ROUNDUP: Green Mountain Updates

Legendary rap duo The Perceptionists will be coming to The Monkey House next month. Props to DJ Disco Phantom & VMB Productions for landing that one. That evening will be packed in every sense; the opening support is A-List 802 talent and the venue is definitely small enough to sell out. So although the show is on February 23rd, you might want to get advance tickets, bud.

I've also got updates on the upcoming Building Blocks 2 party. The Break Room team has assembled a lineup of sponsors, including the Taco Truck All Stars and the fine folks at the Friends for A-Dog Foundation. There will be B-Boy Battles, breaks & classics from Headphone Monk and cuts by the incredible DJ Kanganade, an open mic cypher over ILLu beats (and he's got a lot of heat these days) ... and then, then, there's an invitational cypher over Es-K & Loupo jams. This is excessive, that's beautiful to see.

This is also a food and clothing drive. All food donations head to the Chittenden county emergency food shelf; all clothing donations going to Possibility Shop in the basement of First Congregational Church Burlington. Bringing either will get you 50% off the $10 admission, and Chittenden County needs a lot of food & clothing this time of year.

What follows is a quick roundup of recent releases.

Drive, a rapper hailing from Jeffersonville, which is also Cambridge, has been dropping increasingly strong tracks, like his latest, "The Day I Fell In Love." Dude is a natural, he's got the voice and flow and his songwriting is already sharply observed. Peace to Lamoille County.



The old email inbox does work: a producer from St. Albans named Dok Sterling hit us up about his new project, "The Return." It's a chilled-out instrumental set and a solid piece of work. You can bet we'll be hearing more from him in 2018. Peace to Franklin County.



North Carolina rapper C Shreve The Professor will be coming through the state for two hot tickets: Friday, Jan. 26th at Windsor Station with Maiden Voyage, then Saturday, Jan. 27th at Charlie O's with Boomslang. Previously a core member of NC crew Free The Optimus, Shreve has been taking it on the road solo in recent years. To get a feel for his style, check the lushly shot video for his 2017 single, "Catacombs."



UVM rapper Yung $eth has a fresh single for 2018. "Cash Out" expands on his trap-heavy style, a summer jam in January. Also of interest: he talks shop about his plans and his team in a recent interview with with Vermont Cynic.



...and remember: The 1st Annual Granite State Hip Hop Festival starts tonight in Manchester, NH. Props to BKProductions, JigsMusic and Capitol Front Booking for doing it up big.

TONIGHT - Food for Thought Tour Kicks Off in Winooski

This weekend kicks off with a hip hop celebration at The Monkey House in Winooski. To launch their Food For Thought Tour in proper form, Mister Burns and Jarv are bringing their crews to the party: Cultural Chemistry and Maiden Voyage will both be doing sets tonight, along with NH standout talent Cody Pope.

There will also be games, prizes, raffles -- expect a party. Fun starts at 9 pm. Free, 21+

ROUNDUP: Hip Hop Shows in August

August 2nd: Apathy @ Club Metronome. One of the best rappers alive touches down on Main Street tonight so, you know, go see that. 9 pm. $10 adv / $15 door. 18+

August 4th: Bowling for BP @ Champlain Lanes. A special charity edition of the Mics & Strikes series to benefit the Ryan Morin Memorial Scholarship. 8 pm. $15 gets you two hours of bowling and dope rap. All ages.

Also August 4th: The Khaosity Experience @ Sweet Melissas. An evening of hip hop in Montpelier with Drive, Trono of Self Portrait crew, and JMC Ent. 8:30 pm. $5. All Ages.

August 11th: Chris Webby @ Higher Ground. Suburban rap sensation Chris Webby has parlayed mixtape success into multiple national tours now and will probably never stop. Also on the bill: Bizarre of D12, because of course he would be. 9 pm. $18 adv/$22 door. All Ages.

