremacy.

This and every Sunday it's the same ol' same ol' at Chop Suey, as DV-One and Scene go all over the map at Yo! Son--a club night consistently full of beautiful dimes and throwback jerseys, along with the prerequisite tattoos and piercings. This event is Seattle's 21-and-over hiphop scene right now--love it or hate it, that's something you can't deny.

This issue's local spotlight of the week goes to Noiselab's Clockwork Tuesday, which has picked up where Underground Science left off with a weekly hiphop night featuring the group of the same name and resident B-Mello. The grand opening a couple of weeks ago cracked, and several dope up-and-coming artists (including Byrdie, Onry Ozzborn, and Sleep) will be rocking this night, so definitely expect to see some hot shit going down. B-Mello seems to be everywhere lately, with his radio show on KEXP and a weekly happening damn near every night of the week--all very much deserved. B-Mello has been holding it down for the town for quite a while, and it's anyone's guess when KUBE will get this guy to give the station a little more quality mixing. On a KUBE-related closing note, major congratulations go out to Mista Ock and the MadPassion Entertainment crew for picking up KUBE 93's single of the year award with the song "Come Home with Me." Ock has been holding it down for the past couple of years, and with a real supportive team behind him at MadPassion, it's no wonder he's beginning to receive the accolades he's getting in the hiphop community. SAMUEL L. CHESNEAU

hiphop@thestranger.com

REQUIRED LISTENING 1. Ms. Dynamite feat. Kardinal Offishall, "Dy-Na-My-Tee Remix" (Interscope)

2. Dead Prez, "Hell Yeah" (Dropped from Sony)

3. Too Short, "I'm a Playa" (Jive)

4. Mystic, "That's Right" (GoodVibe)

5. Brand Nubian, "Slow Down" (Elektra)

6. Onyx, "Over" (Riviera)

7. E-40 feat. the Clipse, "Quarterbackin" (Sick Wid It)

8. J-Zone feat. Masta Ace, "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme" (Old Maid Entertainment)

9. Blue Scholars, "Freewheelin" (White)

10. Beanie Sigel feat. Dirt McGirt & Peedi Crack, "When You Hear That" (Roc-a-Fella)