Denzel Curry, Allan Kingdom, JK the Reaper
Recommended
This event is in the past
Sat., April 2, 9:45 p.m. 2016
Hawthorne Theatre
Hawthorne District (Portland)
$15 - $18
As far as gathering momentum goes, Allan Kingdom was doing just fine on his own. The young St. Paul, Minnesota, emcee and producer has been playing the mixtape game for the past half-decade, and his 2014 EP, Future Memoirs, earned him great reviews. That same year, Kingdom was named the Twin Cities' best hip-hop artist by his local alt-weekly, and he made Complex's list of "25 New Rappers to Watch Out For." Which is all great! But then in early 2015, Kingdom showed up on "All Day," a single by Kanye West that also featured Paul McCartney. Kingdom's quirky refrain was a refreshing section of the otherwise heavy tune, and all of a sudden, everyone was interested. As they should be: Kingdom's new mixtape, Northern Lights, is a consistently excellent mix of shape-shifting rap, soulfully sung vocals, and dusky, synth-driven beats. BEN SALMON