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07/12/2024

Talib Kweli with Skyzoo, Landon Wordswell and Donte Thomas at Star Theater on 7/11/2024

By CHRISTINA HALL // A night dedicated to hip-hop as Talib Kweli and a mix of local and touring lyricists guided fans throughout the night at the Star Theater in Portland..

It was a night dedicated to hip-hop as Talib Kweli and a mix of local and touring lyricists guided fans throughout the night at the Star Theater in Portland, Oregon.

Portland No Request DJs, DJ Ambush and DJ Klyph teamed up to entertain the night with a wide variety of hip-hop and candor that kept the crowd warmed up throughout the night and laid the tracks for the three supporting artists.

To kick things off, Portland-grown, Donte Thomas took the stage after recently releasing his album, "an APPLE a day" with Skyzoo's label, FGR. He performed part of his set on the floor engaging with the crowd surrounding him and was later joined by Bocha, another local rapper.

Landon Wordswell followed it up with fast lyrics and a smooth rasp. The Atlanta-based storyteller also took it to the floor at the end of his set, creating a circle around him. Skyzoo took the stage with a precise delivery and beats pleasantly reminiscent of late ninety's hip hop.

Talib Kweli rounded out the night, joined by Spintelect. Move Somethin' started the night and continued with a mix of songs from Liberation and Black Star. He shared that he felt like celebrating and brought out another Portland artist, Chaz Van Queen who rapped and sang alongside Kweli. They turned the rest of the night into a dance party kicked off by rapping along to Lil Kim's verse on Notorious B.I.G's Crush on You. Before ending the night with crowd favorites, Get em High, Get By and One for the Biz, Kweli showed appreciation for the crowd for supporting him explaining that he's been in the game for 20 years and the difference between him is that he's not afraid to say what needs to be said and be clear about who he is. He showed love and support to marginalized people explaining that diversity is our strength.

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