Don't Go Away!

Fans of the HBO series Entourage might recognize Saigon, the rapper who was managed by the erstwhile Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) over the course of two seasons. But what many don't know is that Saigon (aka Brian Carenard) is an actual MC rather than a television character. That's because The Greatest Story Never Told, his debut album that has been delayed by Atlantic Records several times over the last three years, still hasn't come out.

The frustration of such a missed opportunity to cross-promote projects hasn't been lost on Saigon, who has, via his MySpace blog, threatened retirement at least twice this year. But it would behoove him to hang on just a little bit longer; there are rumblings that the album will finally emerge in 2008. More importantly, his talent for weaving amazing cautionary tales of street life is still fresh, needed, and, as an ex-con, actually coming from a real place. Check out the rapper Jay-Z calls "the world's most underrated" (on the remix to Saigon's song "Come On Baby") in a rare live appearance in the Bay Area. Popular KMEL on-air DJ Big Von opens.
Fri., Dec. 28, 9 p.m., 2007