WORDS—Studies show Aesop Rock has the largest vocabulary in hiphop. The Bay Area emcee’s lyrics are an intricately pretzeled mish-mash of cultural reference and is best experienced through headphones (density like that takes absorption). Rock dropped new material for the first time in a while, and he’s in town, so this is an easy call. DIRK VANDERHART
w/Rob Sonic, DJ Abilities, and more; Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez, 8 pm, $20, all ages
COMEDY—Host of the brilliant, short-lived talk show Totally Biased, W. Kamau Bell is one of those rare comedians who manages to be both hilarious and wise, like a friend you can always count on for insight when you’re having a hard time (or all of America is). If you like comedy with a political edge, don’t miss it. MEGAN BURBANK
w/Zach Sherwin, Sean Jordan; Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 8 pm, $15