Libretto

Part of Portland's Misfit Massive Crew -- which also includes Sly da Brown Hornet, Vursatyle, Razor Shines, and Jumbo -- Libretto got an early start in hip-hop. Beginning at age 6, he held his own with other MCs in Jordan Downs, one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Los Angeles' Watts section. Libretto's father, a civil rights activist and Olympic coach for the U.S. track and field team in the 1976 and 1988 Summer games, moved the family to Portland in the mid-'90s. However, Libretto's early affinity for West Coast rap (as well as his father's social consciousness) stayed...