When a group of highly skilled, slick-tongued emcees co-mingle bringing out the best in each other, a natural collective is born. Such is the case of the Wrecking Crew (Curly Castro, Has-Lo, Small Professor, Zilla Rocca, PremRock), who collaborate and up the ante with each verse. This formula functions like a staircase, as the music builds one step only made possible by its predecessor and vice versa, using beats as a sound foundation. These fellas hit hard, forcing the issue in a distant shortening rush, yet they always breathe easy. Speaking of sweat-inducing intensity Carl Kavorkian (Jam Faction) delivers weighted blows in his spellbinding series of rhymes. This spectacle at The Sound Hole also features a pair of out-of-towners, the Queens’ collective Karma Kids and the “witch hunt disco” stylings of Chicago’s Tomorrow Kings. Blending hip hop with an ear toward punk rock is Trenton’s Raymond Strife. The Sound Hole, (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.), 8pm, $10, All Ages – Michael Colavita