Can't you just feel the clock tic+++king on summer? So, as the conscientious hiphop head that I know you to be, you probably want to cram as much of the stuff in while you canâas uncomfortable as that may sound. Yo son, I got you!
Saturday, July 16, you want to hit up the Vera Project and catch The Give Back, presented by Big Kountry and AK, and hosted by that guy Macklemore. AKrish, the Parker Brothaz (get that So Fresh Coast), Logics, general of the Tac's Street Academy (When All Else Fails coming soon?), Clemm Rishad (from the 253's Young Dynasty, check his Image of Me EP), DJ B-Girl, and Cancer Rising are all performingâand all proceeds go to the Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club. Now can you work with that? (Word to the Fixxers! Why the hell didn't that album ever come out?)
Also, hitting The Give Back gets you admission to the big party going on later at Nectar that evening... I speak of none other than Neema Speaks, the official listening party for The Essence, the upcoming Koch-distributed LP from Neema (he finally dropped the Unexpected Arrival name!). Maybe you heard that lead-off single "Light That Fire," where Mr. 10 Grand ghost-rides the yellow bus along with the Baydestrian, Mistah F.A.B.? It's definitely a mainstream radioâtype jointâbut Isaak Meek's slinky, restrained Wessyde club banger has a distinct synthy menaceâand Neema's own much-improved pro spit holds up well with couplets like "I told her, 'turn around baby, you can work it out'/She said she heard of me/Really, what's the word of mouth?" Yes, after all these years of abuse from the town's would-be gatekeepers, our dude Neema is still as pop as he wanna beâas defiant a stance as you can find in Jansport-minded Seatownâbut only the staunchest hater couldn't admit he's good at what he does. So check him outâDJs Money D and Nphared will be holding it down on the ones and twos and KUBE's Eddie Francis will be hosting this shindig. If you didn't make it to the earlier show, they're probably gonna ask you for some money at the door, so you better bring some, pimp shoes!
The West Coast Hip Hop Awards went down recently in Portland, where Twin G got an award for "Best Rapper (Washington)" and D-Sane got one for "Best Producer (Washington)"âcongrats! Sane recently passed me The Status Active, the collaborative mixtape from Twin G and Gangsta Nutt... and I'm happy to report that shit is hard as fuck. I always dug Twin's style since his In Tha Name of Game album, and on joints like "2 Da Left" and "Hoover Love" he and Nutt surely lay it down for the soil. I played it for the homey and he had no idea it was Seattle shit, which is always a good sign! 
