At Friday night's hip-hop showcase at the Beauty Bar (where The FADER's own Nick Catchdubs was handling between-act DJ duties), it looked to be a complete and utter Bay Area blastoff, with everyone from indie MCs Kirby Dominant and Saafir to hyphy bros the Federation and the Pack getting 25 minute slots to go real, real dumb onstage. And while everyone did their thing (the Pack and Fed sets were particularly electric), the show's surprise smash came not from Cali, but Chicago. Windy City citizens Qualo were scheduled to perform early in the night, and for their set they brought out friends galore: Hollywood Holt, the Cool Kids, and Naledge and Double 0 from Kidz in the Hall. The family rocked decidedly new-school takes on throwback, "Sucker MCs" sonics while simultaneously murking ALL OF TEXAS on the sneaker tip. Boxfresh!