Hawaii hip-hop fans got an early Halloween treat when De La Soul brought their “;20 Years High and Rising”; tour to Aloha Tower Marketplace last weekend.

The last time the legendary trio was here was 2005, when they packed Pipeline Cafe. This time around, they took the stage at a rainy Events at the Tower for a 45-minute walk down memory lane with special guest Biz Markie in tow that featured hits off “;The Grind Date,”; “;Stakes is High”; and “;De La Soul is Dead”; in addition to “;Three Feet High and Rising.”;

Another highlight of the show was an opening set by Tassho Pearce and Creed Chameleon; after releasing “;SiQ of Lazy”; via SiQ Records in 2008, Pearce announced that Creed had changed teams and was now part of the Flip the Bird family. A brief conversation with this columnist also revealed that a recent visit by the Blue Scholars to Hawaii resulted in a collaboration between Creed and George “;Geo”; Quibuyen; the two expect to release a single, “;Paradise Life Relaxing,”; early next year.

For additional pictures from the concert, visit HILife Online at hilife.starbulletin.com ...

HAWAII'S UNDERGROUND music scene collided with the mainstream Sunday during the 2009 Underground Music Awards at the Honolulu Academy of Arts' Doris Duke Theatre.

Local musician, baker and actor Otto produced and hosted the shindig, which competed with last weekend's “;Splendor of China”; and Honolulu Symphony Orchestra concert at nearby Blaisdell Center for parking in the surrounding area. Those lucky enough to find a space for their vehicles were treated to an entertaining afternoon of award presentations and live performances.

Congrats to Black Square, who received awards for “;Best Album”; and “;Best Song”; for their album “;Onward”; (they also won the award for “;Best Ska”;), and to newcomers The Deadbeats for taking the “;Best Hip-Hop/R&B”; category. Other winners included Stillborn Skies for “;Best Rock/Metal/Hardcore,”; Buesekrus for “;Best Indie Rock”; and 86List for “;Best Punk,”; while My Sleep Therapy was named “;Best New Band”; and promoter Jason Miller received a lifetime achievement award.

“;If they allow me to do it there, I'll do it there again,”; Otto said when asked if the HUMAS would return to the Academy in 2010. The awards also helped raise more than $800 for the Academy's music department, he added ...

ALOHA MEANS GOOD-BYE: Moments after University of Hawaii at Manoa student Stasia Conger was announced as the winner of Pipeline Cafe's “;Pipeline's Got Talent”; contest on Sept. 29, host Andy Bumatai confirmed he would depart Honolulu this week for San Francisco. While his family will remain in Hawaii, he'll spend part of 2010 on the mainland in an attempt to relaunch “;The Andy Bumatai Show”; on broadcast television. He does plan to return next month, however, to share the stage with the Society of Seven at the Outrigger Waikiki from Nov. 18 to 28 ... After celebrating its five-year anniversary in July, local nightclub The Living Room will close on Halloween. Multiple sources confirmed the closure, although owner Vince Di Pietro did not return a request for comment by press time. No word as to what will happen with the space ... Condolences to the family of Ajile Turner, a New York resident who also promoted concerts in Hawaii with local retailer DIG Lifestyles. Turner, who was a cousin of rapper Common, died Sept. 19 after a motorcycle accident in Brooklyn, N.Y. ...

E KALA MAI: Radio personality Ola Souza did not replace Sam Kapu on KINE-FM, as was announced by Cox Radio Hawaii last week. She remains the night jock on KRTR-FM; station representatives did not respond to multiple requests asking who Kapu's replacement will be ...

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