ROUNDUP: Hip Hop Shows in February

Feb. 1st - Mister Burns and Jarv @ Switchback Taproom An early set at a great spot downtown. A treat for BTV locals; these guys still improve every time they get onstage. 6 pm. Free. 21+.

Feb. 2nd - Building Blocks 2 @ Swan Dojo The first time around was a big success, getting all four elements under one roof for a proper party. The second installment will be even bigger. There will be breakdance battles, there will be an invitational open mic, Headphonious Monk and DJ Kanganade on the tables, and -- believe it -- far more. All Ages. 5 pm - 10 pm. $10 / $5 with food or clothing donations.

Feb. 3rd - Dilla Day @ Sidebar. This should be an exceptional evening for your earholes. Beat sets from Crusty Cuts, Loupo and Old Gold, and Possibly Human doing a special Dilla set. All killer, no filler. 21+. Free Show.

Also Feb. 3rd - Mister Burns & Jarv at Notte Neapolitan Pizza Bar. The state's reigning tag team champions take their show to Middlebury, VT. 10 pm. $3. 21+.

Feb. 8th - Milo @ Arts Riot. Milo will be bringing his caravan through Arts Riot again, this time bringing along CT-based troubadour and label founder Ceschi. Sadly, NYC wizard/god Elucid will not be making the trek to Vermont, but this will still be a great night thanks to JPEGMAFIA, who is nothing short of amazing. 8pm. $15. ALL AGES.

Feb. 15th - 3rd Thursdays: HLR Takeover @ Monkey House. Even by 3rd Thursday standards, this one will be a big deal. The lineup is stacked, Street Religion and Bar None The Best will both be making their Winooski debut, and there's going to be a contest to open up for The Perceptionists on Feb. 23rd, too. Ten artists will get one song each to convince the crowd they deserve it. 9 pm. 18+ $8 / 21+ $3

Feb. 17th - Joell Ortiz Valentine's Bash @ Social Club & Lounge. NYC rap god and Slaughterhouse member Joell Ortiz will be packing Social Club & Lounge for a Saturday Night show. He'll be bringing through Philly revivalist Judah Priest, who has been both a back bench Wu-Affiliate and a Christian rapper in the past. 9 pm. 21+. $27.

Feb. 23rd - The Perceptionists w/ Cultural Chemistry @ Monkey House. The 802 is getting spoiled this month -- days later, Akrobatic & Mr. Lif will be coming through to sell out The Monkey House. Openers will be Cultural Chemistry, Jarv and...whoever wins the contest at 3rd Thursdays. 9 pm. 18+. $12 adv / $15 door.

TONIGHT: Motown Mondays 2nd Anniversary Party

Motown Mondays has been delivering the goods for two years now. The party goes down at Winooki's Monkey House, a longtime hub for indie culture in BTV. Tag-team champions Craig Mitchell & Fattie B will be spinning classics, mashups and remixes from 8 pm to 11 pm. No cover. There will be drink specials to celebrate. Probably. Tell 'em you read about it on Vermont Hip Hop News either way.

Go forth and boogie.

TONIGHT: 3rd Thursdays @ The Monkey House

Anthill Collective comes through with another hot ticket in Winooski tonight. The big news for January's installment is the debut of Princess Nostalgia and the return of rapper/producer/etc Network, who has not been seen in these parts for quite some time. There will also be sets from Fresh Patterns and ILLu, who just released an EP.

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+

TONIGHT: Brzowski, Wool See & Jibba "The Gent" @ Monkey House

The latest edition of Anthill's 3rd Thursday series will feature Portland, ME legend / rap hobo Brzowski, who recently released his new LP Emnityville. Check out the video for Leave It All Behind:



Also on the bill: Jibba "The Gent," one of the 802's 2017 MVPs, and Wool See, a recent transplant from Portland, OR, who is perhaps better known as rapper/producer IAME of Oldominion and Sandpeople.

Opening sets include Drive and Khaosity, who just released his first single on Heartless Ent, "Legend." 9 pm. 18+ $8 / 21+ $3.

ROUNDUP: Hip Hop Shows in October

Oct. 6th - 33 1/3 Anniversary of "The Cultural Bunker" at Club Metronome - This is a huge party honoring one of the true founders of "Vermont Hip Hop," by any standard, DJ Melo Grant. Naturally, this will feature an all-star cast of DJs, like Big Dog, Cre8, Sexfly, Luis Calderin, and Nat Woodard. There is also going to be an epic cypher with Konflick, S.I.N.siZZle, Jarv, and Learic trading bars over Es-K beats. Be there. 9 pm. 21+. $5.

Oct. 9th - Brother Ali at Higher Ground - One of the best to do it will be swinging through to support his new album, All the Beauty in This Whole Life. He's bringing along some top-notch support, too -- Sa-Roc, Last Word and Sol Messiah will also be playing. 8 pm. $20 adv / $22 door. ALL AGES SHOW.

