Fans of the west coast hip hop outfit Quannum have little to complain about. Although the label’s top performers, including Tuesday’s Chop Suey headliners Gift of Gab and Lateef the Truthspeaker, take a while to crank out a new LP, they throw an endless stream of appetizers and live sets to the hungry fans awaiting the main entrée. Tuesday night will be no exception, showcasing two of Quannums best MC’s, Blackalicious’ Gift of Gab and Lateef the Truthspeaker of Latyrx and The Maroons.

Lateef has jumped back into the forefront of the hip-hop scene, collaborating with Blackalicious’ Chief Xcel as The Maroons on the mini LP Ambush, a small offering in anticipation of a pull-all-the-stops epic LP yet to come. It’s barely been a month since Lateef’s last performance at Chop Suey, but the last early show left fans hungry for more, ending short of a well-deserved encore.

Blackalicious’ The Craft is due “sometime this year” (the exact date has yet to be disclosed), but that hasn’t stopped Gab from appearing in Seattle more times than I can count since last year’s solo effort Fourth Dimensional Rocket Ships Going Up. Gab has a reputation for cramming the stage as full as the rest of the building and will likely appear with a troop of DJ’s, background singers and some talented, yet-to-be appreciated MC’s. Gab will likely share the stage with a number of musicians, each talented enough to headline their own show. (0) Comments