Visionaries member LMNO—which stands for, among other things, “leave my name out” and divert credit to less-humble destinations—is something of a visionary himself, a hip-hop moralist who finds his characters and life lessons somewhere on the streets of his Long Beach hometown. “Spiritual—like LMNO!” is how Awol One puts it on “The Unwanted,” his own who's-who-and-why of local (and not-so-local) independent hip-hop. LMNO's new album, P's N Q's, puts an all-star production setup behind LMNO (and guest MCs from 2MEX to Chali2na) for probably his strongest outing yet, a sharp and focused reflection on finding the love in everyday life—wake up like a longshoreman and go to sleep blessed, maybe. Notable openers: rapper Ariano and producer LD (both of whom lent time to P's N Q's), whose Technicali Sound do dinosaur stomps over what they technically call “bangin'-ass” beats (courtesy of fast-rising LD)—the philosophy's there, but the kick drum hits harder. It's the kind of show that Long Beach absorbs in chunks.
LMNO PERFORMS WITH LD N Ariano, HOCHII, GLORY, LIVE RADIO, AND MORE AT TEH BLUE CAFE, 210 THE PROMENADE, LONG BEACH, (562) 983-7111. FRI. CALL FOR TIME AND COVER. 21+.