Oct. 14th - Khaosity Birthday Bash at Social Club & Lounge - Khaosity has been hustling hard in 2017...reckon he's earned a big party. And this will be big: current lineup goes a little something like Jarv, Jibba The Gent, Eyedos, Mister Burns, Kingbread, Suss Brim, BL SPITZ, HatePH34R, Modest, Corty Booth, Drive and JMC Ent. 7 pm. $2 until 10 pm, $5 after that. 21+.

Oct. 19th - Third Thursday at Monkey House - Third Thursday is always a family celebration, but this one is going to be special. Portland, ME madman / rap hobo Brzowski will be playing in support of his impressive a.f. new album, Emnityville. This cat is at the top of his game right now. There will also be a set from Wool See, aka Portland, OR rapper/producer IAME, who recently moved to Vermont...and released a new album, Leaving/Left. Still not enough? Fine. Jibba "The Gent", will also be rocking the Monkeyhouse, and the evening kicks off with a set from Khaosity & Drive. 9 pm. 18+ $8 / 21+ $3.

Oct. 20th - WRUV presents Milo and Sammus. As part of WRUV's "Rocktober" series, they've been kind enough to make some space for beats & rhymes. Milo having an amazing run, building a genuine indie empire with his Ruby Yacht extended family. Sammus is an awesome emcee from Ithica, NY with an unforgettable stage show. Also, Sam Paulino will be opening, fresh off his triumphant South Cove EP, one of the best Vermont releases of 2017.8 pm. $15. ALL AGES SHOW.

Oct. 20th - East Coast Indie Jam at Club Metronome - this is a huge networking event in addition to a rap show. There will be a lot going on upstairs on the 20th. Current line up hails from all over: Spocka Summa & Friends (RI), Colby Stiltz (VT), Dommy Divine (MA/CA), Spilt Soul (FL), Twenty Piece (DC), and Swizzy B (CO) -- with more local support to be announced shortly. 8 pm. 21+. FREE SHOW.

Oct. 27th - Boomslang Album Release Party at Sweet Melissas - Boomslang will be releasing their new album, Attack the Vampire, on a Friday night in the capital city. Maiden Voyage is co-headlining, and surprise special guests will also be in the building. 9:30 pm. Under 21 $10 / 21+ $5.

Oct. 28th-29th - Fear Fest is a private party in Royalton, VT. (A good town to be holding a private party in.) Party is being thrown by Yours Truly Inc, and there will be costume competitions and bonfires aplenty. This will be a two night BYOB party with tons of music - current lineup is Judge da Beast, Bar None The Best, Dee Block, EyeDos, Jarv, BL Spitz, Biozone, I.M.L, and JMC. $15 / $20 VIP

Oct. 31st - Jonwayne at Club Metronome - Jonwayne is an unlikely looking rap superhero, but he dropped one of 2017's best albums. He's on tour with young Texas spitter Danny Watts, who just released an album on Jonwayne's label (and quit his job at CostCo -- congrats!) Also on the bill: EMV and an opening set from Loupo, who definitely deserves the spotlight. 8:30 pm. $13 adv / $15 door. 18+.

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.

ROUNDUP: Hip Hop Shows in June

A couple of choice cuts from what remains of June:

June 14th: Bucksaw and Loupo at SideBar. An evening of collaborative DJ sets. Expect woozy, deep cuts and heavy "electronic trap" influences. Spaced-out ill shit, in other words. 10 pm. Free.

June 15th: Anthill Collective will be hosting their third "Nights of the Roundtables" session at The Monkey House in Winooski. Expect a family vibe, eclectic vinyl and turntable excellence. Pool tables & great drinks. 9 pm. 21+ $3 // 18+ $8

June 16th: Ziontific Summer Solstice Festival will be kicking off and 802 supergroup Cultural Chemistry will be playing. More information (and tickets) available at their official site. Bring a tent, bud.

June 22nd: Yo! BTV RAPS Vol. 8 at SideBar. A variety show that keeps improving every time. The lineup is packed for this one, with Jibba the Gent headlining in support of his impressive new album, The Broccoli Tree. Also on the bill: Self Portrait, Mister Burns, Matt Hagen MC, LoKi, and "members of Bless the Child." What does that mean? You have to go and find out. 10 pm. Free.

June 29th: Busdriver at ArtsRiot. One of LA's best rappers will be coming through one of Burlington's best venues for a solo set. No word on opening acts but dude himself is plenty enough to leave the house for. 9 pm. $12 adv /$14 at the door.

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

Hip Hop Fuels The Bern in Winooski Feb. 15th

Collective Rhymes and The Monkey House presents "Hip Hop Fuels the Bern" going down Monday February 15th at The Monkey House in Winooski, VT. This bill is stacked with local Hip Hop with sets from Self Portrait, Headphone Jack, Enemy Self, The Blind Continuum, S.I.N.siZZle, Mycelium MC, Cworner Stwore, Jarv (of Maiden Voyage), Forest Gray, and special guests. The night is set up to support the campaign of Bernie Sanders with individuals there to help you donate your cover charge to the campaign. It all starts at 8PM at the Monkey House 2/15. For more info email --> mcmycelium74@gmail.com