Kanye West

hip-hop

Kanye West is dressed in a bear suit on the cover of his first full-length, The College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella); it's a fitting introduction to this breakout hip-hop star who has proven both his behind-the-scenes mettle and his ability to act, well, kind of goofy. The Chicago-born West began his career as a producer, spinning a Jackson 5 string sample into summer-hit gold on Jay-Z's "Izzo (HOVA)," and breaking Alicia Keys out of dirge-etude mode with his lush, sweeping backdrop for "You Don't Know My Name." Now he has two of his own songs blitzing the airwaves: the clenched ballad "Through the Wire," recorded after he had his jaw wired shut (and backed by a sped-up Chaka Khan sample), and "Slow Jamz," a grinning, silly ode to Marvin and Luther. It's unlikely that either a jaw-closing apparatus or a Jamie Foxx cameo will be broken out at Power 99's Spring Jam, but West's productions -- and his sense of humor -- make even his non-singles worth repeated listenings.

Sat., March 6, 7:30 p.m. $34.50-$38, with Ludacris, Chingy, Young Gunz, David Banner and Nocturnal, Electric Factory, 421 N. Seventh St., 215-LOVE-222.

—Maura Johnston

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