Smile Politely. Speak Directly. A Champaign-Urbana Culture Blog

Two New York’s infamous five boroughs (Queens and The Bronx), well-known for producing some of hip-hop’s hall of fame artists, are getting ready to let loose two of their finest into the wild of their Illinois fan base. On Saturday, September 30, the Canopy Club will play host to one of the biggest hip-hop big ticket bills in recent memory, as Nas and Talib Kweli make their way into Champaign-Urbana.

Independently, these two artists account for some of the most critically acclaimed albums and lyrical works of modern hip-hop. Kweli, as part of the original lineup on Rawkus Records, was part of several pivotal hip-hop groups, including Reflection Eternal with DJ Hi-Tek, and Black Star with Brooklyn-native Mos Def. Since premiering with underground hip-hop hall of famers Mood in 1997, Kweli’s blunt-edged, conscious, black empowerment brand of hip-hop, combined with a sentence-cramming delivery have played into some of the most notable hip-hop tunes, translating into both underground and commercial appeal.

If wading through an endless sea of faceless indie-rockers has you thirsting for something altogether different, then tune in Monday night at 10 p.m. on WEFT, 90.1 FM, to hear Jared Bartman perform on WEFT Sessions. Bartman says, "Expect an ethnic, European-sounding combination of instruments and also a great deal of musical variety."

Bartman, who normally performs as a three-piece with drummer Aaron Kavelman and multi-instrumentalist Erik Christian Juhl, will be stripped down to a duo on-air, as Kavelman is unavailable for the evening. "It'll be pleasantly surprising what Erik and I can do with limited space and instruments," Bartman noted of their in-studio gig. "We're used to smaller stages, and we
find ways to make the clutter of instruments work."