So a few months ago, I had this crazy idea… What if we threw an all-girl rap concert at TheTHESIS? It’s no secret that rap has long been entertained as a rough and tumble man’s game. Women, from Lil’ Kim to (yuck) Iggy Azalea, have long been seen as novelties in hip-hop with few – think Queen Latifah, maybe Left Eye – ascending to the status of Legend. Locally, the scene is even tougher, but inspired by the success of last year’s multi-genre GirlFestNW, I decided that this could work. In fact, it must.
To test the waters, we booked standout Portland duo Neka & Kahlo to headline June’s show; the results were amazing. For all of its issues Portland is one of the most progressive cities in America, perhaps even the world, and the tandem of lady lovers brought out one of the best crowds we’ve seen thus far. At that point, we decided, it was a go. We HAD to make this happen. Portland needs it. Hip-Hop needs it. And the ladies of regional rap deserve it.
Seattle’s undisputed queen of rap, Gifted Gab, was our first target. The Moor Gang powerhouse has been working her ridiculously dense album, Girl Rap for well over a year, recently dropping an excellent video for one of the many singles, 187. Queen LaChiefah (as she’s often called) has been featured on outlets from XXL to VH1, and we’ve been following very closely. One of the best in the business on any level, Gab wrecks beats with astounding precision, exercising her gift for dropping bars on every track she’s on. Having never seen her live, I’m especially excited about bringing her down. But that’s not all…
Alia Zin – originally from Cali – made major waves in the underground scene when she touched down in Portland a year or so ago, dropping Soundcloud gem after Soundcloud gem with a flow that sits somewhere between Kendrick Lamar and Lady Of Rage. Matt Singer’s recent interview in Willamette Week discusses her approach quite nicely, and now that she has new music out, it is time to bring the youngster out to show and prove.
The lovely Karma Rivera is a rap vet and WOHM favorite with her nasal rap voice and refusal to fit into any typical hip-hop molds. Karma – originally from Chicago – burst into the Portland rap scene in 2012 with her single, Problem Child, and followed up the following year with a monstrous appearance on XOXO which found it’s way onto MTV Jams. The rapper/ghost-writer took some time off after that, distancing herself from her prior affiliates and generally shying away from the hip-hop world… But she never stopped dropping music, linking with ATL producer K-Flame to create a litany of unique cuts for her Soundcloud page.
Along with resident DJ Verbz, that’s the official lineup for July. But as always, TheTHESIS has a special guest for you as well. I’ll tell you know, we dug deep for this one. A product of Washington’s TriCities, Jai Kelli was introduced to WOHM on her standout single with Karma Rivera, Ride With Me, which quickly became one of our most viewed music posts. With an intriguing look and a surprisingly powerful voice, the singer/songwriter is poised to become a Northwest R&B/Hip-Hop sensation.
So come check this out tomorrow night as we attempt to once again pack Kelly’s Olympian in downtown Portland. Pushing the envelope is what we do, and we – We Out Here Magazine and KPSU – think this will be our biggest show (on land) yet! Thanks for rocking with us… and tell a friend! #OutHere