MAARQUII
Maarquii (AKA Marquise Dickerson) is an Arkansas-born, Portland-based dancer/rapper/singer you may have seen dancing in the futuristic funk and disco outfit Chanti Darling. Or, if you were lucky, you saw them slay at last year’s PDX Pop Now! Inspired by Black and femme artists like Missy Elliott, Mykki Blanco, and Erykah Badu, Maarquii’s experimental, industrial music blends hip-hop, R&B, and “snatch-your-edges booty-house.” Ever since connecting with producer duo JVNITOR through the Sad Day performance series, Maarquii’s star has been on the rise. The rapper-producer collab has dropped two EPs together: 2016’s Heavy Petty and 2017’s Lullaby in Gemini. Tonight, in addition to a live performance, Maarquii will premiere a new music video. And if their previous vogue-tastic visuals (like “Wirecutters” and “Dam God”) are any indication, you girls better secure your wigs at the door. Wed Jan 24, Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison; w/Pleasure Curses, Schaus
TYUS
A couple summers ago, Portland singer Tyus Strickland (stylized as TYuS) signed to Warner Bros and went from being a SoundCloud-famous star to owning the mainstream spotlight. His gritty R&B is along the lines of Bryson Tiller’s Trapsoul, as evidenced on his debut EP, Never Forget. Throughout its eight tracks, sultry-smooth, lightly Auto-Tuned vocals collide with bittersweet lyrics depicting modern romance and situationships. While he’s not exactly breaking new ground, TYuS’ sound is damn near irresistible. In November, he released another stunner—a six-track project called Phases that’s equally as enjoyable, along with a new song (and super-sexy visual) called “Cash Flow.” For those on the fence, I’ll just say that his set at Pickathon last summer only left me wanting more. Fri Jan 26, Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César Chavez; w/3am, Eso.XO.Supreme, UglyFrank, R3X Wonders
THE THESIS
Every first Thursday of the month, We Out Here Magazine, Vortex, the Mercury, and a bunch of other sponsors team up to bring Portland hip-hop fans together for local, quality, authentic hip-hop (full disclosure: I help organize it). Beyond the entertainment value, the Thesis provides a great opportunity to chop it up, drink some drinks, and network with creatives and organizers in the scene. February’s lineup is particularly hot: Producer Hot16 and soul singer Blossom will headline, and presumably play their joint project Tease in full. Rapper Wes Guy also graces the bill with his band the Pariahs, and recent college grad (and coconut oil enthusiast) Covi will get sufficient time on the mic as well, along with a special guest performer. Thurs Feb 1, Kelly’s Olympian, 426 SW Washington
