EPIPHANY
9 p.m., Revolution. $10.
If Epiphany‘s new release, “Such is Life,” doesn’t push him into the national conversation, there’ll be one explanation: Only the lucky succeed. That’s because for more than a decade the Pine Bluff-raised rapper has made all the right moves. That includes (but isn’t limited to) hustling national artists for features, selling mix CDs in club parking lots, hosting regular concert series, touring the South, releasing concept mixtapes, recording companion videos and making inroads with rap bloggers (who carry way more weight than radio programmers today).
Now with “Such is Life” he’s managed something that few in the local rap scene have pulled out — a cohesive album that sounds like a national release. Which doesn’t mean that he’s traded introspection for paint-by-numbers rhymes. Rather, he’s managed the rare feat of existential hip-hop that you’d want to party to. Look for Piph to be backed by a live band and get support from vocalists Bijoux and Dee. The Labratz opens.