Abstract Rude's name tells a lot about the L.A. emcee. He picked up "Abstract" when interpretive dance duo Tribe Unique witnessed his crazy dance style and put a name to it.

The second half of the name was added when Abstract Rude began growing dreadlocks in 1991. Older Rastas told him his locks were going to be "rude."

Saturday at The Blue Lamp, Rude will bring his poetic style to live performance, incorporating everything from reggae to soul to interpretive dance. Local emcees C-Plus, Matt Cali, Illicism and Random Abiladeze will open the show, along with DJ Nocturnal.

Rude became interested in hip hop at age 9, when he was inspired to break dance after seeing b-boys perform in the 1984 Olympic ceremonies. He also began doodling on notebooks after seeing graffiti artists in the movie Beat Street.

Rude began rapping in 1991 as a teen. He first recorded in '93 before gaining more attention as part of Project Blowed, an open-mic workshop at the Good Life Cafe in South Central Los Angeles.

Hip hop artists Jurassic 5, Freestyle Fellowship and Pigeon John came out of the workshop. In 1994, Rude and Aceyalone from Freestyle Fellowship produced a Project Blowed compilation album that featured fellow Good Life Cafe rappers.

It quickly gained worldwide acclaim.

"There were letters from South America, everywhere in Europe, everywhere in Canada and that’s when we knew we got something here — there’s a lot of kids feeling what we were doing," Rude told the L.A. Record in a recent interview.

About the same time, Rude gained the attention of Mike D from the Beastie Boys and earned a spot on two of their label's mixtapes, Mixed Drink, Volumes 1 and 2. He soon released an album on that label, Grand Royal, and the rest is history.

Since 1995, Rude has released nearly an album a year, solo and as part of Abstract Tribe Unique (with Tribe Unique), The A-Team (with Aceyalone) and Haiku D'Etat (with Aceyalone and Myka 9 of Project Blowed and Freestyle Fellowship). He also was featured in the 2008 documentary This is The Life: How The West Was Won. The film tells the stories of individuals involved in Project Blowed and The Good Life Cafe scene in general.

Earlier this year, Rude released Rejuvenation, his first solo album in nearly six years, earning critical acclaim. "Abstract Rude boasts an indelible, intoxicating voice," said a review in Spin Magazine. "He raps and sings with equal verve, and his deep baritone resonates with rhythmic power."

The Blue Lamp, 1400 Alhambra Blvd., Saturday at 9 p.m. Tickets $8 at the door. 21-and-over.