After 2 months of really fun shows that featured some of the younger up-and-coming rappers that The Town has to offer, we decided to get back to the basics here in March with an all new cast of vets.
St. Johns native and Columbia College of Chicago graduate Vinnie Dewayne headlines at #TheTHESIS tomorrow, with strong support from the recently rebranded Wool See and Nӓkyooәs. Our resident DJ and host of the popular Crate Diggers podcast, Verbz, will be holding down the fort per usual and the merch booth will be taken over by the good folks at Bro Pluto who will be offering items from their Kool Aid Stand exhibit for one night only. In addition, local artist Hannah Cook has created banners for the event, which will also be available for purchase. BUT THAT’S NOT ALL! Our friends over at Rose Bar are hosting an art show for local artist, Sarai Lopez earlier in the evening, as well as an official The THESIS after-party featuring the DJing of the increasingly popular Lamar Leroy.
But let’s get back to the main event. I’ve been wanting to book Vinnie for close to a year now, and the stars have finally aligned. One of the most enigmatic rappers from Portland, and specifically St. Johns, the 24 year old rapper has built an impressive following that goes far beyond Portland. As one might expect from a rapper nicknamed “The Scholar,” the famed story-teller from Roosevelt High has a mind that is years ahead of his physical age. Since dropping the Ill Will-hosted Solitary mixtape in 2010, Vinnie has been working. Collaborations with North Portland figures such as Mic Capes, Glenn Waco and Illmaculate kept him buzzing as me matriculated in the Midwest, and songs like Peaks & Valleys rotated in underground circles for years. Since his return to the Portland scene about a couple summers ago Dewayne has been a major factor, crushing performances at PDX Pop Now! and Mississippi Studios’ Ear Candy amongst other events. His latest release, the long awaited St. Johns Scholar exceeded expectations with tracks like Easy, Paradise and Nowhere, and the amicable rapper has been riding the wave since. If you haven’t seen Vinnie live, I’d suggest getting out Thursday night. Word has it it might be a while till you have another chance…
Wool See might be a new name to some of you, but NW rap fans should know of iAMe from Sandpeople. The notoriously skilled rapper, hailing from one of PDX’s all-time dopest rap crews, started a one-man rap band that turned heads around town and also sent a ton of readers to WOHM. Armed with a mic, an MPC, Wool See has been productive over the last 2 years, dropping 4 projects. The 2015 Spring release Homie Garden was covered in The Oregonian, and we here at WOHM put up a full review of his latest DIY adventure, LifeAlert. Easy breezy, weed-friendly cuts designed for live performances make Wool See a must-see ticket.
I wont lie, there were a couple of days on Twitter when I was wondering who Näkyooəs was and how I had started following him, but the producer formerly known as “Deuxpamine” is no stranger to the local scene. Probably best known for his work he’s done with Jon Belz & Austin Lawrence over the years, Näkyooəs (pronounced knock-you-us) is a beast on the beats. A boom bap specialist, Näk will be opening the show with a very special beat set. It’s probably worth noting that the talented producer will also be competing in Verbz’ upcoming Crate Diggers LIVE, so come early and get a preview of things to come!
We Out Here Magazine and XRAY.FM put a ton of work into these events and we appreciate the support of partners like Rose Bar, Vortex Magazine, as well as the rap community and music fans in general. Every First Thursday at 9 you can find us at Kelly’s Olympian on SW 4th and Washington, grooving as the art shows wind down. The THESIS aims to bring attention to dope NW artists, and all proceeds go the performers, so show up, show out, and have a great time! It’s really about community.
NOTE: With only a 100 person capacity, The THESIS has a tendency to sell out, so arrive early if you can, or get a hold of WOHM co-editor Jenni Moore for guestlist information. See you there.
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Cover art by the incomparable Alexander Wright.