Goddamn. Hands down, the most important moment of my and your
lifetime just went down—no, not the latest episode of Real
Chance of Love, good as that was. You know what I’m talking about!
It’s the reason spontaneous parties erupted in the streets of my
neighborhood and many other neighborhoods around the world—a
world that for some incredible reason feels a lot closer today. It’s
the reason you probably feel more proud than you ever thought you could
be to be a citizen of this beautiful, if flawed, country. It’s the
reason I shed a few tears in public last Tuesday, and it’s the reason
that more than a few of us that night couldn’t help but think of all
the people we’d lost, people who we so dearly wish had been alive to
see the incredible sight we’d been blessed to see in our lifetime. I’m
sure a few people in Seattle must have thought that about their loved
ones who died in the awful surge of gun violence our streets have seen
in recent weeks. RIP, and please, for the love of god, stop the
violence. It’s our responsibility—as we’re all “big homeys”
to somebody—to show the people younger than us a bigger, brighter
picture, not the Rethuglican’s road to riches, paved with soul death
and the blood of your brothers. That’s a responsibility that many of us
on so-called Main Street, in the so-called “hiphop generation,” have
shirked for far too long. No more goddamn excuses.
I’ve seen people on the streets
Shoot the next man and turn around and say peace…
He don’t wanna ill; he just wanna chill: The one and only Large
Professor (he of Main Source) makes his way to Seattle this
Friday, November 14, at Nectar, and if you never heard Main Source’s
classic debut, Breaking Atoms, then… you know I find myself
making those kind of statements far too freaking often. Just listen to
the damn thing. “Extra P” is one of hiphop’s most eloquent and
recognizable voices, and it’s got Nas‘s first appearance ever.
That night will also net you sets from J.Pinder (who just
released the heatery mixtape No New Taxes, hit www.onlygp.com to cop), DJ Marc
Sense, and Wizdom (happy b-day).
On November 19, Nectar is bringing one of my all-time favorite MCs
to town for the first time—one who is finally, at long last
enjoying a widespread rep as one of the finest mic stylists of our era.
I’m talking about Detroit’s pride and joy, Royce Da 5’9″. The
dude known as “Eminem‘s protégé” for years is well
known to connoisseurs of raw shit everywhere as one of the most feral,
savage beasts currently rapping—so check him out with
Grynch (who just released the free EP Something More) and
Cancer Rising. Finally, my fellow Americans, put on your
fucking rap pants and celebrate! 