Eric K. Arnold

Zion I, the Grouch and Pigeon John perform Tuesday, October 31 at the Cavern.

2005 was a year of exploration and expansion in urban music. Against a Matrix-like background of corporate-controlled radio and TV, iPod-enabled consumers demanded more musical choices and were rewarded by indie labels and an alternative to mainstream mediocrity. For every lackluster commercial effort (like 50 Cent's The Massacre), 10 superior...