Friday July 25 (10pm)
It's an all-too-common story in the world of hip-hop: an unusually gifted MC spends years recording a debut LP, only to have it shelved by a series of uncaring — or insolvent — record labels. But New York rapper/DJ/producer J-Live has spun that tale of woe into an impressive career — he just released his fifth full-length, Then What Happened?, nearly ten years after his embattled debut finally saw the light. The record's full of visceral, angry condemnations of ignorant wanna-be rappers, and literate, funky paeans to the power of a tight flow. Tonight, he's supported by the focused lyricism of Queens native Homeboy Sandman.
– Eli Dvorkin