Aye, bruh, NW up and such: PDX triple-double OG Cool Nutz hits Nectar on Wednesday, September 19, to promote his newest LP, Portland NI%#A. On it you'll find "Know God," his duet with Mistah F.A.B., where the two wax grateful for their blessings over the knock. From NE Portland to Europe and back, Nutz helps carry his corner of the region and does so with rare grace. With him that evening will be DubbleOO and DJ Fatboy, Cheezealeo, Clemm Rishad, Chillest Illest aka DJ Chill, and DJ Dice with Frodie.
Ooh, clear and present conflict-of-interest alert—Thursday, September 20, Don't Talk to the Cops! are playing the Vera Project with Chicago's rising Treated Crew rep ShowYouSuck, Moor Gang/Kingdom Crumbs/Cloud Nice's Jarv Dee, based boys Keyboard Kid & Darwin, and Mash Hall's Ronnie Voice. On Friday, September 21, we do it all again at the Comet Tavern (minus Jarv Dee). Okay? Coo'.
Owl Scouts! On Friday, September 21, at the Columbia City Theater you will find an all-too-rare Oldominion show—probably their first crew set since Paid Dues. It will feature the fresh-off-tour Onry Ozzborn (with Rob Castro), Wolf Hotel (that's Graves 33 and Barfly, dog), Mr. Hill, JFK, Smoke, Gash, BISHOP I, Destro, Azrael, Lojique, and the AudioDose Crew. Can a hiphop show in the South End crack? Please?
He done rolled dice with Larry Bird in Barcelona, and now he's here to borrow your daughter: Come Monday, September 24, Nectar is three-wheeling off the diving board with Mad Decent's bugged-out Houston rocket Riff Raff—quite possibly the rap game's most dedicated troll. This will be a spectacle not to be missed. Thrill to openers Slow Dance, Billy the Fridge, and Peta Tosh—and don't you dare forget your gracious host Neema, because he won't let you.
Out of all these shows, though, I am most purely excited for this one: Tuesday, September 25, at the Crocodile, where the scrappy turf wit of San Francisco's Roach Gigz will undoubtedly shine. But it's not the headliner I'm most stoked on—rather, the opener, one of my favorite groups of the last few years, Oakland's "cloud rap" ambassadors Main Attrakionz. I've spilled some ink on the "best duo ever" of MondreM.A.N and Squadda B before, specifically regarding their young-head classic 808s & Dark Grapes II. I've played them for so many folks, and the chief response from the most discerning ears is something to the tune of "These dudes really have their minds right." Their rare gift of perspective and spirituality balances tales of excess and grind with rhymes that convey a depth of practical wisdom—rare in rappers their, or any, age. Their newest, Bossalinis & Fooliyones, brings a more classic Bay slap to their cloudy repertoire (beats range from Mob Figaz vet Rob Lo to hip Chi-town upstarts Supreme Cuts) and finds them hungrier (and thirstier) than ever to get it popping, but sacrifices none of their effortless overstanding. The two give me hope for a new generation of creators that too often seem blind to that concept. 
