Legendary hiphop crew The Artifacts are reunited and they're rocking Oakland with Edo.G on July 21st at Shadow Ultra Lounge/Level 13. 

"The hip-hop trio Artifacts, comprised of MCs El da Sensei (William Elliot Williams), DJ Kaos (Virgshawn Perry), and Tame One (Rahem Brown), were described by Vibe's Christian Ex as, decidedly geared toward the elusive chimera that is Hip-Hop Purist.Based in Newark, NJ, t he trio is noted for verbal stamina, memorable rhymes, and eschewing traditional gangsta rap. The Source's Durwin Chow described the group's music as, antagonistic freestyle barrages centered around infectiously simple yet assuaging choruses. In an interview with Rigoberto Morales of The Source, El da Sensei described why the band was content being labeled underground in the realm of hip-hop. He said, If it wasn't for groups like us, Beatnuts, Common, Organized, or the Roots..There wouldn't be any underground, nothing secondary to run to..where else would you go? It's also a place where you start and start over. El da Sensei and Tame One earned a reputation as outstanding g raffiti artists in the 1980s by bombing, which is replacing blighted walls with smooth graffiti murals. Starting in 1980, they bombed walls throughout Essex County, which encompasses Newark, Irvington, and East Orange, NJ. They called themselves the Boom Skwad, and later Da Bomb Squad, and attracted an avid group of graffiti-loving fans. Both El da Sensei and Tame One were raised in Newark, where Tame One's cousin, Redman, also enjoyed acclaim as a rap artist. They attended Arts High in Newark, and often spent weekend days there honing their artistic skills, playing sports, enjoying field trips, and learning to emcee, deejay, and to break-dance. The Artifacts are one of the few hip-hop/rap groups who pay tribute to the mostly bygone era of graffiti art, along with rappers Masta Ace, Rakim, and KRS-One. Their debut album, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, was released in 1994 and featured numerous references to graffiti, particularly in the singles Wrong Side of Da Tracks and Come On Wit Da Git Down. DJ Kaos joined the Artifacts shortly before the release of the band's second album.

Edo.G is also hitting the stage in Oakland and has nothing to prove with his pair of debut singles "I gotta have it" . He introduced himself to the world as a unique MC, one able to deliver both sharp social commentary and reality based raps with slick rhymes and wit to spare. Having collaborated with legends like DJ Premier, Pete Rock and Masta Ace over a two p-decade career, his status in the game is undisputed. 

Also performing:

Z-MAN

Karen Less

Unlearn the World

Mike Fish and The Monolyth

Bottled Water 

Hosted by Darealwordsound

Doors open at 8:30 pm

$10 adv, $12 door