{Tonight!} P Rhyme (Dj Premier & Royce Da 5'9") With Your Old Droog + Boldy James + Illvibe Collective @ Underground Arts 2.20

::: Feb. 20 | $20 / $25 DOS | 21+ ::: ~~~~~~ PRhyme ~~~~~~ What happens when the illest lyricist in the game meets the man Rolling Stone identified as "arguably hip-hop's greatest producer"... you get PRhyme... an expression of true hip hop, direct from the source. Royce Da 5'9" & DJ Premier... two legends, one mission... NPR first listen: http://www.npr.org/2014/11/30/367593329/first-listen-prhyme-prhyme ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Your Old Droog ~~~~~~~~~~~~ In today’s hip-hop landscape true virtuosity on the mic is rare. So rare that when even when it’s apparent it can be quite literally unbelievable. Rapper Your Old Droog knows this first hand. In June 2014 the 25-year-old Brooklyn native released his first official project, the Your Old Droog EP, a 10-track project he cooked up in about a month with producers El RTNC and DJ Skizz. The project was good—really good. So good it got the attention of bloggers all over the web from New York Magazine’s Vulture to NahRight. The problem however, was that Droog seemingly came out of nowhere. No pictures, no YouTube videos, no Instagram account, no Twitter—no way for the entitled, deep-diving rap fan of 2014 to see what this guy was all about. All they had to go on was the music. Befuddled by Y.O.D.’s high skill level yet low profile, rap fans’ imaginations ran wild. Before long the conspiracy theories started and people began to posit that Droog was another older, legendary New York rapper in disguise. People argued about it on Reddit and made YouTube documentaries about him, while fans of his EP waited for the mysterious MC to show himself. Profiled in the New Yorker, Droog set the record straight about who he was and followed up with the first video of him rapping at his DJ’s makeshift Brooklyn studio, all before making his debut to a sold out crowd in NYC in September of that year. Given a rave review in the New York Times, the performance proved that though his identity had been mistaken by some his talent was unmistakable and his impact on hip-hop was undeniable. In November 2014 Droog released the deluxe retail version of his EP titled Your Old Droog LP which featured eight new songs. The album made New York Times music critic Jon Caramanica's 10 Best Albums of 2014 list and landed at No. 13 on Rolling Stone's 40 Best Rap Albums of 2014 list. This year Droog goes on a national tour and will release a new project in the first quarter of 2015. ~~~~~~~~~~ Boldy James ~~~~~~~~~~ Boldy James, the blue-collar Detroit rapper who made noise last year with his Consignment, Favor For A Favor: The Redi-Rock Mixtape and high-profile collaborations with The Alchemist and The Cool Kids, announces his commercial debut with the Grand Quarters EP, due March 5th on Decon. The EP, a lead-in to an Alchemist-produced LP later this year, is titled after a once bustling and illustrious Detroit night spot that fell into disrepair, a beacon of blight who’s reference is employed as a reminder of neglected majesty and and the work ethic it takes to overcome at any cost. Perched above a crumbling city and documenting the ongoings, James personifies that ambition. Boldy’s is a uniquely paired-down style, relatively barren beats propped up by stanzas that fill it’s vacancies, devoid of shiny alloys. He’s a deft storyteller, spitting deceptively bare-bones bars with a distinct midwestern lean over icy instrumental avenues produced by his cousin, Chuck Inglish (formerly of the The Cool Kids), Chicago duo Blended Babies, and Huntsville heat-makers Block Beattaz. Neighbors Peechie Green, Poppy Bricks, and Kevo Da Kid make their presence known- Boldy is in good company in a town that many fled and Grand Quarters is evidence that Detroit’s not going anywhere. (Decon Records) ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Illvibe Collective ~~~~~~~~~~~~ DJ Statik aka Mr. Sonny James is a writer, DJ, producer, videographer, and actor. He is also co-founder of Philadelphia’s most prolific and well-respected DJ/Production crew, Illvibe Collective. Sonny is the official tour DJ for the legendary MC Bahamadia and other prominent international hip-hop artists. Famously noted as “your DJ’s favorite DJ,” His sets regularly hit popular venues across the world: Insert Coins (Las Vegas), Santos Party House, SOBs and LPR in New York City; Philly’s Voyeur Nightclub, Silk City, and Morgan’s Pier; Tube Station (Berlin), Djoon (Paris), and DUSK Complex in Atlantic City. He is an annual staple at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, TX and at Miami’s Winter Music Conference in South Beach. Statik’s full and diverse roster includes a DJ residency for Heineken Green Room; events affiliated with two.one.five magazine; the legendary Beat Society producer showcase; and Illvibe Collective’s highly anticipated traveling dance party series, BODYROCK—now in it’s 14th year. in 2014, he was personally invited to the White House to DJ the African Summit dinner for President Obama, The First Lady and over 50 more world leaders. His musicality as a producer is evident on the Illvibe Collective’s debut album, All Together Now, released in 2011. Currently Sonny James serves as Chief Operations Manager of the Illvibe Media record label where his numerous duties include artist development, marketing and music distribution.