Handsome Dan.

Last night, I saw Handsome Boy Modeling School's first show. Ever. It was also my first foray into the Los Angeles hip-hop scene, and I have to say, it was pretty impressive.
For those that don't know, Handsome Boy Modeling School is a collaboration between super-producers Dan the Automator (Gorillaz, Dr. Octagon, Deltron) and Prince Paul (De La Soul, Stetsasonic). Their set was pretty good--a lot of kind of funny talking about being handsome, and occasionally some tight songs--but the real highlights were the opening acts and guest appearances.
First up was k-Os, a vegetarian Rastafarian MC from Toronto. His was a surprise appearance, and it was quite pleasant. I have no idea if anyone besides Canadians and me knows about him, but I find him a deep breath of fresh air, given the pathetic staleness of current main-stream rap radio. A lot of his stuff is heavily influenced by reggae, and his band was probably the funkiest I've seen apart from the originators themselves, P-Funk.
Then came Opio of Souls of Mischief, off the Oakland-based Hieroglyphics label. In a word, flawless. (I find it hard to write a music review without sounding cheezy.) Those guys are tremendously underrated, and the material from his new album sounds ill. I wish he had performed a full set. I mean, he has a unique, complex flow and pulls it off live. A rarity.
The cool guest appearances were Casual, from the Hieroglyphics label, and Dres, of Black Sheep. Dres rocked with a couple songs, notably Black Sheep's only semi-hit, "The Choice is Yours." Black Sheep, by the way, was one of the Native Tongues groups from the early nineties, though they were never as big as A Tribe Called Quest, Brand Nubian, De La Soul or the Jungle Brothers. It was great to see 1,000 people amped for an insanely underrated song from 1991. A lot of people even knew the words. I felt a little veklempt...
Anyway, Handsome Boy Modeling School's on tour now, and I suggest checking them out in your city if you want to see a fairly inexpensive and interesting hip-hop concert. They seemed a bit disorganized last night, but it was their first show. I'm sure the set will get tighter, but even if it doesn't, the ticket's worth it just for the opening acts. The vibe was nothing but peace, love and fun, and I have to give the crowd props for its good taste.