Here they come, hippity hoppity! May is proving to be a good month for hip hop in Eugene, beginning with Ty Dolla $ign May 5 at WOW Hall. If unfamiliar, listen to the uber-catchy “Paranoid” off his 2014 EP Beach House, produced by Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang Records.
Next come Slum Village and Bizarre Ride Live (feat. Slimkid3 and Fatlip) on May 6 for their “Welcome to Dillaville” J Dilla tribute tour. Considered an icon and prolific producer, J Dilla (formerly in Slum Village) began in the belly of Detroit’s underground hip-hop scene in the ’90s, going on to work with A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Erykah Badu and The Pharcyde; he passed from a rare blood disease in 2006. An exhibit featuring never-before-seen J Dilla photos, letters and other ephemera will be at WOW Hall during performances by Slum Village, Bizarre Ride Live and co., who lay claim to some classic hip-hop albums like Labcabincalifornia and Fantastic, Vol. 1 and 2.
The night after Childish Gambino and Danny Brown hit the Cuthbert, the Hult Center hosts a hip-hop/dub explosion for the Bohemian Dub Ball May 10 featuring Medium Troy, RJD2, Devin the Dude and more. Devin the Dude will do a second performance that night at WOW Hall.
Eugene Weekly’s annual music contest, Next Big Thing, swings open the floodgates for submissions May 1. NBT alumni include Sol Seed, Anna Gilbert, Volifonix, Tyler Fortier, Paul Quillen and The Crescendo Show; look for a “Where are they now?” recap in these pages soon. The 2014 contest has made some major changes: There are now three categories — group, solo and youth — and EW is partnering with the Eugene Film Society for the “72-Hour Music Video Competition,” which will pair the 16 finalists with a local film director during a “meet-and-greet” at Hop Valley. For more info or to submit, visit nextbigthingeugene.com. And don’t miss the contest’s groovy poster art by local illustrator Thomas Hernandez.
Speaking of NBT winners, Betty and the Boy have set the date for The Wreckage CD release party: 8 pm Saturday, May 24. The party will take place at a “secret downtown location” announced to ticket holders a week before the show. All tickets are pre-sale; to purchase, contact Josh Harvey at bettyandtheboy@live.com with “CD Release Show” in the subject line.