The Pirate Signal

Although The Pirate Signal’s MC Yonnas Abraham has been known to talk shit about the Queen City—specifically the seeming lack of support for Colorado-bred hip-hop—that was years ago. Now, if anything, his fearless honesty is part of this trio’s zeal. Its grimy hip-hop is both hard-hitting and charismatic, and the live show is just as magnetic. Abraham convulses on the mic, his manic raps channeled through his rubbery body and his breakneck-paced vocals; DJ Soup matches beats to rhymes with a honed fluidity, and keyboardist-guitarist Chez Strong fleshes everything out live. In 2010, the trio released the long-awaited No Weak Heart Shall Prosper, an album nearly four years in the making that’s an emotive testament to the group’s endurance.

Updated 04/27/2011