Sandy Jams

Arabian Prince might be remembered as the Pete Best of N.W.A., but that’s not exactly correct. He did leave the group just as they were breaking—though he was on Straight Outta Compton, and you can check by looking at the cover—but he was already a semi-star before N.W.A. were anything at all. With buddies like Egyptian Lover, he ruled over the primordial age of L.A. hip-hop, when over-cranked electro smeared the sweat of thousands across the walls of the L.A. Sports Arena. And thanks to a recent anthology on L.A label Stones Throw, the Prince is awake again. The pounding post-Kraftwerk beats that powered songs like his “Panic Zone” make perfect matches for new music by Peaches or M.I.A. and the cornerstones of Arabian Prince’s philosophy—women, partying and freaks—never went out of style anyway. This L_ephunk Halloween extravaganza is the perfect opportunity for an unfairly overlooked musician to return from the dead.
Fri., Oct. 31, 9 p.m., 2008