Do you love a parade? Then maybe you wanna be a part of the Northwest Hip Hop Parade Troop, presented by the good people of 206 Zulu; the Troop debuts at the Umoja Fest Saturday, August 4! The parade will begin at 1:00 p.m. at 23rd Avenue and East Union Street and travel south on 23rd to the festival grounds located at Judkins Park. All four elements will be in full effect with a graf-laced float, live performances, and a People's March. If you're a lover or practitioner of local hiphop, and interested in walkin' it out like an usher, hit up Ms. Kitty Wu at kwu@wickedx.net.
Later that night, change into your drinkin' clothes and take in a FREE show—Neema is dropping his The Collective mixtape this month, and he wants to party with YOU at Nectar come Saturday night. If you get there before midnight, you can save your duckets for the bar—e-mail Neema for an advance ticket at UnexpectedArrival@gmail.com. The hardest working man in Seattle hiphop is filming his performance—also featuring Young Soprano, Mr. Von, and DJ Money D—for an upcoming live DVD that night, so don't be camera shy either.
But let's backtrack here... On Thursday, August 2, that dude Grieves will be celebrating the release of his new album, Irreversible, at Nectar's Thursday-night Graffiti Rock, rocking on a bill that also includes the Nite Owls, Terry Radjaw, and djblesOne. Grieves has quietly built a following and an extended fam of MCs, DJs, and producers around his Queen Anne studio, the Robot Room. Since relocating to Seattle from Colorado (via Olympia), he's been DIY full time, from pressing up his self-produced EPs to catching the ear of ex-KEXP DJ Lisa Wood to promoting his own night at Vito's to setting up his own tours.
Irreversible is Grieves's first long-player, and he thankfully jumps right into it with the rowdy "Knucklehead"-flipping track "Fly Away." Just as before, he mostly goes for dolo, but he gets assists on the boards from P Smoov, Captain Midnite, Murder Dice, and Nick Rapp, and assists in the booth from his homies Typecast, Rik Rude, Symmetry, and even Def Jux soldier Mr. Lif (who chimes in on the title track). Grieves's disarming charisma and flow float his signature new-jack emo swang: self-image, self-abuse, relationships, family—it's all there, just far better executed than the hordes of bedroom MCs/producers who pose as fans these days. The beats are sparse, funereal, and tinged with electronic elements; the prevailing vibe is slow, woozy, and meditative, occasionally punctuated by bursts of bug-out humor. The Anglo-electro pop of the Blur/Pet Shop Boys—inspired "Capitol Hill Girls (That Look Like Capitol Hill Boys)" is hilariously tailor-made for its namesakes. Goofy humor being so damn rare in our scene, it really might be my favorite track... I can just see a clubful of star-tattoo types spazzing to it, generating an irony overload that could forever rip the space-time continuum asunder.
Irreversible is a great step out, a great addition to the Class of '07 catalog, and a great fuck you to all the bouncers who will no doubt be carding Grieves till he's 60. Young-looking mufucka! 
