Pigeon John

With his witty self-deprecation, weirdly wordy narratives and odd rhythmic pacing, Pigeon John (above) is one in a long line of underground superstars to emerge from the legendary Project Blowed, a weekly hip-hop workshop on the notorious Crenshaw Boulevard that helped birth the West Coast underground scene over a decade ago. That pedigree is on full display on Pigeon John’s long-delayed opus Pigeon JohnŠIs Dating Your Sister. With a style that alternates between jazzy barbershop serenade and Left Coast hip-hop bounce, Dating Your Sister is one of the most surprising and compelling hip-hop releases in recent memory. Off the strength of the release, John signed with the vaunted Quannum Projects — home of Lyrics Born, Blackalicious and DJ Shadow — and is currently working on an album set to be released later this year.