THURSDAY HIP-HOP KRS-ONE Hip-hop is a genre, an aesthetic and a lifestyle, and thanks to advocates like KRS-One, an international culture recognized by the U.N. and officially enshrined in the Hip Hop Declaration of Peace. With 20 albums and countless collaborations, KRS-One may have written more rhymes than anyone in hip-hop history. He’s dedicated most of those verses to rejecting commercialization in favor of education and cultural empowerment. The declaration asserts that the essence of hip-hop is beyond entertainment, and although parts of the “Kulture” may be traded for needs including money, power, respect and shelter, it cannot be bought and is not for sale. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT INFO: Thu, 9:30pm, Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $49. 510.238.9200. FRIDAY THEATER ‘THE MATCHBOX MAGIC FLUTE’ If anyone can trim and update for contemporary times one of the most popular operas composed by one of the “grand guns” of classical music—that’s Mozart, not a musket—it’s theater director Mary Zimmerman. Mozart’s opera premiered in Vienna in 1791, and in this version, its finest features shine while being all-ages-friendly and imbued with Zimmerman’s signature humor. In an interview, Zimmerman expressed pleasure in buttoning holes in the narrative and introducing a new generation to a master work in which imagination rules and glorious music perfumes the atmosphere. I’m going out on a limb to predict this jewel-box-sized work is one of the top shows to see in 2024. – LOU FANCHER INFO: Fri, 8pm, Berkeley Rep‘s Roda Theatre, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. $47-$81. 510.647.2949. FRIDAY METAL THOU Sludge-metal sextet Thou encapsulates the heaviness of their hometown of Baton Rouge. Their DIY mentality and anarchist beliefs have kept them a favorite in the metal and punk scenes. They literally put their money where their mouth is, playing everything from regular venues and collectives like 924 Gilman to free shows at record stores like Streetlight Records in Santa Cruz. Earlier this year they released their sixth album, Umbilical, with music publication Kerrang! calling it “simultaneously both the most pulverizing and the most memorable release the band have put their name to in years.” But be prepared, as not-for-the-faint-of-heart Thou delivers the crushing goods, and their fans match the band’s chaotic energy in an all-out assault on the senses. – MAT WEIR INFO: Fri, 7:30pm, 924 Gilman, 924 Gilman St., Berkeley, $15. 510.524.8180. FRIDAY AFROPOP OXLADE Hailing from Lagos, Nigeria, the Afropop singer Oxlade began releasing music in 2017 while studying international relations at Lagos State University. His distinctive falsetto and innovative blend of modern and traditional African sounds drew the attention of fans and music executives alike. He has since collaborated with all sorts of luminaries, from Whitney Houston to Camila Cabello, and has gathered an enormous following of folks who call themselves the Oxygenes. The heartfelt single “Away,” from his 2020 EP Oxygene, landed on Rolling Stone’s Top 50 Songs of the Year, kicking off a parade of international awards, nominations and arena appearances that continue to this day. – ADDIE MAHMASSANI INFO: Fri, 8pm, The New Parish, 1743 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. $27-$74. 510.227.8177. SATURDAY THEATER ‘FALLEN ANGELS’ The return of the Roaring 20s isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be. We’ve had the pandemic and some great jazz but a severe lack of art deco. The Aurora Theatre Company is resurrecting the best of 100 years ago with Noël Coward’s Fallen Angels. Best friends Jane and Julia live within perfectly polished marriages until an old flame returns to London. What happens next is a wild, comedic and tantalizing exposé of friendship, jealousy and—gasp!—premarital sex. Along with live performances from Oct. 19 to Nov. 17, Fallen Angels will host a series of online streaming performances from Nov. 12-17. – MW INFO: Sat, 8pm, Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. $38-$65. 510.843.4822. SATURDAY JAZZ JEFF DENSON & ROMAIN PILON TRIO After touring internationally and recording two albums featuring drum maestro Brian Blade, bassist Jeff Denson and French guitarist Romain Pilon have continued to hone their music with a revolving cast of trap set masters. For this run of California performances, Berkeley drum star Scott Amendola completes the trio. Denson and Pilon both contribute original compositions, and their charged partnership is a primary creative vehicle amidst numerous other musical relationships. Inspired by Led Zeppelin, Erik Satie, Wayne Shorter and Jimi Hendrix, this triumvirate can whisper, holler, croon and murmur within the same incident-filled piece. – ANDREW GILBERT INFO: Sat, 8pm, California Jazz Conservatory, 2040 Addison St., Berkeley. $35. 510.845.5373. SATURDAY GARAGE SHANNON AND THE CLAMS After over 15 years of collaboration, independent scenesters Shannon and the Clams are on a cross-country tour supporting The Moon Is In The Wrong Place, their seventh studio album. The project tackles the loss of lead singer Shannon Shaw’s fiancé in 2022. It is daunting subject matter, but the garage-psych-punk quartet faces down tragedy and grief with a raucous, danceable joie de vivre. The result is complex and uplifting; in poppy garage-rock and gut-wrenching R&B ballads, the album travels through the uncanny, harrowing and beautiful emotional landscape of celebrating and grieving a life. – SBB INFO: Sat, 8pm, Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $43-$67. 510.302.2250. SUNDAY AUTHOR EVENT LISA VOGEL Lisa Vogel’s book release presents a rare window into 40 years of lesbian feminism. Vogel served four decades as producer of Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, a cultural promise land for over 100 artists annually. We Can Live Like This: A Memoir of Culture is a marvelous discovery point for imagining a world created and cultivated for “womyn.” Vogel is accompanied by some of the Bay Area’s finest—Barbara Higbie with Mia Pixley, Elvira Kurt, Judith Casselberry, Julie Wolf, Krissy Keefer, Skip the Needle and Staceyann Chin—which means it’ll be a rollicking, rocking, righteous and reflective afternoon in the company of folks with tunes to play and stories to tell. – LF INFO: Sun, 2pm, Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $49/adv, $54/door. 510.644.2020. MONDAY R&B GIRL ULTRA Girl Ultra—a.k.a. Mariana de Miguel—is a product of the roiling music scene in Mexico City. From her start as an aficionado of nuevo disco, she’s become a canny songwriter with an impressive command of R&B hooks, attracting attention with covers of tracks by Drake, the Weeknd and Daniel Caesar. But it’s her ingratiating songs like “Abril,” “Duele” and “Ella Tu y Yo” that made her an underground phenomenon. Her latest EP, blush, is an intoxicating blast of hyperpop that shoehorns garage production with EDM and hip-hop, continuing her evolution as one of the most inviting artists on the alt-Latin music scene. She’s touring with special guests Sanje and Shao. – AG INFO: Mon, 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $30/adv, $35/door. 510.214.8600. TUESDAY ROCK THE RED PEARS Think White Stripes, but make it a trio. The Strokes, but add some cumbia. The Black Keys, but make it red and fruity? However you describe them, the L.A.-based band the Red Pears is undeniably rooted in the raw, nostalgic sounds of early aughts garage rock. They bring a cool twist by infusing their music with corridos and other traditional Latinx styles that guitarist Henry Vargas and drummer Jose Corona grew up playing. Celebrating their 10th year, the band has been on its jam-packed Better Late Than Never tour this past month. The UC Theatre is their penultimate stop. – AM INFO: Tue, 8pm, The UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. $25. 510.356.4000.