Smuggler's Tour Features Local Rap Vets

If you're in town this Sunday and you're into local hip-hop, you should definitely check out the Smuggler's Tour. Although rising Los Angeleno rapper Bambu headlines the show, he will be supported by a slew of very good, mostly veteran artists from the local scene. Here's a quick rundown of what you can expect from the night:

Dannu (of the Visionaries)
Dannu found success as part of the LA-based Visionaries collective, along with the likes of 2Mex, LMNO and DJ Rhettmatic. After roughly 15 years, Dannu has finally branched out on his own, releasing his first solo album, Virgo Summer, earlier this year. Expect positive, feel-good hip-hop from a grown man's perspective.

Odessa Kane
In stark contrast to Dannu, Odessa Kane is a vicious lyricist with a hardcore, defiantly underground edge to him. An original member of the Masters of the Universe crew, Odessa Kane pushes the boundaries of lyricism with jarring, paranoid imagery and advanced flow patterns and rhythms. A rapper's rapper, if there ever was one.

Old English
This promising duo is young in comparison but their talent and drive has gained the respect of the vets in their company. You may remember Old English's brief stint on now-defunct Blazin' 98.9 radio with "Girl, What's Yo Name?" but that's not really indicative of their music, which is a mix of street-savvy attitude and lyrical acumen over West Coast-inspired production.

King D and Black Ran of LPSD
LPSD is recognized as being one of the first acts to put San Diego on the proverbial map. They don't seem to have released a huge body of work officially, but their mid-'90s singles "Back Atcha" and "Microphone Enhancer" are still sought after by many vinyl junkies. This is straight up boom-bap, original rap.

House of Blues San Diego: Side Stage
Sunday, May 22; 6:30-9:30 p.m.
All ages; tickets are $10

Quan Vu Quan Vu is the founder and editor of local music blog SD Raps.com. He has also written about local and national hip-hop acts for San Diego CityBeat and the San Diego Reader. You can nerd out on rap trivia by following him on Twitter or e-mailing him directly.

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