Mad Rad’s Trouble-Making Hipster-Hop

Although Sasquatch security couldn't have been pleased, Madonna had the huevos to climb the scaffolding and recite the final verse of the song "Quest Que Cest" with arms outstretched like Jesus on the cross—by far the gutsiest move a performer pulled during the three-day festival. Writers and bloggers from around the country instantly swooned. The crowd cheered incessantly. A barefoot DJ Darwin, who had already chucked his shoes into the crowd, stood on the DJ table pumping his fists—and just like that, Mad Rad's appeal was surging more strongly than ever.

"I knew going in that I needed to do something big," Madonna says. "I'm a theater major. When I walk into a room, I look at what I can use as a prop. I'm very much spatially aware, and I feel like I know how to connect with energy."

Rabid Child Images

Rabid Child Images

DJ Darwin surfs and mixes at the same time.

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More About

• DJ Darwin
• Madonna (Entertainer)
• Steven Severin
• Hip-Hop and Rap
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media

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So with a killer show at Sasquatch behind them, does Mad Rad think people will stop hating on them for their past?

"Naw," Smoov replies. "People are either going to love us or hate us no matter what. We like that our music makes people passionate to voice their opinions...but most folks who hate on us don't even know us, and that's something that will never change."

jcunningham@seattleweekly.com