The Skills to Pay the Bills lineup is a showcase of Salinas hip-hop talent.

After deejaying in the Bay Area and Santa Cruz throughout the ’90s, Kiyoshi One wanted to showcase Salinas talent at his downtown venue.

Kiyoshi One is the DJ moniker of Somos Gallery’s co-founder Will Devoe. Noticing a void in venues where upcoming conscious or hip-hop artists could hone and showcase their skills, Kiyoshi One threw the first Schoolyard Antics event in early 2010, which featured various street artists, B-boys and emcees.

After a hiatus, Kiyoshi One realized that many of the artists had improved significantly since the last Schoolyard Antics show, and he wanted to create an event to highlight that growth at the Salinas gallery.

“The Skills to Pay the Bills” series is meant to challenge new and veteran artists to grow their abilities, upping the ante on the Schoolyard Antics. The next Skills event will feature the All City Sound Bombers Hip-Hop Crew, a group of like-minded emcees founded by Cal Paradox and performing tracks from their album compilation, simply titled Volume 1.

All of the artists have different styles but share the same foundation of old-school indie hip-hop, where lyricism matters.

Lee Earl has a track called “Online” – not on this album – which is about how people are willing to believe anything they see online. A refrain from the song, “The only filter I use is for coffee,” shows how his thought-provoking wit is relatable and contemporary.

The first single release from the album Stay in Your Lane, by Soular and featuring Cal Paradox and D1Joe, is set over jazzy tracks and does a great job of not only describing the mood of the event but also the artists’ lifestyles. Per one refrain, “It’s that feel-good music for the end of the week,” while another line puts a stamp on the laidback vibe of the music: “If you got bad vibes, take it elsewhere.”

Indeed, this gallery gathering is all about good vibes.

“Somos is a dope space where local artists of all genres can come together to share space, collaborate and just be themselves,” says rapper La Sofa Queen. Artist Cal Paradox adds, “I feel the typical Somos crowd consists of easygoing music enthusiasts. At Somos, the good vibes prevail.”

The show will also feature performances by Warhead, Daniel Eugene and Eme7, as well as a pregame show.

THE SKILLS TO PAY THE BILLS 7:30 pm Saturday, Feb. 8. Somos Gallery, 262 Main St., Salinas. $5; free with canned food donations. somosgallery.com