The third Hip Hop Underground, Under Ground showcase will be at Whitey’s Old Town Saloon on April 25, but this time with an open mic set to open the show.
The show is run by Leonardo Montie and Meddi Noir in Whitey’s basement. Damascus, made up of Montie and Noir, $aD, Malcolm Jabar and Rojohasu, will perform at the showcase.
Montie and Noir hope the open mic will grow the hip hop music scene with younger people and give new artists a space to perform.
“We wanted to give people an opportunity to share their music,” Montie said. “Minneapolis has a really strong music scene, but with hip hop, it feels like there’s not a huge community around.”
Noir said the show being free is a great reason for people to come and perform, especially students. If people do not want to perform, they can come just to listen and be inspired. The show is accessible and everyone is welcome.
To Montie, an open mic is the perfect opportunity to build a stronger stage presence for new artists. Montie and Noir are hoping people will come and do rap battles too.
Noir said they all know what it is like to be an emerging artist, so they wanted to create a space for others.
“We’re just a couple of kids who want to create a space to do what we love,” Noir said. “We know what it feels like to be in those shoes.”
In general, Montie said having a show where anyone can perform helps build a stronger community within hip hop.
“It’s all about establishing that community, giving people opportunities and just hearing dope music too,” Montie said.
Damascus, the rap/hip hop group, began in 2020. The group’s music is inspired by Kendrick Lamar and Bob Dylan for their intentional lyricism. Noir said Damascus blends different genres of metal into the music as well.
Montie and Noir have produced and recorded a couple of EPs and opened some shows for Toussaint Morrison. Now, they are at a point in their careers where they want to give other people the opportunity to share their music in front of a crowd.
Damascus is the first set to go on after open mic.
Malcolm Jabar, also performing at the showcase, has been making music for around six years.
Jabar’s music highlights his vulnerability. He takes inspiration from Kendrick Lamar and Mac Miller, and he loves hip hop because it can take many forms.
For the upcoming showcase, Jabar is opening his set with poetry.
“Hip hop can exist in a space where you can be vulnerable, you can be self-reflective, you can just be chaotic, or you just want something to dance to,” Jabar said.
In the long run, Montie hopes this show can be a mainstay at Whitey’s. Eventually, they want to build a big network of artists and branch out to do different types of themed shows at bigger venues. For now, they get decent sized crowds in Whitey’s basement.
“As long as people keep coming for these shows, we want to keep doing them,” Montie said.