"Go See A Show!" Your Guide To Live Music This Week In L.A.

::Wednesday, May 9::

WAX & Hoodie Allen at El Rey

No genre is perhaps more protective of the relatively narrow confines of "realness" than hip-hop, where a certain combination of upbringing, subject matter and style seem often to take precedence over raw talent as a way of determining who gets accepted by the old guard and who doesn't. But even if this insularity hadn't been disproved time and again by unlikely success stories (it's hard now to recall how many people said Dr. Dre was out on a limb by throwing his support behind Eminem at the beginning of his career), then the popularity of entirely YouTube based artists like Wax and Hoodie Allen would certainly be another strong example of a non-traditional path to rap success. Both artists have pretty much controlled their own careers by gaining millions of hits (and in Wax's case, a deal with Def Jam) directly through their own uploads and often hilarious self-produced videos, and the result is confident, fun and lyrically impressive party rap that might not change the world, but it might change the way a few record companies scout for new talent. [Details] [via]