Blue Scholars are prepping the release of their first full-length album in four years, the film-inspired Cinematropolis, which promises to be their best, most fun and thoughtful work yet. In their typically forward-thinking manner, they're not waiting for anyone to make it happen for them—not even choosing to release the album on historic label Duck Down (which reissued their 2007 Bayani a couple years back) or on any other label. They will be releasing it (and, fittingly, a slew of short films) themselves, with the direct monetary support of their friends and fans via Kickstarter. That would be the same ingenious project fundraising site that Macklemore and his team used to fund the upcoming "Wings" video, raising nearly double their 10K goal in a couple weeks. It's working for BS, too, because as of this writing, after a couple of days, they'd raised over 10K; by the time you read this, they will likely have hit or exceeded their 25K goal. Aw, now don't be mad.

Speaking of Mack, though: Maybe you heard that Sir Mix-A-Lot came onstage at the last of Macklemore's Showbox at the Market dates to literally pass the baton, proclaim him the "Prince of Seattle" (hey, I thought that was Sol's tagline!), and then totally perform "Posse on Broadway"? No? (Ooh damn, you are brittle.) Okay, just kidding, totally didn't happen, it was all just a dream. Shhh. Shhh. Go back to sleep.

Okay, but "all that diamond dust... blowin up your hopes"? Word to those who it's for: Shabazz Palaces have announced their new album, Black Up, is due May 31 on Seattle's own Sub Pop Records. The first single, "An echo from the hosts that profess infinitium," is available for download right now via the more discerning hubs of the internets. Yeah, yeah; no, yeah!

Also new in the ever-rising tide of local black futurism: Enter one Jahon Mikal, member of the Heartfelts, younger brother of a very prominent local hiphop producer, singer, MC, producer in his own right—GMK's Songs for Bloggers (which he coproduced) or Fatal Lucciauno's brick-hard "Don't Grind Don't Eat"—thinker, feeler of feelings. Last week, he released his solo debut, The Medulla Transmissions, a journey through his own head, as he strives to know himself and unlock the potential he suspects is stored at the base of his brain stem, in his medulla oblangata. Say what, Bobby Boucher? "It is the energetic center from which we receive our cosmic energy," Jahon writes on his blog. "It's our little crystal radio that receives cosmic transmissions of primordial sound. It is commonly referred to in the metaphysical world as 'the mouth of God.'" That's word. Fleeting, fragile, and really quite beautiful at places—its lovelorn black space melancholia is something like what I imagine it would sound like if Andre 3000 had remixed the Postal Service. Go to www.jahonmikal.bandcamp.com and name a price.

Or maybe you'd prefer something that evokes, say, backpack rap from 1996, or gangsta rap from, like, 1998? (Or just, like, yourself?) Good luck with finding that rap almanac, Doc Brown. Great Scott!