Grand Agent

An often slept-on figure in the world of hip-hop, Grand Agent rolled into town to drop knowledge on those who haven't been paying attention. Though a little hit-and-miss on record, this gifted mic assassin comes far more crisp on stage and the clarity of his words had even greater impact. Making it look easy, Grand Agent unveiled some extremely promising joints from his upcoming record, which seems to have an even tighter production and a less misogynist angle than his By Design debut. A more mature songwriter was clearly in control tonight, especially as he flowed like silk on top of a subtle jazz rhythm with no beat, pouring his heart out like the crowd was his personal notebook. Along for the ride was his incredible DJ, who rocked the place as Agent took a breather, changing up break beats before your mind could even register what you were hearing. An impressive feat and the closest one could get to beat-juggling with dozens of records at a time. Grand Agent and his beat conductor completed the verbal/audio assault by closing the night with his Pete Rock collaboration, "This is What They Meant," and gave the crowd more than enough evidence that he's a lyrical threat that deserves far more recognition.