Pitchfork

The DIY punk attitude has reached hip-hop, and it's coming to your town. Two loose collectives of NYC indie rappers, Def Jux and RhymeSayers, are starting their first U.S. tour this September. Coming straight out of Queens (and Minneapolis), where they've been selling tapes on the street and packing the Bowery and Knitting Factory (and the Qwest), they've finally decided to take their indie rap to the rest of the nation.

For those not familiar with the hardcore rappers, here's a little background. The Def Jux label consists of Cannibal Ox, Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif and EL-P, and their sound is slightly reminiscent of old-school Public Enemy with hard-hitting beats and machine-gun lyrics. RhymeSayers Collective includes Eyedea & Abilities and Atmosphere. They have a new full-length LP coming out in the fall. It was previously reported that they were approached by P. Diddy to record with him, but they rebuked his offers of money and fame, saying that they will leave the covering of old white men's songs to him. Here's the dates:

09-04 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
09-05 Philadelphia, PA - TLA
09-06 Baltimore, MD - Fletchers
09-07 Boston, MA - Middle East
09-08 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street
09-10 Montreal, PQ - Cafe Campus
09-11 Toronto, ON - Lee's
09-12 Cleveland, OH - Beachland
09-13 Champaign, IL - High Dive
09-14 Columbia, MO - Blue Note
09-15 Iowa City, IA - Gabe's
09-16 Minneapolis, MN - First Ave.
09-17 Chicago, IL - House Of Blues
09-18 Milwaukee, WI - Globe
09-19 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey
09-20 Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland
09-21 Santa Ana, CA - Koo's
09-22 San Jose, CA - Cactus
09-24 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
09-26 Eugene, OR - WOW Hall
09-27 Portland, OR - B Complex (Monqui)
09-28 Seattle, WA - TBA
09-29 TBA
09-30 Vancouver, BC - Sonar