It doesn’t feel like it has been a month since Gab came through and crushed the building…
Alas, it is in fact a new month and we are looking to bring you yet another exciting edition of #TheTHESIS tomorrow. In case you’ve never been, We Out Here Magazine and KPSU’s Blake Hickman have developed an authentic hip-hop experience in downtown Portland at Kelly’s Olympian, consistently attracting both the city’s most elite urban artists as well as our most rabid rap fans. A premiere first Thursday destination, the August edition of TheTHESIS features the heavily buzzing Glenn Waco, with strong support from Wes Guy and Elton Cray.
At this point, I’m not even sure Glenn Waco needs an introduction. Recently mentioned in The Oregonian as being “among Portland’s most interesting emerging hip-hop acts,” Waco made waves in 2013 with his breakout album Northbound, showed out at PDX Pop Now in 2014 with his crew (The Resistance), and took the news by storm this year after taking a leadership role within the Black Lives Matter movement before beating criminal charges related to interactions with police after providing aid to a gunshot victim at a now infamous Last Thursday. The storied 23 year old rapper is currently raising money for his upcoming project, so he has everything to gain by putting on a masterful performance tomorrow night.
Wes Guy might just be the most underrated rapper in Portland, and I mean that. His standout album Perfectly, Imperfect was criminally slept on despite a slate of high profile shows leading up to the January release. The low-key rapper was featured on Crate Diggers in June and it’s easy to tell this is a man not only serious about his craft, but also a guy with a great spirit, learning his way through the industry. We’re expecting to see breakout performance from Wes in front of his PDXtraFly family.
Elton Cray is one of Portland’s most enigmatic and interesting rappers. Endlessly gifted with the ability to spit, the Compton native made news when he spoke openly about the fire marshal’s attempts to shut down a show at Kelly’s in Spring of ’14 by famously cutting Kelly’s capacity from 100+ to a mere 50 people. Willamette Weekly covered the openly gay rapper as well after he dropped a phenomenal debut album which broke barriers within the culture.
Authentic hip-hop lineups that make sense are the calling card of TheTHESIS, and we are proud to present intimate concerts that we can stand behind 100%. House DJ Verbz will provide the vibes per usual, and we’ll also have a special set from Samarei (2014 iStandard Producer Portland winner). Come turn up with us.