Twin Cities hip hop is hip-hop or rap music that originates from the Twin Cities metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Minnesota.
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A strictly subterranean hip hop culture in the Twin Cities existed as early as 1981. Similar to the development of hip hop in the South Bronx, Twin Cities rap started as humble parties with a DJ and an emcee.[1]. A DJ named Travitron was comparable to the DJ Kool Herc of the Twin Cities area.
Freddy Fresh used to mix on Travitron's Hip Hop Shop 89.9FM KMOJ. Street DJs included Bill Blass from AVLN, Cuttin Cal from IRM. Shows took place at house parties on the North Side of Minneapolis, and Club Hip Hop on Selby Avenue in Saint Paul. Other artists and DJs include Disco T, Verb X, Brother Jules, Derrick Delite Stevens aka Skat Kat, Madskills aka DJ Cyrus, and Truth Maze.
The first real album to come out of the Twin Cities was called The I.R.M. Crew, released in 1985. Graffiti and b-boy crews existed in the city. However the first verifiable rap record to be released in Minnesota was Twin City Rapp, a 12" on Twin Town Records. This record was produced by David "TC" Ellis, who is also the founder and Executive Director of STUDIO 4/HSRA High School For Recording Arts, also known as Hip Hop High.
The Jukebox and Sugarfree team made notable contributions. Having grown up in North Minneapolis, they began participating in talent shows and freestyle battles in 1983. Sugarfree is featured on Sue Anne's "Rock Steady" Blue Velvet Album (Blue Velvet, Rock Steady, Sue Anne (1986)).
In 1996, DJ Madskills revived real Hip Hop in Minneapolis, MN. After spending time in NYC in 1995, Madskills returned to the Twin Cities with an abundance of underground Hip Hop that received almost no attention outside of New York. A talented mixologist, DJ Madskills show on 89.9FM KMOJ was popular. It was the only time since Travitron's Hip Hop Shop that live mixes and freestyles combined to create on air Hip Hop in the Twin Cities.
During this same period, an artist who would eventually become known as Brother Ali, was being schooled on politics by DJ Madskills. This influence later became evident in Brother Ali's lyrics. Prior to the awareness raised by DJ Madskills, Brother Ali had all but given up on Hip Hop.
During the mixshow, a segment called 'Blackwatch' raised the political awareness of KMOJ's Hip Hop audience. DJ Madskills mix shows saw some of the highest ratings in the history of KMOJ, but the show was forced off the air. Madskills moved back to NYC in 1997, and continues in mixology under the name of DJ Cyrus. Some of DJ Cyrus's (Madskills) podcasts can be downloaded at undergroundhiphop.com under the title of B-Boy Classics & Battle Mixes.
As for rap music, the main movers of Twin Cities hip hop came together to form the group Headshots, a precursor to the Rhymesayers Entertainment label. Members of this group included Slug, I Self Devine, Micranots, Musab, Siddiq, and Ant.
Twin Cities hip hop is characterized best by the alternative rap, underground rap, conscious hip hop, popularized by Atmosphere. Another style category includes Midwest hip hop, heavily influenced by the Chicago mainstream and underground. The content of music speaks about, political, economic, and social issues. The beats use influences from jazz, soul and classic rock. Many rap songs from the Twin Cities speak on social and political issues, and also involve personal stories. More recently, in the post-2000 years, the Midwest universal sound, including heavy Chicago underground and mainstream influences have arisen in the young hip hop movement in the Twin Cities, embracing the sounds of soul sampling and epic drum kits, as made by popular by producers such as Kanye West, No I.D and the Heatmakerz.
The annual Twin Cities Celebration of Hip-Hop, also known as The Hip Hop Fest, was cofounded by Larry Lucio, Jr. and Toki Wright of Amplified Life in 2002. It is hosted by YO! The Movement and brings together people from all walks of life to celebrate the power of community through hip-hop culture. In addition to featured performances from National Headlining artists and local acts, The Hip Hop Fest includes Battles in the following Categories: MC Battle, DJ Battle, B-Boy/B-Girl Battle, Beatbox Battle, and Production Battle.
In the first five years alone, nearly 20,000 people from around the world had taken part in the festival and conference. Past participants include Slick Rick, MC Lyte, Cee-Lo of Gnarls Barkley, Clipse, Camp Lo, Crazy Legs, Slug of Atmosphere, Studio The Kid, Jean Grae, Asia-One, EWOK (HM Crew), Brother Ali, and many others.
Headline performers:
The Annual Twin Cities Hip Hop Awards is an urban music awards ceremony honoring Minnesota's notable Twin Cities Hip Hop artists and their accomplishments the previous year. It was originated by local St. Paul Native David Powell in 2006 and has continued.
The headquarters for Rhymesayers Entertainment is located in Uptown, Minneapolis, Fifth Element, the store owned and operated by the label.
The well known Minneapolis venue First Avenue has been a typical location for major performances of Twin Cities hip hop, including the annual Twin Cities Hip Hop Festival. Other common places for shows around the cities include Dinkytown (in venues such as the Varsity Theater and the Dinkytowner), The Red Sea and the Cedar/Riverside area, and downtown Saint Paul.
Other Locations include
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