ROUNDUP: Snow, Shows & Singles

Over the past five years, Burlington has seen a fair few hip hop showcases come and go. Some have quietly disappeared, some have gone into semi-retirement, and some of them have kept on marching. Most of those scrappy survivors are getting together on Thursday, December 21st for a big old party called Holidaze at the Lanes.

It will be held at Champlain Lanes, home of Mics & Strikes, a showcase run by Mister Burns of Lynguistic Civilians. (In case you haven't heard of them, start here.) Rapper, producer, promoter, radio host and plenty more besides, he's got experience and connections. Since he started in May, he's brought some serious acts through Shelburne.

Joining the celebration is Anthill Collective, whose 3rd Thursdays series at Monkey House has had a spectacular run in 2017. They've continuously upped the ante, and always delivered solid lineups without overstuffing the audience. Anthill also helped organize one of the best events of the year, their waterfront art festival Above The Radar.

Finally, props to Yo! BTV Raps and the Self Portrait crew for keeping the torch burning. Here's hoping they can continue the series into 2018.

With so many extended families under the same Christmas lights, you know the lineup is going to be bananas. Mister Burns, Self Portrait and Stiltz Gang will all be in the building, with Hagen MC, Drive and at least a few members of BTV favorites Bless The Child. 9 pm. Free show. All ages. $15 gets you two hours of bowling.

Speaking of celebrations, Jibba "The Gent" just threw a wild birthday party show last weekend with Slaine & Termanology at The Rusty Nail. To celebrate, he's dropped a new single:



"Ishimown" features Jun Fargo over a spacious banger. Jibba previously collaborated with Jun Fargo on "Maple Syrup," a video that clocked 150k views on Youtube since this summer. Jibba's had a strong 2017, building some real momentum and reach with his album The Broccoli Tree.



Teece Luvv used to be known as John Carter of Earth or JCOE, part of Windsor's party weapon Maiden Voyage. He's just dropped an excellent three track set in collaboration with ILLu. A rapper named Jarv stops through to casually murder a verse and the beats are on point. Dig it.

One last note of appreciation before I go...

Sidebar, a humble & tasty venue tucked next to Mr. Mike's Pizza, has been booking and supporting local hip hop since they opened. They've got some holiday treats on the calendar this month, including an upcoming Sunday set from DJ / producer David Chief on Dec. 17th. He'll have MilkHaus artist LoKi opening.

Sidebar's got another hot ticket right after Christmas on Thursday the 28th: a bill featuring Jarv x Mr. Burns alongside Possibly Human, a collaboration between Hank Collins and Sam Paulino. For a sample of what that project will be like, check out their recent collaboration with producer IMAN, "Fossils."



You can't beat that for three bucks, hot damn. Enjoy yourselves, and whatever you do, drive safe.