Smog Check Thursdays: The Koreatown Oddity with Trenttruce
Overview
Cut through the haze with Smog Check Thursdays at The Broad and enjoy a fresh breath of air with literary readings as well as spoken word and acoustic performances—all against the backdrop of John Baldessari’s large-scale artwork that inspired the title of our collection exhibition, Desire, Knowledge, and Hope (with Smog). Smog Check Thursdays will feature short sets, so you’ll be in and out in 30 minutes, guaranteed!Do your part to conserve the literary environment and reserve your free spot online, hassle-free. To conserve the ozone, consider taking Metro to these events—the new Regional Connector Transit Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill Station takes you directly to the East West Bank Plaza at The Broad.
Described by Pitchfork as being “lodged comfortably in a scene of cerebral loners,” Angeleno, former Ras G collaborator, and rapper/producer The Koreatown Oddity puts a uniquely personal stamp on hip hop. For Smog Check Thursdays, he will perform a 30-minute set with opulent lyricist and avant-garde vocalist/rapper Trenttruce.
Free tickets include same-day access to The Broad, including Desire, Knowledge, and Hope (with Smog) and our third-floor galleries. Come early to see the exhibition or stay late after the event–we’re open until 8 pm on Thursdays.
Standing room only with ADA seating available.
Tickets to this event do not include access to Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Room—The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away (2013), and must be booked separately.
For information on our current health and safety policies, visit Know Before You Go & FAQ. Visitor policies are subject to change.
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The Koreatown Oddity with Trenttruce
The Koreatown Oddity is an uncut gem. A Native Angeleno who seems to have a foot in multiple worlds. Naturally it is all those worlds combined that make him complete. This Rapper, Producer, Filmmaker, Writer, and Humorist has always been ahead of his time. As a youth he came up recording music & prank calls on cassette, doing comedy, making movies on camcorders, and editing them on two VCRS. With his mom being a writer and aspiring artist, he grew up in the culture as a kid around the likes of Grandmaster Caz, Ice T, and Rhyme Syndicate. From Jamie Foxx wanting to buy jokes from him as a teenager to standing on tables at Wendy’s rapping with a wolf head and a boombox, Ktown-born Dominique Purdy has always been…….. Odd. From slanging his cassettes hand to hand around Los Angeles to writing and starring in a dark comedy film Driving While Black based on his experiences with the police, he’s always been bringing his visions to life. Since his first solo rap album, 2013’s No Health Insurance (2013) up to Little Dominiques Nosebleed (2020), the oddity has been carving his own unique path with his conceptual ideas. He has nine instrumental albums as part of annual Chinese New Years series, collaboratives projects with Mndsgn as Vivians and with the Late Great Ras G as 5Chuckles. With a catalog of music and creations that spreads out all over the place The Koreatown Oddity is a cult favorite artist about to reap the fruits of his labor.
Trenttruce is an avant-garde vocal expressionist/rapper born & raised in LA. He is known for his albums Life After Life (2017) and Truce Between Heaven and Hell (2014), both of which feature extensive production from The Koreatown Oddity. His most recent album, Black Magick Choclate Tears (2021) was a collaborative No Wave-inspired experience with producer Emmanuel Coto. Trenttruce has been featured on work by artist spanning multiple genres including Ras G, Taz Arnold, and Roc Marciano.
Photo courtesy of the artists. L: Trenttruce, R: The Koreatown Oddity
About Smog Check Thursdays Literary and Performing Arts Series
Cut through the haze with Smog Check Thursdays at The Broad and enjoy a fresh breath of air with literary readings as well as spoken word and acoustic performances—all against the backdrop of John Baldessari’s large-scale artwork that inspired the title of our collection exhibition, Desire, Knowledge, and Hope (with Smog). Smog Check Thursdays will feature short sets, so you’ll be in and out in 30 minutes, guaranteed! Do your part to conserve the literary environment and reserve your free spot online, hassle-free. To conserve the ozone, consider taking Metro to these events – the new Regional Connector Transit Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill Station takes you directly to the East West Bank Plaza at The Broad.
December 14: Amelia Ada + Clement Goldberg + Naz Riahi
A look at what’s to come on the literary horizon of Los Angeles. Presented by DOPAMINE, highthting work that is experimental, by writers resisting assimilation; work that stretches the boundaries of what defines ‘queer,’ by writers with intersecting identities; work that is raw, by writers who are self-taught.
January 11: Myriam Gurba + Michelle Tea
Myriam Gurba and Michelle Tea revile societal norms with candor and wit. Gurba’s writing has been described as “profoundly insightful, thoroughly researched [and] incredibly inventive…” by Kirkus Reviews. Tea has received honors from Lambda Literary, The Rona Jaffe Foundation, PEN/America, and the Guggenheim Foundation.
January 25: Steven Reigns + Justin Torres
Steven Reigns, first Poet Laureate of West Hollywood and Justin Torres, winner of the Indies Choice Book Award and First Novelist Award, delve into buried or misrepresented histories.
February 8: Henry Solomon + Fuensanta
A glimpse into the richly varied world of Los Angeles jazz with saxophonist Henry Solomon and singer and double bassist Fuensanta, each performing 15-minute unplugged acoustic sets. Presented by Minaret Records, a local record label and events production concern whose mission includes the fostering of community/collaboration and connecting progressive art practices to the public.
February 22: Andrew Berardini + Lavender Diamond
A journey through color via words and music from author Andrew Berardini and musician Lavender Diamond, two quintessentially LA artists. The pair complement each other’s work, be it story or song, through creative output by turns lush, melancholic, whimsical, and deeply human.
March 7: Iris Berry + Pleasant Gehman
Reigning royalty of the raucous LA punk scene from the late 1970s onwards, Iris Berry and Pleasant Gehman regale us with tales from the City of Angels’ gritty underbelly. The pair provide firsthand accounts of life lived on the outskirts of mainstream society in their signature observational styles. Presented by Punk Hostage Press.
March 21: The Koreatown Oddity with Trenttruce
Described by Pitchfork as being “lodged comfortably in a scene of cerebral loners,” Angeleno and former Ras G collaborator The Koreatown Oddity puts a uniquely personal stamp on hip hop. For Smog Check Thursdays, he will perform a 30-minute set with opulent lyricist and experimental beatmaker Trenttruce.
April 4: Andrew McIntosh + M.A. Tiesenga
The final installment of Smog Check Thursdays reflects over a half century of artistic and educational excellence associated with California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), and the impact the school has had on the creative communities of Los Angeles. Situated among the artworks of Broad collection artists John Baldessari and Mike Kelley, we are pleased to present short solo performances by CalArts School of Music Faculty member Andrew McIntosh and CalArts MFA holder M.A. Tiesenga. Baldessari studied at Chouinard Art Institute (which would become CalArts) and would go on to be an influential faculty member at CalArts and highly revered conceptual artist. Kelley was both a CalArts alumnus, having studied under Baldessari, and later a faculty member who taught while maintaining his iconoclastic creative practice. Come experience Desire, Knowledge, and Hope (with Smog) before it closes on Sunday, April 7 – or revisit the exhibition for this very special performance.
