Riverfront Times Best STL Hip Hop Shows October 2014

This October, we are seeing an absence of local hip-hop acts -- what's up with that, St. Louis? -- while the national acts flourish. Though not an entirely favorable trade-off (well, maybe for some), some big acts are hitting our stages this month, ranging from the very indie to the slightly indie to the not-so indie. As always, we got something for you, wherever your sentiments lie. Check out our list of October's best St. Louis hip-hop shows.


Chance the Rapper with Travis Scott, Sweater Beats and MME at Chaifetz Arena
October 4
7 p.m. / $25-$50
Chicago's Chance the Rapper graces St. Louis again with his presence, this time as the headliner for the Verge Campus Fall Tour. Joining Chance on the tour is his band, the Social Experiment; the live instrumentation is a perfect addition to the rapper's cadence, amplifying his fast flow. During shows, Chance is known for performing special verses and tracks -- recently, he revealed an unreleased verse from Childish Gambino's song "The Worst Guys" at New York's Governor's Ball.
Arrive early to catch rapping and production prodigy Travis $cott, New York R&B/pop vocalist Sweater Beats and St. Louis' favorite hip-hop collective MME.

Big K.R.I.T. with Two-9, Doughboy and Allen Gates at the Ready Room
October 15
8 p.m. / $22-$55
The Meridian, Mississippi-born and bred Big K.R.I.T. has made a steady climb to the top since releasing his critically acclaimed 2010 mixtape K.R.I.T. Wuz Here. Most recently, K.R.I.T. announced the track list for his upcoming album Cadillactica, likely to be filled with more of the rapper's southern charm, and hopefully some production by someone other than K.R.I.T. himself. The lineup for the night is packed with Atlanta's hip-hop collective Two-9 and St. Louis' Doughboy and Allen Gates.

Sidewalk Chalk with DJ Nune is Lamar Harris, Looprat and Jbomb at the Demo
October 24
9 p.m. / $10
Still more talent from the Windy City: Chicago-bred group Sidewalk Chalk provides its listeners with a well-rounded concert experience, combining live instrumentation, rapping and singing. Because of the diversity of the instrumentation and vocals, Sidewalk Chalk is able to cover a wide range of genres, including hip-hop, soul and jazz. The group's latest release Leaves speaks to the fundamentals -- it's an album about growing up and growing past your history to move forward.

Busdriver with Clipping and Milo at the Demo
October 29
8 p.m. / $14
If you want spit-fire raps from an indie rapper-producer, then look no further than Los Angeles' Busdriver. He recently dropped the video for the first single "Ego Death" from his latest album Perfect Hair, which features guest appearances by Danny Brown and Aesop Rock. Loaded into the five minute video are densely packed verses paired with images from a post-apocalyptic, technologically driven, robot- and slightly Illuminati-filled world that we probably don't want to experience first-hand. Also featured is a set of chattering teeth. Pretty reflective of Busdriver's musical aesthetic, no?

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