As far as Portland’s hip-hop music calendar is concerned, August might just be the busiest month of the year so far. Between Portland Hip-Hop Week, Damian Lillard AKA Dame DOLLA’s recent release of Big D.O.L.L.A. (pretty damn good!), and a bunch of other new releases from local artists popping up, there’s actually too much going on. I have no idea how we’re going to make it to everything, but here’s a slew of dope things you should at least try to check out this month.
KayelaJ, Quinn, Bocha
It’s no secret that Portland-bred rapper/radio personality KayelaJ has had a huge break-out year in the Portland scene, and for good reason. Li’l homie has been hard at work releasing quality output, including her debut album D.Y.K.E. Just recently, the young MC released a music video/short film that tackles three tracks from her Homage mixtape (“Thank You Lil Kim,” “Thank You Lauryn Hill,” and “Thank You Missy Elliott”). Predictably, it’s exceedingly enjoyable. Her upcoming gig at Mississippi Studios will mark her first time headlining a venue of that size, and also showcase Houston transplant Quinn, whose Detached Thoughts project is worth a spin, and Bocha, one of the town’s buzziest rappers. (Thurs Aug 15, 9 pm, Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, $5)
