The Summer closes with another promising Holocene takeover, and it’s Northwest vs. Everybody
For all the sorry souls who missed it, We Take Holocene III featured Alia Zin, Blossom, Karma Rivera, and Vytell. Each artist from the all-female lineup brought some serious juice to share with the crowd, and we drank it right up. There was also a live on-stage painting happening throughout the show from artist Ta Zha, and a surprise (?) dance element was added to the show during Alia Zin’s set.
And it was so incredibly lit:
Needless to say, the evening was yet another successful Holocene takeover, complete with a packed house of Portland hip-hop fans, quality local artists artists and loyal supporters.
“With every We Take Holocene I want to give our audience an experience,” says Glenn Waco, the creator of the Summer hip-hop concert series.
In May, Waco sat it out for the most part, only taking the stage as a host, to perform his fresh new single “Assata” and to provide extra hype support for the girls. For this one, though, Glenn is back as billed performer for the evening, no doubt to promote his upcoming album Human. And I’m almost positive he’ll perform its lead single “Assata,” which focuses on the way law enforcement has wronged the black panthers. Waco has also been shooting scenes for the “Assata” music video every time he makes a trip back to Portland.
One other thing’s for sure: the lineup that Waco chose for this installment is killer.
Photo courtesy Miss Lopez Media
Donte Thomas, whose new project Grayscale comes out a the end of the month, and ROBy, an exciting Portland rapper will provide a thick layer of support for the bill. (In fact, the two took the stage together for a poppin gig at RonToms’ #SundaySessions last weekend.) Raz Simone of Seattle will headline the gig.
After coming off tour with Macklemore and making a couple trips to South Korea to make a joint album SOUTHSIDE with Jay Park, Simone’s appearance represents a sense of unity for the PNW hip-hop scene. While he does love to travel all over the world (and often) Simone says it’s a wonderful time to be in Seattle, and the Northwest in general.
“I think that it’s a great time to be around and people have noticed how much beauty is out here, and artists come out this way and they just fall in love,” he says.
Simone’s last mixtape Trap Spirituals is really something; with his signature raspy voice he sings and raps over emotive instrumentals on dynamic tracks like “Gangster Shit,” “That N*gga,” and “Plottin,” which he filmed a video for in Portland. I’m especially looking forward to seeing whether he performs “Missing Joogs,” since the feel-good song has been a staple on my sunshine playlist.
“Everything is coming to a head and like we’re really pushing to make everything blow up here,” says Simone. “You know, and then that goes to [the] Northwest and we’re trying to be inclusive of that also — not leave Portland out or leave anything out.”
I have a feeling tomorrow’s show will be the most turnt Holocene takeover yet, but Waco says you’ll just have to come see for yourself if there’s any special guests or surprises in store. To avoid the inevitable sellout, buy your tickets online or arrive at the venue early.
We Take Holocene
Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St, Portland, OR 97214
9:00pm
21+
$10 in advance, $12 at the door
