Move over New York. This weekend the epicenter of the hip hop universe lies squarely in downtown Eugene as east meets west for a pair of blockbuster shows.
The WOW Hall will host East Coast rap veteran KRS-One this Friday. With 13 solo albums – and a 14th, titled Hip Hop Lives with producer extraordinaire Marley Marl, on the way – plus five more as a member of Boogie Down Productions, KRS is by far the most prolific hip hop artist working today.
His story is well-known in hip hop circles: going from sleeping on benches and in parks and local shelters as a homeless teenager in New York, to his rapid ascension into the genre’s upper echelon. 2007 finds him hovering ubiquitously below the mainstream, constantly working with his group, the Temple of Hip Hop, to promote and represent hip hop in its most positive light.
D-Fault and Animal Farm, two local groups with which he recently recorded tracks, will join KRS Friday evening.
Saturday KRS-One will travel to Portland for a show benefiting the City Repair Project, an organization working to take run-down and otherwise unused lots in the inner city and transform them into something that will improve the community.
The festivities continue the next night at the McDonald Theater when multiplatinum-selling West Coast rapper The Game hits the stage with Eugene artists Michael Kay, The pHormula, 3 Blind Mic’s and DJ Tekneek.
Without any help from past collaborators G-Unit and Dr. Dre and fresh off his sophomore album release The Doctor’s Advocate, The Game is ready to show the world that he can rock stages solo.
The KRS-One show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at the WOW Hall box office or at the House of Records for $18 or can be purchased at the door for $20. The Game begins at 9 p.m. Tickets cost $30 and can be purchased at the McDonald Theater box office or at any participating Safeway or TicketsWest retailer.