This weekend: Hip hop will rock and shock the nation

Or at least Shanghai. The story of live hip hop in our city (MC Hotdog aside) is generally one of rumour and disappointment. Remember when Nas tore ish up at Racks? Or when Jay Z wowed a packed crowd at Hongkou Stadium? No, us neither. That's largely because it didn't happen. Sure, we had Kanye go through the motions in a half empty stadium last year, but that's been pretty much it. This weekend though, might just make up for all the hurt.

Ghostface Killah
There were visa complications but, thankfully, those have been overcome and Ghostface is on his way here. As a member of the Wu-Tang Clan, as a solo artist and through his numerous collaborations, Ghostface has proved himself to be one of the finest lyricists of a generation. Unsurprisingly, there's been huge demand to see this incredible rapper - so much so that Splitworks have had to move the venue (nicely coupled with a ticket price reduction). Even if Shanghai had quality hip hop acts week in week out, a rapper of Ghostface's calibre would be a big one. Given the scarcity of live hip hop acts, this show is unmissable.
¥120 presale/¥180 door. Sunday, June 14th. 8:30pm. WTF Club, Red Town, 570 Huaihai Xi Lu, near Dingxi Lu. 淮海西路570号，近定西路
Support: Red Star and Ne Zha （feat. Didjelirium from Uprooted Sunshine).

Mobb Deep
Ok, so Mobb Deep's MC, Prodigy, might have gone and got himself put in jail, but Havoc (Mobb Deep's DJ/producer/backing MC) will still be bringing the noise to Racks tonight. And filling Prodigy's shoes will be Big Noyd. Noyd isn't just some stand-in rapper though, he's been a kind of unofficial third member since the group's inception meaning you can still expect the full Mobb Deep sound.
¥100 presale/¥150 door. Tonight. 10pm. 5F South Block, Xintiandi, Xingye Lu, near Huangpi Nan Lu. 兴业路新天地南里广场, 5楼.

Fab 5 Freddy
Fred Braithwaite promoting a range of t-shirts in an old factory might not sound all that exciting, but if we tell you that this is at Factory up at 1933 and that Fred Braithwaite is better known as Fab 5 Freddy, your interest should be piqued. Fab 5 Freddy was very much a conerstone of hip hop culture in the '70s and is widely credited with bringing the genre to a wider audience through his links with the New York arts scene during the era and his series of films and media work. As well as showing off his streetwear and shoes, he'll also be curating a series of hip hop films and documentaries which should be well worth checking out.
Free. Saturday June 13th-Wednesday June 17th. 7pm. Factory, Building 4, 29 Shajing Lu. 沙泾路29号4号楼

Video: Ghostface ft. Mark Ronson, Nate Dogg & Trife - Ooh Wee