Green Noise Record’s First Hip-Hop Show Proved That MCs Are Making Some of the City’s Most Audacious Music

This past Saturday, Green Noise Records diverged from its normal range of punk and hardcore shows, and hosted three Portland hip-hop artists. It wasn't hard to see why the record store decided to host its first rap show—with sets from established MC Mic Capes and newcomers [E]mpress and KayelaJ, it was clear Portland MCs are making some of the city's most audacious music.

The show kicked off with [E]mpress. A budding rhymer with a mean flow, [E]mpress has enough of an animated stage presence that they can convincingly banter about everything from SpongeBob SquarePants to Trump. But most importantly, they can spit like crazy, which was especially apparent during their remix of Kendrick Lamar's "Humble."

Next, KayelaJ took the stage. With DJ BKaye in tow, she effortlessly switched from freestyles and released tracks. She ended with her ode to strip joints, “Heat Gentlemen’s Club,” before she had BKaye cut the track and launched into a freestyle about why women run the world.

When Mic Capes and DJ Drae Slapz took the stage, the store's temperature was overwhelming. So Capes ushered the audience outside for his last track. The crowd surrounded Capes on the sidewalk in front of the Killingsworth Street store while he rapped to beats blaring from inside the building.

That's when the concert's community and camaraderie extended beyond the attendees—cars honked as they drove by, while the crowd milly rocked and booty bounced.

Related: Mic Capes' Concrete Dreams Get Bigger on His New EP