August 17th: 3rd Thursday @ The Monkey House. Yet another big score for the Anthill Collective family, this month's lineup brings some outside talent to Winooski. Sets from Ben Schorr, Stay on Mars and Maine's furball fast-rap legend Eyenine, who puts on a hell of a show. Local metal rap act HatePH34R will be making an appearance, too. 9 pm. 21+ $3 // 18+ $8

August 19th: Dellarious Summer Jam @ Cloud 9 Bar and Grille. Sure, this is in New Hampshire on Hampton Beach, but the lineup is heavy on Vermont: Bar None The Best, Jarv, Jibba the Gent and the entire Street Religion massive doing a group set. This should be a fairly bananas event. 9 pm. $5 adv/$10 door. 21+

August 24th: Chyse & DJ Ross @ Social Club & Lounge. If you're not familiar with Chyse, fix that. He'll be headlining at Social Club & Lounge alongside DJ Ross. Khaosity, Jibba the Gent and Kastaway will also be performing. 9 pm. $5. 21+

August 26th: A-Dog Day 2017 @ Waterfront, Nectars, Club Metronome. It's hard to believe this is already the fourth A-Dog Day celebration. It's also hard to believe it's only the fourth one. This has become the most important event of the year, a pilgrimage, a holy day. The Friends for A-Dog Foundation not only puts on a world-class party, they're a community asset year round.

What a party, though. They're not kidding when they call it "a city-wide celebration," but make sure you're upstairs at Club Metronome when The Beatnuts go on.

VIDEO: Jarv - "Roast Beef"

Fresh flows from Jarv, this time another one of those viral video contest affairs. Producer Kato -- full legal name Kato On The Track -- is running a competition to see who can body this beat the best. Safe to say Jarv is a top 10 contender, based off this blistering performance.

NSMC5 is short for No Sucka MCs 5, and the contest is apparently still going: details here for those of you interested.

This kind of spotlight is perfectly tailored to Jarv's show-stopping sensibilities -- win or lose, he's picking up new fans in the process.

Chittenden county critters can catch Jarv on Friday, August 4th at the Bowling for BP tribute at Champlain Lanes. He'll be rocking with Maiden Voyage alongside the Cultural Chemistry crew. A great night for a great cause, bud. Be there.

Burlington Hip Hop Night, July 13th @ Club Metronome

This Thursday, Club Metronome will be hosting a packed lineup. Packed.

S.I.N.Sizzle will be delivering a solo set, Jibba the Gent returns to BTV, plus appearances from Chyse (with DJ Ross) and Young $eth & David Chief. To top it all off, BTV's own "supergroup" Cultural Chemistry will be in the house. Expect to see Learic debut some choice new material.

Seven bucks for folks with drinkin' ID, ten bucks for the 18+ crowd. Get there early -- there is no dead weight on this bill whatsoever.

ROUNDUP: Hip Hop Shows in July

Happy 4th, folks. Make it count.

July 6th: Spose x Shane Reis at Higher Ground. Spose is a yung rap phenom from Maine who was smart enough to build a sustainable fanbase off his viral hit "I'm Awesome." Expect a fun show and copious amounts of ganja raps. 8:30 pm. $12 adv / $14 at the door.

July 13th: Burlington Hip Hop Night at Club Metronome. Another stacked showcase gig; this is a strong lineup. S.I.N.Sizzle, Jibba the Gent and Cultural Chemistry, plus appearances from Chyse (with DJ Ross) and a set from Young $eth & David Chief. 9 pm. 21+ $7 // 18+ $10.

