My Philosophy

Go on, relentlessly I continue…

I sit here listening to the mandatory listening, classic Seattle
comp 14 Fathoms Deep—specifically the track
“Continuations” by Union of Opposites, featuring a verse from my
homie Shomari “Sho Nuph” Shanks, a beloved veteran MC and good
spirit who many of y’all know. My thoughts are with the big
homie—one of the coolest, most positive and knowledgeable cats
I’ve met in this burg; last summer Sho experienced end-stage renal
failure (that is, both his kidneys stopped working). Shomari needs a
transplant, and like the majority of artists in this town, he’s
uninsured; so the good folks of 206 Zulu and his friends
(including some of the town’s best from the hiphop and electronic
scenes) are throwing him a benefit called ALL4SHO. Lineup includes
Afrika Bambataa‘s son and the inventor of hipstep, TC
Izlam, along with Flave, Gabriel Teodros, Aaron Walker-Loud, Naha,
Darrius Willrich, Asun, WD4D, Silver Shadow D, Massive Monkees,
Soulshifters, BYC, Noisemaker, Andrew Luck, Grym, Silent Lambs Project,
Orbitron, Tecumseh, Dev J, Miss Broadway, Sonic MC, Theory, Sky Rose,
La Balianne, Jason Curtis, Northstar, Topspin, Ra Khan, Slantooth,
Lifecycle, Lukki, and Stone 1. It’s going down Thursday, June 11, at
Trinity, people. It’s five bones, it’s a great lineup, and it’s
Sho—fucking do it already!

Seatown’s favorite New York City dealers of swagadelia, Camp
Lo, are back (after their reportedly nutso show at War Room
from months back), spreading the “amaretta” over at Chop Suey, Friday,
June 12, with Fatal Lucciauno, Clockwork, and
Helladope! Your host is none other than the Stay High
Brother number one, Vitamin D, plus DJs Sosa and Mr.
Marc Sense. This time I’ll be in town, thank god—I’ve
already enthused enough over the Lo-ah in these pages—but can I
hereby put in an official request to Camp Lo to call upon the big homie
Ish, if he’s available (totally unrelated, you should hear this
new Shabazz Palaces ish), for “Swing”? Everything I’ve heard off
of their new album, Stone and Rob: Caught on Tape, is straight
heat like last week.

Almost there, and there’s still some great, must-see shows this
week… Saturday, June 13, at Motor (First Avenue South and Holgate,
pimp), check out the Saturday Knights, Fatal Lucciauno,
the Girls, DJ Sessions, and AZ the Phonomancer.
That’s a good fucking time—and don’t sleep on these
sneaky-awesome mixed-bill shows, hiphop and rock fans. Sunday, June 14,
at Nectar is the CD release for Make More, the new album from
Sandpeople‘s foremost major threat, Sapient. Also rocking
the bill is Candidt, Xperience, Rudy and the
Rhetoric, Iame, Smoke, and Sadistik, with host
Macklemore. Monday, June 15, at the Columbia City Theater, check
out Kokane—a name a lot of you are familiar with, but I’m
actually talking about the veteran MC/singer formerly of Above the
Law and Ruthless Records. Cop Funk upon a Rhyme and
you can just thank me when you see me in the streets, which I’m used to
by now. Just kidding.