Hot damn I am jazzed about how things are ship shaping up as far as live hip hop is going down in Toronto this summer!
First up: this Saturday (06/18) Shad K (a.k.a the man in my dreams) is participating in T Dot's annual NXNE festival and booked a slot at The Ballroom's intimate upstairs concert venue. I saw Shad this time last year at the Opera House, and it was one of the livest shows I have ever been too...he closed out with 3 (yes 3) encores. I am a gigantic Shad fan, so it goes without saying that I am gonna be throwing my hands up and having myself a damn good time at the Ballroom this Saturday night.
As part of NXNE, there will also be a free show happening on Sunday night (06/19) with Toronto's D-Sisive (aka Derek Christoff? Derek From Northcliff? whatever he is going by these days) along side Digable Planets & The Pharcyde. This show will take place at the outdoor concert space come mecca for free live hip hop in Toronto: Yonge & Dundas Square.
On July 1st: Quest Love of the Roots will be once again throwing down a DJ set in our fair city. I was also lucky enough to have caught his set last summer at the Drake Underground, and even though he showed up well after midnight and spun until after 3 on a school night, I would do it all over again as it was well worth the next level hangover I nursed the whole next workday. This time Questo has a "special guest"... rumoured to be homegrown talent DJ Skratch Bastid...and if these rumours are true, this will be a Canada day to remember.
Later in July (07/22) Elzhi & Will Sessions roll into town to perform Elmatic, the album I reviewed in my first post on this blog. Walking home yesterday, Elmatic happened to be on blast in the headphones when I got a notification on my blackberry about this show and damn near had a stroke.
So Tdot is getting a lot of love from the hip hop community... it's barely a few weeks into the summer and my calendar is getting booked up with golden hip hop tickets! Not to mention that I have a Labour Day weekend trip to NYC in the works to coincide with when Rock the Bells blows into the Big Apple!
I am in love with this season, I am in love with this city, and I leave you with this new video that I am head over heels in love with. See yall around the TDOT!!!
Black Hand Side-Pharoahe Monch feat. Phonte & Styles P:
http://www.redbullusa.com/cs/Satellite/en_US/Video/pharoahe-monch-black-hand-side-021243029036408
