by Abid Yahya

The good folks at Numbskull have stepped up their Fresno game lately, at least in terms of underground hip hop. Born 18 years ago in Oxnard, CA, Numbskull Productions has grown into a formidable operation that has now put on over 3,000 shows, consistently bringing audiences all over central Cali quality shows at independent venues.

Last month’s highly anticipated Immortal Technique show (brought to us by Numbskull and held at The Exit in Belmont and Blackstone on 13 August) was the first of two unexpected but welcome Fresno performances by important and widely-revered emcees. This was Technique’s second show in Fresno, and his return was, suffice it to say, triumphant. The sold-out crowd, packed into the tiny, unventilated, and decidedly not airconditioned brick structure that is The Exit, didn’t mind the fact that they were all soaked to the chones in sweat, and, through it all, cheered and rapped along to the fiercely radical rhymes of this ferocious emcee. I can attest: despite the fact that walking into the venue that night was, temperature-wise, just like getting off of an airplane at noon in Saudi Arabia, the show was amazing.

This month, Numbskull brings us Aesop Rock, whose simply unparalleled knack for wordplay is wildly popular among the indie hop hop college set. He’s an utterly unique rapper, and his hit, “Daylight,” is something of an anthem for us heads. He gained notoriety with Definitive Jux, the NY-based record label that took the hip hop scene by storm in the 90s with acts such as Aesop, Cannibal Ox, RJD2, and Mr. Lif. Far as I know, he’s never played Fresno before, and this show should be a rare treat for those who enjoy high-quality, thought-provoking, ultra-nerdy hip hop. To top things off, also on the bill is the new left coast project, The Mighty Underdogs, featuring Blackalicious frontman Gift of Gab, Quannum Projects veteran Lateef the Truthspeaker, and Headnodic. (Their first EP, The Prelude, is in stores now.) So, on Thursday 18 September, dress for the heat and humidity of the Persian Gulf, and then head on over to Belmont and Blackstone. Tickets are available at ticketweb.com, SBI in River Park, and Valentino’s in the Tower District.