Has anyone else seen this year's lineup for the Rock the Bells in Los Angeles? They decided the Tupac hologram at last year's Coachella festival was such a runaway success that they just had to add to the lineup the holograms of Wu-Tang's Ol' Dirty Bastard and N.W.A.'s Eazy-E.
If you're the type of hip-hop fan who would rather not spit in the graves of dead rappers, I would recommend this instead, the Space Migration Tourm, which comes through to Soma on Saturday. The lineup here is pretty dope as far as new school cats go. You've got Mac Miller headlining, supported by Action Bronson, Chance the Rapper, Vince Staples, and the Internet.
There's just an overabundance of dopeness going on here so I won't give you full, annotated biographies for every single artist. But I gotta say, the next dude is definitely Chance the Rapper from Chicago. If you're into Kendrick Lamar, Chance is basically like Kendrick if Kendrick were a Looney Toon. This guy just bounces all over the place with youthful, joyful energy. At the same time, he addresses the violence rampant in South Side Chicago with some air of hope -- that's quite a feat. You will better your life by checking out "Acid Rain" and "Juice" from his highly recommended mixtape Acid Rap.
And for any old rap fans still unimpressed by Mac Miller, I would at least recommend the solid album from Vince Staples, Stolen Youth, which is entirely produced by Miller (under the name Larry Fisherman). If you're still not convinced the kid has talent, I'm not sure what to tell you.
Quan Vu is the founder and editor of local music blog sdRAPS.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 becoming BFF's on Facebook or e-mailing him directly.
