Love rap? Love domestic abuse? Well, road warriors Grieves and Type, together known as Illegitimate Children, have a brand-new group EP about to drop, called My Girlfriend Beats Me. If you're still not up on the title track, check for the hi-lar-ee-us video wherever you tend to watch that sort of thing. They are having a CD-release show at Nectar on Tuesday, February 26. Make sure if you attend this function you don't forget to give that Vern Fonk–lookin', "Junk Punter" MC Type a quick knee to the jewels to show your appreciation; he'll probably love it!

The next day, Neumo's plays host to Seattle's true underground collective Project Mayhem, as they present sets from Alpha P, Mind Movers, and BYC Crew. Project Mayhem are a shadowy collective of crews and individuals dedicated to that raw shit—our best intel tells us their membership includes: Alpha P (Asun and Jerm), Mind Movers (Inkubiz, Phreewil, Ses, Open Hands, Mic Flont, Khanfidenz), Rajnii, Language Arts, the Elefaders (DJs Showbot, Able, Hail), Mixed Mediums, Proof of Life, DJ B-Girl, Verideth, Robbery Runamuk, and Gabriel Teodros.

Mind Movers recently presented the Think Tank compilation, chock-full of brand-new material from most of the Project Mayhem artists and others. The 21 tracks and the wide range of collaboration, while providing a couple skippable moments, bring 'nuff rewindable standouts, such as the evil-sounding cold-world screed "Texas Instruments," featuring scathing verses from Khingz, Phreewil, Inkubiz, and Asun. That's my joint right there! Overall, the production (provided by Phreewil, OC Notes, Cin 7, and Unorthodox Zero) is upbeat and crate deep. The basement sounds are spiked with a little Afrobeat here, a little Latin jazz there. Take in the show, 206-hop fans, and take a CD or three home with you.

Silent Lambs Project also perform at the Project Mayhem show, and if you haven't already, make sure you get that Silas Sentinel in your hot little hands. And if you've got that, make sure you hit up the YouTubery to peep the video for the Amp Fire–produced headnotic of "Breathe Easy" (which features ya boy Yirim Seck).

Last but not least, all you jet-setting, distinguished bachelors out there may have noticed whilst you were perusing the hard-hitting articles in Playboy that Blue Scholars are in there, named one of their "Ten to Watch in 2008." For some purely puerile reason, this fact makes me happier than any of the other print that our dudes have thus far accrued. The blurb's acknowledgment that "Seattle is slowly becoming a hiphop epicenter" is a good look, and didn't even require any airbrushing! Or ice cubes. recommended

hiphop@thestranger.com