Radio B has been a prime mover on the Richmond hip hop scene for a while now, and his efforts not only to make great music but to help cultivate the culture and push the genre forward locally have been the reasons. With 2018 just getting started, he’s wasting no time, bringing the first installment of a planned monthly event, RVA Lyricist Lounge, to Strange Matter this Friday. With this event, Radio B and his compatriots hope to “be the catalyst for better writers and emcees in Richmond and all over the world” by emphasizing lyricism and making bars, flows, and wordplay important within the local scene. Sounds like a worthy goal. Are you in?

Well, for those on the fence, there’s a powerful inducement to make it out to the premiere of this new series right at the top of the bill. Michael Millions, who has been one of local hip hop’s leading lights, just dropped Hard To Be King, a new album that’s getting everyone talking. Word on the street is that this guy’s poised to blow up, so now’s the time to get in on the ground floor and catch him live in an intimate setting. Plus, there’ll be a limited physical release of Millions’ 2016 collaboration with Radio B, Tenthsndhrs, available at the show for the first time.

This is just the beginning of what is going on at this show, and we don’t have too much space, so let’s lay it down real quick: cyphers from hot local crews AGM/Southpaw, Mutant Academy, and Gritty City, as well as more cyphers featuring a variety of local and regional lyrical talent–a list is above, and I know you know at least some of those names. Southpaw Battle Coalition, who’ve been making battles a threat again locally, will be sponsoring a tryout battle between up-and-comers TRIG and Basement Chemistry. And there are 15 cypher slots available on a first-come-first-serve basis so you young unknowns can grab the mic and let the people know. The whole thing will be aired on the RVA Lyricist Lounge YouTube channel, but it’s just not the same when you’re not there in person. You know what to do.