Art Hounds: Rap, classical and deadly

This week on Art Hounds: The homegrown rapper Tek releases his new album, "Local."

Music critic Ali Elabbady says he is "geeked" for the release party of rapper Tek's new album, "Local." Elabbady says Tek is St. Paul-born and -raised, and his music takes Elabbady back to a time when lyrics and music were both integral to the hip-hop experience. The release party is Friday, Sept. 2, at Nomad World Pub in Minneapolis.

Theater director Lawrence Lee says Renegade Theater's production of Stephen Sondheim's "Assassins" is dark, funny and a musical delight. The show looks at presidential assassins throughout American history, and how they felt betrayed by the American dream. Lee says the carnival setting gives the dark humor a candy-coated edge. Performances run Sept. 1-17 at Teatro Zuccone in Duluth.

For 27 years Will Shapira was the voice of the jazz calendar on Leigh Kamman's MPR show "The Jazz Image." These days, Shapira enjoys taking in free classical concerts at the Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul. The concert series, hosted by The Schubert Club, features some high-profile musicians performing in an intimate space over the lunch hour on Thursdays. This year's lineup gets underway in October; you can find the full calendar here.