More New Yorkers know Percee P as the guy camped outside Fat Beats Records—where he famously harassed NYU kids and other marks to buy his tapes—than as a legit hip-hop pioneer. But, unlike most annoying “buy my CD” hustlers, the “Rhyme Inspector” has some real stripes: He came up alongside the legendary DITC crew in the Bronx and mentored a young Organized Konfusion when Pharoahe Monch and Prince Po were making demos in their basement.
His high-velocity flow never caught on then, but he’s enjoying an unlikely renaissance nearly 20 years after a battle with Lord Finesse first put him on the map. Stones Throw Records, the top hip-hop indie in the game right now, will release his aptly-titled debut LP, Perseverance, later this year.
If Percee P’s breathless, ’88-style of rapping is a blast from the past, then Dabrye’s post-apocalyptic beats are a glimpse of the future. An alias of genre-bending Michigan producer Tadd Mullinix, Dabrye’s emerged as an heir apparent to El-P in the field of dark, electronic-based hip-hop producer-artists. On his latest, Two/Three (Ghostly International), Mullinix, who also makes house under the guise James T. Cotton, offers instrumentals just as dramatic as the verses from MCs like MF Doom and AG. Because a producer showcasing beats for an hour is never entertaining, he’ll perform alongside Kadence, one of many talented Detroit-area MCs featured on Two/Three.
July 12. Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston St. (at Avenue A), 212-260-4700; 9, $12.
