Khingz at his album release partyThis past Saturday night, local rapper Khingz had a record release party that was one of the more entertaining hip-hop events that I’ve been to in awhile. He’d spent the past two years working on the album and a lot of fans and local musicians were in attendance to see what the finished product sounded like. But before Khingz even took the stage, Yirim Seck and the Physics opened up and both showcased why Seattle’s hip-hop scene is so diverse.I didn’t catch a lot of Yirim’s set but he was definitely dropping knowledge when I walked into the Chop. The Senegalese-American MC has more of a conscious vibe in his music (which is a good thing) and was a smart choice on the bill that night. For folks that want to see him perform again, he’ll be at the Big World Breaks CD release party this upcoming Saturday, June 27 at the Columbia City Theater. The Physics were full of energy when they hit the stage and somehow only got more intense as the show went on. The dynamics of having two MCs and a DJ is always a good look — yet something about their set struck me as being stuck in the dopeness of 2003, but not totally moving beyond it. Their beats were hot, they made me move rather than simply stand around, and the group’s lyrics were reminiscent of what made people first fall in love with Little Brother when they went national. Still, that was 2002/2003 and I’m not dissing the Physics for having a sound that felt dated, but it stood out to me. With that said, I still need to hear another set of live music before these guys before I cast judgment. The music I heard was impressive and I’m weary of writing them off too soon. When it was time for Khingz set to begin, people in the audience were probably expecting a b-boy display, maybe a long-winded thank you speech, or maybe even a freestyle. But instead, they got Star Wars. Local rappers Gabriel Teodros and Nam came out as fighting Jedi (with lightsabers) and proceeded to duel for a few minutes until Khingz catapulted on to the stage dove right into his set.That theatrical beginning was funny enough to make everyone laugh and it probably took a lot of pressure off Khingz. By the time he started tearing into songs off of his new release, From Slaveships to Spaceships, the crowd seemed attached to his every word. Teodros and Nam stayed on stage with him the whole night. My favorite moment of the night came when Khingz paused, peered out at the audience, and was noticeably taken aback by the realization that he was still alive at the age of 30 (considering he thought he wouldn’t live past 21) and shared his emotions on the subject. Sometimes rappers are caught up in being “hard” or “street” but Khingz was just real and that’s what made his album release party such a great night.