Thursday, July 14
Rakim @ Union Transfer
In many ways, 1988 was the year hip-hop turned over a new leaf. Earlier in the decade Run-DMC manufactured the music’s fierce localism into a studio album for a global crowd, ushering the genre into modern commercial territory. But it wasn’t until the late ’80s that rappers like Rakim and Big Daddy Kane projected complex lyricism onto newly sample-filled beats, a stylistic approach that persists as a fundamental cornerstone. Lyrically, Rakim paved the way for younger New York rappers like Nas, but he also laid out his own classics that remain pinnacles of hip-hop’s golden era. “Paid In Full,” released in 1987, is Rakim’s debut album alongside producer Eric B. And while the duo suffered a public fall-out years later, there’s nothing stopping the now 48-year old emcee from resurrecting his early triumph as a traveling live set.
With Ish Williams & Somes | Doors 7:30 p.m. / Show 8:30 p.m. | $20-$25 | all ages
Guns N’ Roses @ Lincoln Financial Field
It’s still a little hard to make sense of Guns N’ Roses’ current resurgence. It’s no surprise that the band still has the commercial pull to fill a stadium, but it’s a bit bewildering that the famously at-odds Axl Rose and Slash — two of rock’s largest personalities — managed to get over their differences. GNR’s current reunion tour has reset fans’ expectations: Instead of the rock star bad boy image on which they built a name, the group has been playing it noticeably safe. (It doesn’t hurt that Axl broke his foot and kicked off the reunion sitting down in a cast during performances.) Instead of edgy, the guys are now nostalgic. This, of course, works in the favor of fans, who will almost certainly trade the band’s longtime drama for their long-awaited and surprisingly workmanlike reunion performances.
With Wolfmother | Show 8:30 p.m. | $20-250 | all ages
Friday, July 15
Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band @ Johnny Brenda’s
Earlier this year Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band released a record called “Rarity Of Experience,” which features, for the first time, Forsyth singing. But the album also offers up the outfit’s best-ever instrumental music as well. Forsyth’s guitar work — wonderfully meandering solos borne out by pulsing, screeching, and bending sounds — is renowned for a good reason, and it’s never been put to better use.
With Arbouretum & Sparrow Steeple | Doors 8 p.m. / Show 9 p.m. | $12 | 21+
Saturday, July 16
The Do-Over @ Belmont Plateau
“A place called the Plateau is where everybody goes,” Will Smith rapped in 1991 on “Summertime,” his biggest and breeziest hit alongside DJ Jazzy Jeff. The Plateau, a scene offering opening in Fairmount Park, is a quietly iconic location for more reasons than its matter-of-fact rap references: It’s a bit of a local secret. On Saturday, The Do-Over, a famed Los Angeles-based day party, brings its ambitions to Philly on the same day it throws another get-together in Shanghai. Keeping with tradition, The Do-Over won’t be announcing the undoubtedly stacked lineup to the public, but there have already been some hints that the show will be a can’t-miss affair accompanied by the city’s best DJs.
Show 1-8 p.m. | free with RSVP | 21+
Friends & Fam (Matthew Law) @ Kung Fu Necktie
West Philly DJ Matthew Law’s stalwart monthly dance party returns with a N.E.R.D. / The Neptunes theme this weekend. Law, formerly known around town and beyond as DJ PHSH, has enlisted New Jersey turntablist Patrice McBride as a special guest in conjuring up Pharrell Williams and company’s greatest dance hits. As always, Illvibe-affiliated rapper The Bul Bey hosts the get-down.
With Patrice McBride | Show 10 p.m. | $5 at the door | 21+
Dawes @ Electric Factory
The L.A. folk band Dawes is reliable. They’re not reinventing the wheel, but Dawes is perpetually doubling down on what they do well. Last year’s “All Your Favorite Bands” is as nostalgic as the title suggests, and many of the songs are built on quiet, acoustic guitar-led arrangements. The title-track centers a homey piano instead, and while it’s easy to listen through the whole record without encountering something unexpected, there’s an obvious comfort in the sound.
With Gary Jules | Show 8:30 p.m. | $27.50 | all ages
Sunday, July 17
Azealia Banks @ The Foundry
Harlem rapper Azealia Banks has put her fans through the wringer. Early in her career the eccentric emcee refused to box herself into the tidy package normally expected of major label rap stars, and her frequently delayed and poorly promoted debut album “Broke with Expensive Taste” is obvious proof. The record brims with house-inflected hip-hop, uptempo dance-pop, drum ’n’ bass, trance, Caribbean rhythms and more. It was one of hip-hop’s most ambitious recent debuts, but she’s poisoned her own career through constant Twitter and in-person outbursts, often alienating her fans in the process. In recent months Banks has taken a bit of a digital timeout, and while she’s fallen from major label grace, none of the drama can obscure her obvious talent.
Show 9 p.m. | $30 | all ages