January 22-28, 2004
beat box
So the hype of Thee Phantom and The Illharmonic Orchestra has faded? Think again. Backed by a sitar player and brass section, Phantom delivers a creative, genre-bending live hip-hop. "The band" whips up orchestral instrumental renditions of popular beats like Busta's "Gimme Some More," Beyoncé's "Crazy In Love" and M.O.P.'s "Ante Up." Thee Phantom was the first hip-hopper to play alongside The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia at the Kimmel Center and made big noise on college radio with his radio-rotating single, "Storming the Bastille." Special guests Verso, The Phoenix and DJ Pac-Midi open. Sat., Jan. 24, 9 p.m., free, The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St.,
www.foundationarts.org.
Billed as a night that represents all elements of hip-hop, this month's Current boasts MCs, DJs, producers, b-boys and beatboxers. Included: North Philly's King Syze (Brick Recs, Army of the Pharaohs), old-school breaks and beatboxing for the new millennium from TG, the fiercely independent hip-hop of The Slug Crumbs, the Illustrators and the turntable duo, EDK, and b-boyin' courtesy of phillybeats.com. Dev79 will perform a producer set rife with "left field, fucked-up beats." Free condoms will be handed out by the Cover Your Lover project. Get bizzy. Tue., Jan. 27, 9 p.m.-2 a.m., $5, Silk City, Fifth and Spring Garden sts., www.seclusiasis.com.
Good things come in threes? Watch out for the Square Biz/Tastytreats three-year anniversary party, The Bodyrock third anniversary and another exhibit featuring the art of Meca Isa, Too Fly, E. Bonds, Cathy White and Shannon Washington at Union 237 called "Four Women," a tribute to Nina Simone. Union 237, 237 Market St., www.union237.com.
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