Carrboro
J-Live
Cat’s CradleNew York rapper J-Live has been making tracks for nearly 15 years, but perpetual record label woes (dropped by two, including a major) and a level-headed, jazz-based delivery have long stranded him just outside of mainstream success. But, as he rapped on last year’s Reveal the Secret EP, “It’s like a mic is a cancer stick/ I can’t quit.” Indeed, the former middle school teacher and current father of three sounds as aggressive and hungry as he has in years on Then What Happened?, his forthcoming fourth full-length. “This is my first album from the perspective of an elder,” he recently told Prefix Mag. “It makes me feel old. … Hip-hop is something I’m gonna be doing on a regular basis, no matter what happens in my life.” Really good news, actually. With L in Japanese and Tyler Hipnosis at 9 p.m. for $8-$10. Grayson Currin