Friday, April 22, 2005 | 8:37 a.m.
KRS-One. Mos Def. Method Man. The Roots. Nas.
The makings of a good hip-hop collection? Sure. But also a list of acts local hip-hop group the Chapter has opened for over the past two years.
"We're on a very long stretch of sharing the stage with incredible company," Chapter vocalist Clarence "Verbal E." Long said. "That's the string of shows that we have been involved in. It's incredible."
On Saturday the Chapter will be at it again, this time supporting big names Talib Kweli and the combination of Method Man and Redman at Rebelpalooza, an annual festival held at the UNLV intramural fields at the corner of Swenson Street and Harmon Avenue.
Also on the bill: Atlanta's El Pus, local reggae band Bonafide and UNLV reggae outfit For Twenty Daze.
Gates open at 5 p.m., with music slated to run from 5:15 to 11. Tickets are $20 in advance through UNLVtickets and $25 on Saturday. Admission is free for UNLV students.
The Chapter -- comprised of Long and multi-instrumentalist Reese "3Sixty" Thomas -- has been a fixture on the local scene since the late 1990s, when the two UNLV graduates met up and began performing around town as an MC-and-DJ duo.
Now, the pair might be poised to gain recognition beyond the boundaries of Southern Nevada, thanks in part to a big break they received last year.
Roots' drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson plucked Chapter song "For the Wreckord" for "True Notes Vol. 1," a compilation album released last May on Thompson's Okayplayer Records label.
The Chapter, one of only two unsigned groups featured on the disc, were joined on "True Notes" by such well-known hip-hop acts as Blackalicious, Dilated Peoples, Hieroglyphics, Jean Grae and, of course, the Roots.
After years of hard work, the accomplishment was a career pinnacle for the Chicago natives-turned-Las Vegas transplants.
"To wake up on May 18 and go down to Best Buy and see your name on a CD with the Grammy Award-winning Roots ... man it's something," Long, 32, said. "It's a different feeling."
"True Notes" helped expose the Chapter to hip-hop fans outside Las Vegas, and led to gigs with the Roots in Los Angeles and Nas and Mos Def at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay.
Now, one month before the release of Chapter album "Us vs. Them," the local duo are hoping to continue expanding their audience.
"With the completion of this album project and the feedback that we're getting in from it, we think we can do this music in an elite format," said the 32-year-old Thomas, a former linebacker for UNLV's football team. "And not just underground ... we feel we have a pretty good shot at making a strong representation."
"Us vs. Them" is scheduled to be released May 24 on the Chapter's independent imprint Awthentix Music.
Although the group's live show typically features three backing vocalists, a keyboardist and a bassist -- along with Long on vocals and Thomas on drums -- the Chapter's two permanent members recorded and produced the bulk of the CD by themselves.
The disc opens with a glowing introduction from the Roots' Thompson, then proceeds to paint a gritty picture of life in Las Vegas over the next 16 tracks. Long's lyrics are socially conscious, not unlike the approach of Saturday bill-mate Kweli.
"A lot of this album is from a viewpoint of what it is to live in Las Vegas, understanding that there's an actual community here," Long said. "There are actual people living in houses. We don't live in hotels here. People have regular jobs and there's an actual culture and a viewpoint that has not been expressed."
If "Us vs. Them" propels the Chapter toward major labels and national tours, the pair will welcome the chance to spread that message beyond Nevada's borders.
But if it doesn't, don't look for Long and Thomas to surrender anytime soon. They plan to keep making music regardless, planting seeds for the area's future hip-hop hopefuls to sow.
"Groups put back into the community ... in New Orleans, in the Bay Area, in New York, in Atlanta," Thomas said. "They cultivate their area.
"If the world never hears from the Chapter, at least the scene in Vegas should always be aware of the Chapter. You should be aware of the pioneers that helped start the whole thing."
Scheduled times for Saturday's 10th annual Rebelpalooza show: For Twenty Daze at 5:15 p.m., Bonafide at 5:50, the Chapter at 6:50, El Pus at 7:35, Kweli at 8:20 and Method Man and Redman at 9:30.
Music notes
Light it up: The City of Lights Jazz Festival returns for its 12th annual installment this weekend, moving back to original site Hills Park in Summerlin (9002 Hillpointe Road).
The two-day event kicks off with tonight's R&B show, featuring Lakeside, the Dazz Band, SOS and Con-Funk-Shun. Gates open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $50 (cash only).
Music continues on Saturday with a jazz lineup scheduled to include George Duke, Ronny Jordan, Kim Waters, Down to the Bone, Paul Taylor and Paul Jackson Jr. Gates open at noon. Tickets are $60 in advance and $68.25 (cash only) at the door.
For more information, call 228-3780.
Quick hits: Country star Alan Jackson hits the Mandalay Bay Events Center at 8 tonight with opening acts Sara Evans and the Wrights. Tickets are $47.25 to $89.25.
Singer-songwriter Ben Harper will perform an acoustic set at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel tonight as part of a benefit for the Equestrian Aids Foundation. Doors open at 8 p.m. for the 21-and-over event. Tickets are $30 and $45.
Touring behind latest album "Hotel," electronic-pop czar Moby plays The Joint at 9 p.m. Thursday. Canadian rapper Buck 65 opens. Tickets are $27.
On sale
Tickets for Paul McCartney's Nov. 26 and Nov. 27 MGM Grand Garden Arena concerts go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. Tickets cost $100, $175, $250 and will be available at the MGM Grand box office, at Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 and at www,ticketmaster.com.
Toby Keith stops at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Aug. 19 with opening acts Lee Ann Womack and Shooter Jennings. Tickets are $47.25, $68.25 and $99.75 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Mandalay Bay box office and through Ticketmaster.
Tears For Fears lands at the Mandalay Bay Beach on July 16. Tickets are $44 and are on sale now through the Mandalay Bay box office and Ticketmaster.
Los Lonely Boys play the Mandalay Bay Beach on July 29. Tickets are $38.50 and are on sale now through the Mandalay Bay box office and Ticketmaster.
Mark Knopfler performs at The Joint on July 24. Tickets are $43, $78 and $103 and go on sale at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Hard Rock box office and through Ticketmaster.
Cinderella, Ratt and Quiet Riot team for a "Rock Never Stops" tour stop June 24. Tickets are $43 and go on sale at noon Saturday through the Hard Rock box office and Ticketmaster.
Drowning Pool stops at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on June 5. Tickets are $17 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the House of Blues box office and through Ticketmaster.
Buddy Guy plays the House of Blues on June 24. Tickets are $30 to $45 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday through the House of Blues box office and Ticketmaster.
Slightly Stoopid lands at the House of Blues on June 15. Tickets are $15 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday through the House of Blues box office and Ticketmaster.
Taj Mahal performs at the House of Blues on Aug. 27. Tickets are $25 to $35 and are on sale now through the House of Blues box office and Ticketmaster.
The Alkaline Trio plays the House of Blues on July 15. Tickets are $14.50 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday through the House of Blues box office and Ticketmaster.
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