E-40 returns to Bend

Published 2:44 pm Thursday, June 4, 2015

Unless we’re talking folksy, bluegrassy, jammy bands, Central Oregon’s music scene is generally a game of ebb and flow. Shows seem to come in genre-related waves.

Reggae rolls in for a few months before receding again. Electronic music throbs for a bit and then its pulse fades. Both will come back.

Right now, there’s a surge of metal shows happening in town. And a few years ago, we had a great winter of hip-hop shows, with Zion I, Macklemore, Snoop Dogg, Blackalicious and Aesop Rock (and probably more I can’t remember) in just a few months.

This late winter and spring seems to have brought another rap surge. Sage Francis, Tech N9ne, Rittz, IamSu! and Rome Fortune have all rocked shows in town since the beginning of February. And next up on Monday is the return of the one and only E-40.

Make no mistake: E-40 is one of the great figures in hip-hop over the past couple of decades. Not just because of his stature as a godfather of one of the country’s best rap scenes, the Bay Area, or his status as the West Coast’s long-reigning Slang-Maker in Chief. Not even because his two sons, who rap under the names Issue and Droop-E, are making interesting, quality hip-hop that would make Dad proud.

All of those things lend weight to E-40’s legacy, but they could all fade away and we’d still be talking about a legend based solely on the man’s massive catalog of great songs. Over the past two decades, he has cranked out nearly two dozen albums (not to mention scores of guest verses and other projects) that sizzle with knee-buckling beats, street-level knowledge, oddball pop hooks and E-40’s distinctive, rubbery flow.

If you’re unfamiliar, here’s some homework: Visit www.matthewafrica.podomatic.com and scroll down to the podcast labeled “Yay Game.” That’s late Oakland DJ Matthew Africa’s mega mix of E-40’s best songs from throughout his career. It’s 40 tracks and 80 minutes of awesome.

E-40, with Stevie Stone, Cool Nutz and more; 8 p.m. Monday, doors open 7 p.m.; $30 plus fees in advance, $35 at the door; Midtown Ballroom, 51 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend; www.j.mp/e40inbend.

—Ben Salmon, for The Bulletin