Hip Hopp Astra

By their own admission, Hip Hopp Astra's lyrical game is a refreshing change of pace from the "dumb fucks that got nothin' better/To rap about except for bling-bling, hos and chedda." Rhymes of the more cerebral variety trade bong rips with some twisted third cousin of Sly and the Family Stone, Jerry Garcia and that kick-ass trip-hop mix CD your college roommate/Ecstasy dealer made for you a couple of years ago. Any way you slice it; you're coming home from a Hip Hopp Astra show smelling like a head shop. And if you plan to check out their set at Texas Jive, come prepared. You will be tested afterward, or at least briefly evaluated in blog form. The HHA MySpace home base posts a list of capsule summaries and corresponding star ratings for just about every gig the group has played thus far, in some combination of rotating lineup. A 10-star performance at Hailey's back in April with DJ Lynnea, Joint Method and Liquid Bounce is christened the "greatest show we've ever done," while the group's first performance at Rubber Gloves is deemed to have suffered from "weak turnout" and a bill that included "a bunch of wack electroclash bullshit," garnering a mere three stars.