Music Spotlight 

Tired of going to a club and being turned away because you're wearing sneakers or a hat or jeans? There really are only a handful of bars that regularly play hip hop and don't have a red carpet (Five Star to name the BEST! What up, fam!) Shows are few and far between. With a couple of visitors here and there, the Triangle still needs constant hip-hop shows/battles. Lately some acts have skipped the Triangle and gone straight for the hills (western N.C.). So who is bringing the noise? Our local boys! Like Four/Four's Head Nodding, Beyond's Liquid Flowz and The Justice League always bring us what we need.

For the holiday season there are gonna be two local showcases. First off, if you liked the WORD night at Hideaway on Franklin Street, you're gonna love Common Ground Crew. CGC basically met at WORD and have really developed since then. The show at Ringside on Friday, Dec. 13, will feature DJ Entropy, Chapel Hill's Low Key, L in Japanese (who keeps things in a minor key with a major sound), Chappie/Greensboro's Mechanoits, Eden's Cosmic Legaci, Winston-Salem's Brother Reade (these guys have impressed me every time), and Chappie's Ill Rottin (Ill Son and Adam Rottin aren't afraid to wear their book bags while they smut out). $3 for members, $7 for nonmembers and half off before 11 p.m.

The second show is on Sunday, Dec. 15, at the Lincoln Theatre. Now more than ever it's Bum Rush Promotions presenting Wrappin' For the Kids, a local showcase with all proceeds going to Toys for Tots. It's only 5 bucks to see Little Brother (pictured above, see page 64 for the story, www.littlebrothermusic.com), Supastition (www.supastition.com), THYRDAY, Whutsiznaim, Rebel Forces, VOR, Beyond, Ill Rottin, DJ Merlin, DJ BroRabb, & DJ Simon Booth. Now that's a bargain.

So now yawl got the info--get right or get left!