Although hip-hop now thrives at every corner of the globe, and trends travel instantly, thankfully some regions are producing artists whose substance matches their style. Case in point: Ana Tijoux, whose climb to the top of Chile's hip-hop scene and on to international prominence has been fueled by paying her dues, a nimble flow and a breadth of progressive subject matter. She got her start in the mid-'90s in a group that drew inspiration from the U.S. underground and heavily critiqued Chilean politics. Tijoux's solo career really took off after a guest verse on a pop hit by Julieta Venegas exposed her to an audience outside of dedicated hip-hop listeners. Having matured as an artist over two solo releases, she gets back to her beats-and-rhymes roots with her autobiographical and very personal current album, "1977." Washington's Liv is the third stop on her first American tour.

-- Rhome Anderson