Centerstage - Chicago's Original City Guide

From the Music Editors:

View Music Picks

Both Doseone and Jel (of the indie-rap label Anticon) spend plenty of time collaborating with other artists, but few of those efforts are as raucous as when they perform together under the moniker Themselves. Jel is the mastermind behind the beats; his slashing boom-baps and atmospheric loops provide a perfect sonic backdrop for Dose to release his diatribes against, well, pretty much everything. The duo's newest album, CrownsDown meticulously maps out their frustrations as avant-garde hip-hop artists, and is an homage of sorts to the way rap used to be. All of this is great fodder for an explosive stage performance, and if this show is anything like the one they put on earlier this year at the Empty Bottle, then you definitely won't want to miss it. Eyedea & Abilities, who just released a new album entitled By The Throat (Rhymesayers), will support along with Violetness, a local songstress whose style is a blend of Björk and Portishead. (J. Min)