by SCOTT C

It looks like Toronto's John Kong and the Do Right Records crew are about to hit the city once again for some dancefloor shenanigans. On Friday, March 5, you can catch Kong and Montreal newbie Moonstarr alongside Andy Williams and Afrodizz at la Sala Rossa. Expect to get your fill of broken soul, Afrobeat, funk and dancefloor jazz at this launch for Do Right's latest CD, Required Listening. Those of you who regularly tune in to music aficionado Gilles Peterson's Worldwide show on the BBC's well-organized Web site should know that ol' Gilles is playing at T.O.'s Roxy Blu on Friday, March 12, along with John Kong and the Movement collective. It's the kind of gig I thought some of you might drive down the 401 for, just in case you're wondering why I'm plugging Toronto biz.

The third annual Hip Hop Symposium gets underway March 12 to 14 down at Concordia University. Students for the Advancement of Hip Hop culture have been working hard to present a series of panel discussions, guest speakers and performance events to address the numerous elements of this culture many of us have grown up in. This year's guests include Marinieves Alba (Hip Hop L.E.A.D.S, International Hip Hop Exchange) and Jorge "Fabel" Pabon (Senior Vice President of the Rock Steady Crew), as well as a slew of focused talks that are open to all the hip hop thinkers out there with something to say. Check out http://hiphop_academix.tripod.com for more information on the schedule and key events.

What the shit? Looks like we bagged another one. That's right, the infamous Fritz tha Cat of Vice's longstanding Beats and Rhymes column has somehow decided to set up shop right here in Montreal after a long haul in, you guessed it, Toronto. This guy's raw, and I have no idea what the hell brought him to MTL, but watch him close 'cause he's bound to set up some sort of proper open-mic night somewhere, based on his track record. You can get the skinny on this cat at www.fritzthacat.com, where you can also listen to him rap on various joints, archived just so. Welcome to the fold, cousin…

Looks like I'll be filing the Incubator from foreign shores come the end of the month. I'm off to London for a hot minute, and can't wait to bore you all with my holiday runnings! Stay tuned...

Seven reasons I love/hate hip hop:
1. Masta Ace "Slaughtahouse" Death mix (Delicious Vinyl)
2. Kurious " I'm Kurious" (Hoppoh/Columbia)
3. Nas "One Love" Sikh Knowledge edit (Burbs)
4. Freeway "All My Life" (Roc-a-Fella)
5. Big L "Put It On" (Columbia)
6. Madvillian "All Caps" (Stones Throw)
7. Dizzy Rascal "I Luv U" (XL)

Raisin in the sun… fathead@videotron.ca

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