It's Valentine's Day, y'all! Take a break from hating on every happy couple you see sitting on the same side of a booth at your local T.G.I.Fridays to check this track out. Local emcee Chae Hawk has the perfect addition to the slow jams mixtape you should be making for that special someone you plan on meeting on Allen St. later.

Clocking in at just under four minutes, "Worth It" has a slinky beat, great advice for the ladies (take your fucking heels off, it's worth it), and should definitely make its way into your headphones.

San Francisco native rapper Rich Rocka, formerly known as Ya Boy, has been consistently releasing mixtapes as well as two full length LP's since his 2005 debut album Rookie of the Year, which featured elements of the west coast's hyphy movement that included artists like E-40, The Pack, and Mac Dre. His latest mixtape, Road to Rocka, is available as a free download and the rapper is expected to release a self-titled studio album in the near future. The West coast MC will perform at the Waiting Room tonight along with local rappers Chae Hawk and Ando, hosted by Team Radio. Rocka has somewhat of a Buffalo connection as his cousin is Buffalo Bills receiver Stevie Johnson. 

Be sure to arrive early enough to catch one of our city's hardest working MC's in Chae Hawk, whose album Dance Party for the Heavy Hearted, is a progressive blend of electronic production and skilled lyricism and one of the most unique hip hop releases in recent memory. Also opening tonight's show is local rapper Joe Ando, who has an ear for a memorable hook and killer flow judging by the single "Want That." Doors open tonight at 9pm for a 10pm show. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door. The event is 18+.

Want a crash course in Buffalo's musical range? For sweaty Grade-A street smart genius, look no further than Team Radio's crew of progressive songsters, high-ambition hip-hop, dub-step, and alternative artists with depth, vision, and dance floor finesse.

To elaborate: Tonight there is going to be an unmissable show at The Waiting Room featuring performances by Grabbitz, Chae Hawk, and Crooks. Chae Hawk, who has opened for the likes of Talib Kaweli, LL Cool J, and Salt n' Peppa, already has an established presence in the Buffalo music scene. His album Dance Party for the Heavy Hearted is a piece of greatness that deserves worldwide spins. Grabbitz, his associate and producer, is a dangerous dub-stepping force in his own right and alongside the Crooks' rocking vigor is sure to make this evening's trifecta of entertainment an essential experience.

Tickets for "Teamwork 2013" are $10 and include a donation to Compeer of Greater Buffalo. 

Buffalo has a rich history of influential hardcore bands, from Zero Tolerance and Slugfest to Buried Alive and more recently, Every Time I Die. Perhaps the most famous of the bunch is Snapcase, one of the bigger Victory Records acts during Victory's heyday.

Snapcase was always something a bit more than hardcore:  a fusion of heavy music, heavy ideas, and unique enough to represent a sound you could only call its own. When they called it quits a few years back, more than a few tears were shed.

Since that time, the band has played a number of reunion shows, including the excellent opening slot for Dropkick Murphys at the harbor this past summer. Snapcase continues in that tradition tonight and Sunday celebrating (and honoring) Buffalo's soon to be closed Mohawk Place (7pm, $21). It's befitting that a band that represents Buffalo so well will be playing one of the last shows at Buffalo's best venue. Openers tonight include our very own Young Suns and Chae Hawk and Sunday night you can expect some very special guests.

Unfortunately tonight's show is sold out, but there are still a few tickets left for Sunday's show. Seeing as how both nights of the Last Waltz are now sold out, this is your LAST opportunity to see a show at Mohawk if you didn't get tickets to those events. Make this one count. Pay your respects to a great band a great place.

Buffalo hip-hop artist Chae Hawk co-headlines a show tonight at Soundlab along with dubstep act Grabbitz. The pair opened for Curren$y at the Town Ballroom earlier this month in what was a showcase of high energy, high volume blend of abrasive electronic rap. In addition to producing for Hawk on their recent collaborative album, Grabbitz also performs his own rhymes over his beats. The duo has been gaining momentum in the Buffalo hip-hop scene and Hawk's new album Dance Party for  the Heavy Hearted along with Self Titled released earlier this summer by Grabbitz have gained attention for their incorporation of the dubstep and electro sound into hip hop. Tonights set will feature material from the collaboration between the two artists that celebrates this marriage of sounds in a way that highlights the best elements from each to create an original niche in both the EDM and hip-hop communities. Doors open at 8pm. Tickets are $5 at the door and come with a CD.

Talib Kweli is everything good about hip-hop in the 21st century. Insightful, socially conscious lyrics, venomous flow, and soaring beats, not to mention he is one half of Black Star, along with the legendary Mos Def.  While Talib might not be as recognized as Def, he's certainly just as talented.  For the last ten plus years, Kweli has been putting out consistently solid albums hailed by critics and fans alike.  His 2000 collaboration with Hi-Tek, Train of Thought, is one of my all-time favorite hip-hop albums, although really any Kweli disc will boggle your nerves.

Tonight Kweli will be blowing out the Town Ballroom, with support from J. Pinder and local cat, Chae Hawk (7pm, $25).  Just as dangerous on a live mic as a studio rhyme, he's one of those rappers you just have to see to experience. Get your tails to Town tonight and MOVE SOMETHIN'!