July 20th: 3rd Thursday at the Monkey House. Anthill Collective's excellent monthly series continues, this time bringing Montreal true school rapper Monk'E to BTV. Also on the bill: Face One will be back onstage for the first time in awhile, and Self Portrait will be in full effect. 9 pm. 21+ $3 // 18+ $8

Also July 20th: Regional Indie Hip Hop Compilation Release Party at Club Metronome. Not a very catchy name, but it promises to be an entertaining evening. This is going to be a "live mixtape" affair featuring a ton of artists, a collaborative production from Heartless Entertainment and STILTZgang. The big news here: live set from Kingbread. You know you have to see that. 10 pm. 21+ free // 18+ $5

July 22nd: Music for the Good Earth at Parker Pie Co. It's out there, but Parker Pie Co. has some of the best food in the state -- and, without question, one of the best beer lists. Maiden Voyage will be headlining this one, which is a guaranteed good time. NEK heads are strongly advised to check this one out. MC Mycelium will be there with his Speaking in Tongues improv rap outfit. 8-11 pm. $5 donation.

Also July 22nd: Hip Hop Showcase at Charlie-O's. This legendary Montpelier dive is always a great venue for rap music, but this bill is especially interesting. There's going to be a lot of regional talent - Cody Pope and Two Story are from New Hampshire, and Ill By Instinct is a wicked talented emcee from Maine who's been having a great run in 2017. Rounding out the bill: Fresh Patterns, Trono and a solo set Mister Burns. 9 pm. 21+ only. Free as in free.

July 26th: Northern Exposure at Higher Ground. Northern Exposure is a monthly series that usually showcases rock, but this month's edition is heavy on local hip hop. These are all new names to me: Kastaway, Khaocity, Italics, and Drive. More details and hilarious bio copy available here. 8:30 pm. $6 adv and day of.

Remember, every Wednesday evening from 10 pm to midnight, Mister Burns is running the studio at 105.9 FM -- THE RADIATOR. His show, Words & Verbs, is a celebration of Vermont hip hop.

2017's celebration of A-Dog Day will be on Saturday, August 26th.

Viva La Hop, Cultural Chemistry, Fresh Patterns, 3/11 @ ArtsRiot

One of my favorite BTV venues - the food! the people! the beer list! - will be hosting a damn promising bill next Saturday. The headliner is Viva La Hop, a Boston-based, Berklee-heavy nine-piece (!!!) band. They're a throwback act to the glorious days of acid jazz: killer rhythm section, a polished top end with keys and horn section, and even the whole "conscious lyrics" / "educate your mind" routine on the mic. Perfect for Burlington, in other words.



For local support, ArtsRiot are bringing the biggest & best outfit in town, Cultural Chemistry, an "802 supergroup" with a deep catalog. (And breakdancing.) Current lineup appears to be Skysplitter Ink on the beats, DJ Kanga on the 1s and 2s, and Learic, Mister Burns and Tha Truth on the mic; they're a dynamic posse so that is subject to change. Also, expect special guests.

Earlier in the evening, there will be performances from live hip hop crew Fresh Patterns, who held down Rusty Nail last night solo when Sophistafunk couldn't make it, and Bless the Child, always a reliable source of good vibes.

Tonight: Loaf Muzik @ Higher Ground

NYC rap revivalists Loaf Muzik will be coming through Higher Ground to headline a heavy bill tonight. California beatsmith Jansport J will be in the building alongside Cultural Chemistry, Almattic, Self Portrait and live hip hop outfit cworner store (no caps, bud) is on the bill now, too. To top it all off, Colby Stiltz is confirmed & certified back in the 802.

More details/ticket sales here.

Loaf Muzik w/ Jansport J, Cultural Chemistry, 2/23 @ Higher Ground

Higher Ground will be hosting one hell of a hip hop show next week as young NYC crew Loaf Muzik touch down in BTV for the first time. If you're into that raw, hungry, high-energy live show type rap, this is your ticket.



Also on the bill: Jansport J, who is touring in support of his excellent instrumental album p h a r a o h.

The local support end of the operation is on point, too. 802 supergroup Cultural Chemistry will be representing along side Almattic, Self Portrait, and ... Stiltz Gang. I'm hoping that means Colby Stiltz is making a return appearance. All Ages.

More details/ticket sales here.