Femi Adigun, aka Chicago rapper Femdot (styled as femdot.) delivers his quicksilver raps with a smooth confidence that draws me in like a giant horseshoe magnet in an old cartoon. Lately I’ve mostly thought about one particular track from his September release Free Samples Vol. 2 (Delacreme Music Group): “Missy Elliott,” which reminds me less of Missy and more of Ice Spice. Atop a skipping New York drill beat and a tastefully placed smattering of dusty vocal samples, Femdot adapts the stop-start flow that Ice Spice has parlayed into pop stardom, fitting it to his own suave style by filling in some of the gaps she would’ve left in a line. I like “Missy Elliott” not because it mirrors trends in hip-hop but because Femdot maintains his distinctiveness—he doesn’t lose his voice while trying out something new. Femdot has kept busy this year: he released the first Free Samples EP in June, and he’s recorded a raft of singles and guest spots too. The best of this material suggests he’s got more gas in the tank than anybody would’ve guessed it could hold.
Femdot Opener to be announced. Fri 11/24, 7:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport, $25, $270 opera box (seats six), all ages