Flu season is here—snow's falling and fools are popping those Airbornes like Xanax—so on Saturday, January 20, brave the elements to get to Chop Suey for that Good Medicine. Geologic, Khingz, Macklemore, and Gabriel Teodros make up this 206 rap answer to Temple of the Dog (or Damn Yankees, if ya nasty). All four have garnered props rapping and repping individually or in different crews, but are all family, which is only appropriate, seeing as this whole show—also featuring the Native Guns, American Hero, Neezie Pleaze, and Yirim Seck—is a family affair. Kiwi, Bambu, and DJ Phatrick, L.A.'s Native Guns, have already made plenty of noise with their brolic debut, Barrel Men, but heads around were likely first exposed to the trio during their appearance with their comrades-in-arms the Blue Scholars. Sonically drawing from the same warm, bouncy palettes, their street-tested revolutionary rally cries are just as sure to make "all these college kids... want to up and organize too." Actor/poet/MC/Hillside Quickies founder Ayinde Howell, AKA American Hero, is a Seatown original, making a long-awaited homecoming from NYC to perform cuts off his upcoming EP, Secret Life of Porch Monkeys, a sweltering rap/punk/afrobeat hybrid spawned after hitting the road with Digable Planets last year. "I'm not about rockin' shows no more," says Howell of his combustible live act. "I'm about making statements!" Neezie Pleaze, formerly in live hiphop collective Maroon Colony with Khingz, is still one of the scene's best-kept secrets despite the momentum he's gained since dropping his solo debut, Pleaze Believe, last year. To my knowledge, I've never seen Yirim Seck (one-third of the crew Pyrate Radio) perform, but the cuts on his MySpace page are proper, with a soulfully grounded perspective and easy delivery. With this good of a bill to check, I might just have to strike those blocks up the hill.
Now if y'all happen to be checking the Shapeshifters show on Sunday, January 21, at Chop Suey, I don't want y'all to get confused when their openers hit the stage. Clockwerk, hailing from Portland, are not the same as this town's own Clockwork, ya dig? These 503 denizens are none other than Gold and Iame of the prolific 11-member Rose City crew Sandpeople (which includes '04 Scribble Jam battle champ Illmaculate); their debut, Due Yesterday, put out by the fine folks at Superhappywax, is simply raw, no-frills underground shit with heart. So what's in a name?
To think, here I went and copped all the Arrested Development DVDs believing I'd found my favorite TV show... well I should just slap myself now 'cause VH1's The White Rapper Show—brought to you by the Ego Trip crew and hosted by MC Serch—is bound to addict my ass like crack-dusted Doritos. My favorite part—and possibly yours—is that I feel like I've known every single one of the characters, from the overearnest ethnic-studies guy to the big, loud hoodrat to the reality-impaired CEO/MC/haberdasher/"movement." OK, that and dude getting smacked with the dildo. Ghetto Revival, baby! 
