Well goddamn if Bumbershoot ain't upon us again (if you couldn't tell from the big Stranger vs. Bumbershoot pullout guide). With plenty of dope hiphop acts slated to perform, you best bring a comfortable pair of steps so you can get to 'em all. I think we're all excited to see Digable Planets reunited, but what I'm really pumped about is watching Little Brother perform again. The boys from North Cackalacka are sure to rock the Center with their signature everyman observations, goofy humor, and singular chemistry.
Ayinde is Seattle's own renaissance man—MC, poet, actor, and restauranteur. Howell's Hillside Quickies is the go-to hiphop vegan sandwich shop where you might just catch the Lifesavas, Dead Prez, or Common chowing down with health-conscious UW students (cause the food's crackin'). Ayinde (who now splits his time between here and Brooklyn) is also a spoken-word artist with the Urban Scribes Project, and a budding actor—he recently starred in the indie film UrbanWorld and plays the lead in James Spooner's (acclaimed director of Afropunk) upcoming White Lies Black Sheep. It's his capacity as an MC, however, that has earned him a slot at the EMP Sky Church Monday night (alongside Boom Bap Project and Cancer Rising), and you might just be surprised if you are only familiar with Howell's acclaimed work as a poet. His debut album, Ayinde Howell Presents American Hero Vol. I: The My Life in LP is a fresh and ambitious examination of black life in America. Spliced with searing soul, funk, and rock 'n' roll, the musical backdrops smartly mirror the musical swath cut by Africans on this continent, the American Hero motif a potent and insightful distillation of the struggle. Ayinde's flow reflects his spoken-word roots, but make no mistake, his b-boy stance is in full effect. The brother rocks this material live with real flavor—enough that he's been opening for Digable Planets on their reunion tour, so don't miss it, and cop his CD while you're at it.
So why can't I stop listening to Kanye West's Late Registration? 'Cause it's fuckin' terrific, that's why. Ye's second outing is more mature, more earnest, and better produced, as far as I'm concerned. I loved me some College Dropout—and so did you, quit frontin'—but there's a lushness to these tracks that wasn't present amidst the I-make-hot-beats-and-rap-too novelty of his debut. The progression probably has something to do with the scads of great work he's done since Dropout (like Common's brilliant Be, just to name one), or the co-production from classically trained multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion, who you might know from his work scoring flicks like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and I Heart Huckabees, or his production on Fiona Apple's dope When the Pawn album. Seems like he and the Louis Vuitton Don would be an odd pairing, but the results are R&B glossy at its worst ("Bring Me Down"), and Sunday-morning-soul at its breathtaking best (the Nas-assisted "We Major"). I expect a lot of y'all ain't gonna feel the same way here, as Kanye's familiarity with the airwaves has definitely bred plenty of contempt, but I think this is indisputable proof that dude's no fluke.
