February 26-March 3, 2004
beat box
Without fail, The Gathering is the monthly proving ground for MCs and breakers, and routinely draws a crowd. CyMarshall Law and Pumpkinhead take center stage as I Be, Tuphace and DJ M-Ski host and spin. Thu., Feb. 26, 10 p.m.-midnight, free, all ages, The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., www.foundationarts.org.
Bad music and big corporations rule the airwaves, but ears can be very thankful this Sunday as the Sesion 31 crew (DJs Fredy Blast, Skeme Richards and Primetime) celebrate the release of Soul Survivor 2 with A Tribute to Pete Rock on Volta Radio. Sun., Feb. 29, 1-3 p.m., www.radiovolta.org, requests via 215-476-8068 or AIM: voltaradio. Later, with a name as braggadocio as iCON the Mic King, it's no wonder he was on phillyhiphop.com, claiming this show was going to be the banger of all bangers. Alongside Parts of Speech (Dos Noun and Verbal Tec) and Elevated Mindz, iCON attempts to put his money where his mouth is. Sun., Feb. 29, $8, 7 p.m., The Fire, 412 W. Girard Ave.
Local standout producer Chops parties in the name of his debut album, Virtuosity, at Makanik Mondays. Expect live performances from some of the album's featured MCs like Dave Ghetto, L Dorado and CMNR. Mon., March 1, $5, women free before midnight, 10 p.m.-2 a.m., Fluid, 613 S. Fourth St.
Champion of local music and host of "Inner City" on Power 99, Tiffany Bacon returns to the cluttered Philly party circuit with Side Gig. Its core foundation is firmly laid in the art of the live show, so bring the noise and the funk for the open mic or bring a crew of friends for games like Uno, poker, spades and dominoes. Wed., March 3, 9 p.m.-2 a.m., $7 (includes buffet dinner), The Five Spot, 5 S. Bank St., 215-844-7666, www.groovecityproductions.com.
Lastly, while some local hip-hop artists like to whine that Philly gets no love on a commercial level, Roc-A-Fella's Young Gunz dropped what might be a huge-selling album this Tuesday. Meanwhile, underground: Local beatmaker LF Daze is busy churning out tracks for Lone Catalyst's J. Sands, Jean Grae, Donte of MOOD and Star Trak's Roscoe P. Coldchain. Yep, he's the producing phenom that shook Beat Society No. 7 and would surely been crowned king if the producers were to actually battle.
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