It's Capitol Hill Block Party, patna, aka blackout season has returned or, in many cases, never left. Come trip the light fantastic in the storied neighborhood where the streets are paved with trash, vomit, and, uh, unclassifiable! A damn good time is there to be had and, as usual, a refined selection of hiphop to be ingested along with all the other shit you're planning to shove down your face—just make sure you drink water, party smart, and dress in a manner consistent with the latest Tumblr-driven, stylist-invented musical microgenre.

On tap: Aesop Rock, who just last week released his Skelethon album, his first for Rhymesayers. The MPLS Wu-Tang, better known as Doomtree. Tumblr rap's 4AD phenomenon, the Black God from Carol City, SpaceGhostPurrp, dark scion of the Raider Klan (and no, you will not be catching me writing in glyphs like some 14-year-old in a 20-year-old hat), the collection of '90s-obsessed rappers that includes Seattle's young Key Nyata (whose Two Phonkey is out now!). Plenty local representation, too, for that matter: ethereal hardcore producers Blue Sky Black Death (plus the man on the mic, the tat in the hat himself, Nacho Picasso, about whom you can read elsewhere this issue, or even in the new XXL—in the always tasteful Chairman's Choice section, no less); the BasedGod's chosen one, Keyboard Kid; headbanger boogies Kung Foo Grip; OFS reps Fresh Espresso and Don't Talk to the Cops! (swag); Lifers Fly Moon Royalty and Spac3man (Beyond the Stars EP coming soon); as well as Slow Dance and RA Scion. Plus! All the other kinds of music you like and don't know yet. Yeah, that's right—spaz out, eat food, son.

If you're looking for a break on Saturday, July 21, though, and enjoy the stylings of Dark Time Sunshine, catch their CD release for ANX at the Crocodile that evening, with Sadistik, Crushcon 7, and Mr. Hill, plus "special guests," which could be any-damn-body, judging from all the rappers in town that weekend. DTS will be hitting the road with Aes Rock on the strong back of ANX, their finest release yet, which is high praise, considering the high level of quality that Cape Cowen and Zavala have crept since their releases Believeyoume and Vessel. I really don't care what kind of shit you like because, as the late, great ODB said once, "Listen to the album, 'cause it's BANGIN'."

And a happy dizzle fucking fizzle to you, soccer moms—Snoop Dogg is slowly, lankily making his way back to smoke out Seattle again on Sunday, July 22. He'll be at Showbox Sodo; last time I saw him there, he had teleprompters for his lyrics, like he's Obama or something. At the time, I was like, "OHHH," but now I'm all, "WHATEVER"—the guy is more of an all-American brand than a rapper, like Kermit the Frog or something. He's still flyer than a falcon, soaring through the sky. You heard me, nephew?