by SCOTT C

It just wouldn't be right if I didn't let everybody know that the Rockdeep Edutainment Collective has been going for three years strong as of next week. That's three years of raw funk, true-school breaks and beats, and classic hip hop for discerning heads on the Main, brought to you by residents DJ Static, Professor Groove and Cheeba Cheeba Kid. To commemorate such a joyous occasion, these guys are having not one but two throwdowns to properly celebrate next week. First, on Tuesday, July 20 at Club Saphir with special guests DJ Devious, Godfather D and myself, and then again on Friday, July 23 at NEST (3673 St-Dominique) with special guest B'ugo on the wheels. There's also a breakdance battle, live performances and Rawgged MC's birthday to consider. Happy birthday, Diegal, and congrats to Rockdeep!

If you've already coughed up the $40 for a ticket to go see D12, Bonecrusher and Slum Village on Tuesday, July 27, over at Dôme, then you'll be happy to know that entertainment value is in the house! That's right, because for absolutely no more money at all, Goodie Mob has been added to the bill. Look for DJs Psychology, D.R. One, and Devious to warm up the room, and I see the doors for this show open at an unprecedented 6:30 p.m., so get there early - ha! Moving things along will be the king of smooth, Malik Shaheed, who'll be hosting the night, and remember - tickets go up to $50 if you don't get 'em early.

This Friday, July 16, at Blizzarts, DJ Kobal's Bustin Loose welcomes DJ Stuart Li from Toronto. Li's Footprints night in T.O. is where you can find a variety of great music spanning from funk to nu-jazz, sounds he'll be spinning this Friday for sure. Li also just curated a flyer design expo at Toronto's first Beats, Breaks and Culture Festival last week, a multimedia event that featured everyone from Heavyweight and Moonstarr to Manitoba and Little Brother.

Please don't miss Chicago jazz trio Sticks and Stones when they play Casa del Popolo this Saturday, July 17. Group members Matana Roberts (Ravi Coltrane, Don Byron), Chad Taylor (Malachi Favours, Hamid Drake) and Josh Abrams (The Roots, Tortoise) have many musical stories to tell, and here's where you can hear them up close. Tix are $8 in advance and $10 at the door.

And please don't forget DJ Moka with the soulful grooves and abstract rhythms at Agora, every Friday at Kunta Lounge (2021 St-Denis).

Man, this one's for the children, and I'm not even joking, because in the last few weeks, it seems like some of my friends are having babies left and right like some organized club or something. Anyway, I'd like to congratulate all the happy parents, and welcome Kaji, Jiali, and Zayle into a world that will have a whole lot of fun with the spelling and pronunciation of their names.

Time to give something back... fathead@videotron.ca

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