Last year Oakland rap paragons Souls of Mischief celebrated the 20th anniversary of their seminal 1993 debut, ’93 Til Infinity. Last week the group released the Adrian Younge produced There is Only Now, their sixth studio album and first in five years.

Tomorrow night, for their album release party at the Mayan, they will be joined by group of supremely talented rappers, DJs, and musicians. Even in a city that regularly hosts mind-blowing music events, this one is pretty special. [Note: This paragraph has been corrected. See below.] 

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Souls of Mischief & Adrian Younge’s Venice Dawn

Twenty years in, Souls of Mischief still consistently rank among the Bay Area’s best rappers. Backed by Adrian Younge and his band Venice Dawn, Souls will perform tracks from There is Only Now. Given that the album features guest verses from rappers like Snoop Dogg and Busta Rhymes, there’s no telling who might show up.

The Pharcyde

Though Pharcyde's four members split years ago, Imani and Bootie Brown are carrying on their legacy. Backed by a visual DJ set from DJ Mike Realm, the bizarre ride will continue, just as surely as the pipe must be packed.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

Oft-unsung A Tribe Called Quest member Ali Shaheed Muhammad is a DJ/producer, the host of NPR’s Microphone Check, and the narrator on There is Only Now. His DJ set will have the jazz, vibes, and stuff.

Blu; Credit: Courtesy of Nature Sounds

Blu; Credit: Courtesy of Nature Sounds

Blu & Exile

The duo behind the heralded 2007 underground album Below the Heavens, Blu & Exile's synergy of thoughtful, carefully crafted rhymes and soulful boom-bap beats make them the perfect rap act to represent the aughts on this bill.

Phife Dawg

The funky diabetic. The five-foot assassin. You know him as the more animated member of the legendary rap group A Tribe Called Quest. Though he released a solo record after the group disbanded, it’s highly likely that he’ll drop verses from Tribe classics. With Ali Shaheed in the house, Phife trading verses with the Abstract (Q-Tip) may not be out of the question.

DJ Rhettmatic

One of the founding members of the world famous DJ crew the Beat Junkies, DJ Rhettmatic is internationally known and locally respected, a veritable technician behind the wheels of steel. Expect some of the best scratching you’ve ever heard.

House Shoes; Credit: Courtesy of Artist

House Shoes; Credit: Courtesy of Artist

House Shoes

House Shoes is one of Detroit’s most venerated DJs/producers, armed with vinyl that weighs two tons and an encyclopedic knowledge the records your favorite hip-hop producer samples. If past performances are any indication, he’ll spin a banging mélange of hip-hop, funk, soul and, of course, donuts from the late J Dilla.

Correction: Due to an editor's mistake, an earlier draft of this story got the show date wrong. We regret the error. 

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