Rising from the New York underground/independent hip-hop scene and being very close friends with Shia LaBeouf, I think it’s fair to say that Chris “Cage” Palko is a one of a kind rapper.

Cage’s unique styling is progressive rap at its finest. His music is dark, tormented and at times dejected, while on stage he is known to be one of the most energetic and all-out performers in the business. Live, he’s been described as “possessed and jarring”, truly performing his music in every sense of the word. His music reminds me of a Atmosphere/Kid Cudi hybrid, taking the lyrical prowess of the former and combining it with the “solo dolo” loner vibes of Cudder. He’s developed a very strong following in the underground world of hip-hop, developing his own subgenre of “horror-core” while being a main stay on El-P’s independent Def Jux record label for the past 5 years.

A nomination for best rapper of 2009 by SPIN magazine, Cage has continued to make a splash this year in the industry as a collabo on Kid Cudi’s upcoming album Man On the Moon 2. This tour Cage continues to rep his most accomplished work, the 2009 release, Depart From Me, but after tracking in the studio with Cudi, who knows what type of new music he’s going to have in store.

Next Saturday, July 3^rd, Cage headlines the Roxy here in Los Angeles, his first gig in Los Angeles after opening for Less Than Jake at HOB back in early December. This time around he’s going to have his own full set, which means some old material, tracks off Depart From Me and maybe even some brand new stuff.  It’ll be a show you won’t want to miss.

Hate Your Guns opens. Tickets are only $13.50 and can be purchased at http://theroxyonsunset.com/