Around the corner from Gums’ place is PM’s, a dive bar that you’ve probably never been to if you don’t live on the block. It’s got a neon sign that flashes behind barred windows, a pool table and cheap beer. Gums and Kenneth Masters of Ugly Tarantino have thrown lots of Sunday evening shows there that are more like rehearsals where they mess around in front of the neighbors than actual concerts. But one Sunday evening not so long ago, neighborhood hip hop at PM’s elevated to a whole new level. Gums invited some MCs from Los Angeles to join the crew and the joint crescendoed, for one afternoon, into the best hip hop party in Portland.
One of our favorite acts was Mad Macks and Kiddo from the Los Angeles-based artist collective East of the River. Kiddo’s rhymes are fierce, and Mad Macks is all heart and street-corner grandeur with a dreamy mop of hair on top. Together, the duo is real hip hop. Here’s a taste:
