OC and the Juggaknots

Hailing from the Bronx, the Juggaknots first made waves in the mid-Nineties New York scene with appearances on famed DJ Bobbito Garcia's radio shows. MCs Buddy Slim and Breeze Brewin spit laid-back rhymes over slightly jazzy beats, perfectly encompassing post-D.A.I.S.Y.-age East Coast hip-hop. Their out-of-print 1996 debut LP resurfaced as Re:Releasein 2003; later the group added a female MC, Queen Heroine, and a new album is forthcoming in October.

Coheadliner OC made his name as a member of DITC (Diggin' in the Crates), a collective of fiercely talented MCs, DJs, and producers that included the likes of Lord Finesse, Fat Joe, and the late Big L. Brooklyn-born and Queens-raised, OC had early associations with Pharoahe Monch and Organized Konfusion that tinged his lyrics with a hardcore flavor. His fourth and most recent solo album, Smoke and Mirrors, appeared in 2005.

Meanwhile the highlight of the local openers for this show, which celebrates the fourth anniversary of Miami-based online hip-hop shop ugscience.com, is Soarse Spoken. A member of Miami's wordy and innovative Botanica del Jibaro camp, the Colombian-born MC has struggled for recognition in his bling-obsessed adopted hometown. But internationally his bilingual lyrical prowess and heady, conscious themes have garnered Soarse Spoken featured airplay on BBC's Radio One, and a 2004 performance slot at Barcelona's legendary Sonar Festival.