Hip hop’s best-kept secret will be coming to the VA area this week! Immortal Technique, the Peruvian-American rapper with a reputation for uncompromisingly political lyrics, will be appearing at the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville this Thursday, and hip hop fans would be foolish to miss him.
Hip hop’s best-kept secret will be coming to the VA area this week! Immortal Technique, the Peruvian-American rapper with a reputation for uncompromisingly political lyrics, will be appearing at the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville this Thursday, and hip hop fans would be foolish to miss him. While this lyrically talented and politically conscious rapper may not be as well-known as some of his more party-starting peers, Immortal Technique has been blazing his own path in the hip hop world for over a decade now, and releasing several acclaimed albums, mainly on his own label, Viper Records, with no major distribution. His most recent album, 2011’s The Martyr, collects a variety of collaborative tracks featuring a veritable who’s who of politically informed rappers, from Chuck D and Killer Mike to Dead Prez, Brother Ali, and even noted left-wing political philosopher Cornel West. The (R)evolution of Immortal Technique, an hour-long documentary of the rapper’s life and career, was released in 2011, and the rapper has recently made waves with his appearance on the radio show of conservative libertarian Alex Jones, with whom he found a surprising amount of common ground (some of which might fall under the heading of conspiracy theories–we’ll let you decide).
Regardless of how you feel about his politics, though, Immortal Technique has skills that can’t be denied, and a voice that should be heard even by those who don’t necessarily agree with everything he says. Which is all the more reason to head up to Charlottesville this Thursday and catch his appearance at The Jefferson Theater. He’ll be joined by other members of the Viper Records roster, including Constant Flow, Akir, and DJ GI Joe, with local support provided by RVA’s own Black Liquid–so, as every Richmond hip hop fan should know, there’s a good reason to get there early!
WHAT: Immortal Technique Brings The Revolution to The Jefferson Theater!
WHO: Immortal Technique, Constant Flow, Akir, DJ GI Joe, Black Liquid
WHERE: The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St, Charlottesville VA
WHEN: Thursday, April 11, Doors open at 8 PM
ADMISSION: $16 in advance/$18 at the door–advance tickets available HERE
Here’s a pretty amazing Immortal Technique track from The Martyr, which has a lot of resonance with the Occupy movement and the struggles of the working class during the recession that seems to keep stretching on even as the stock market does better than ever. In “Rich Man’s World (1%),” Immortal Technique assumes the role of a rich capitalist who has a huge influence on the world’s economy. The lyrics are simultaneously satirical and all too real, as the words Immortal Technique puts in the mouths of Fortune 500 tycoons hit way too close for comfort to some of the ugly truths of our current economic reality. As I said before, you may not agree with all or even most of Immortal Technique’s political viewpoints–but he will always make you think. And rap really well over awesome beats while he’s doing so. So enjoy this track, and go check him out on Thursday. You won’t be sorry.
