Our monthly hip hop concert series Through the Mic returns tonight with co-headliners Freestyle Fellowship and Breakestra. Freestyle Fellowship are among the forefathers of L.A. hip hop. The quartet--Aceyalone, Myca 9, Self Jupiter, and P.E.A.C.E.--formed more than twenty years ago and were staples of the legendary Good Life Cafe scene. Their albums To Whom It May Concern and Innercity Griots are landmarks of independent hip hop, and all four members have stayed prolific as a group or as solo artists ever since. Their fifth and most recent album is The Promise, from 2011.

Breakestra  has been around nearly fifteen years, taking on different line-up permutations but always retaining a blend of 60s and 70s funk and soul, and 80s and 90s hip hop, adding up to something that is totally contemporary. Breakestra has released albums on excellent hip hop labels Stones Throw and Ubiquity, including their most recent, Dusk 'til Dawn, which features singer Afrodyete and Jurassic 5 MC Chali 2na. For tonight's concert Breakestra will assemble as an eight-piece band that is not to be missed.

Scott Tennent