Twin Cities hip-hop

Twin Cities hip-hop, also referred to as Minneapolis hip-hop, is a subgenre of Midwestern hip-hop music that originates from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in the U.S. state of

History#

Hip hop culture in the Twin Cities can be traced as far back as 1981. Similar to the development of hip hop in the South Bronx, Twin Cities rap started as parties with a DJ and an emcee. A DJ named Travitron is considered the “godfather” of hip hop in the Twin Cities, Graffiti and B-boy crews existed in the city. However, the first verifiable rap record to be released in Minnesota was “The Twin City Rapp,” a vinyl single on TwinTown Records released in 1985. It was produced and performed by David “T.C.” Ellis and C.T., and released by the Twin City Rappers.

Festivals#

The now defunct 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 was hosted by Claire Redmond, FranzDiego DaHinten, Dimitris Kelly, and Alicia Steele of YO! The Movement. The event featured performances from National headlining artists and local acts. Rhymesayers Entertainment started sponsoring the Soundset Music Festival, the first being held at the Metrodome parking lot in 2008. Soundset quickly became a popular festival and moved to Canterbury Park grounds in Shakopee, Minnesota, before moving to the Minnesota State Fair grounds.

Venues#

The well known Minneapolis venue First Avenue has been a typical location for major performances of Twin Cities hip hop. Other common places for shows around the cities include Honey Lounge (closed), Nomad World Pub (closed), Triple Rock (closed), Blue Nile (closed), Myth and the Fine Line. The Dinkytowner was a common place for smaller shows until its closing in 2009. Fifth Element was home to Last of the Record Buyer’s showcase, which provided a platform for producers. Graffiti can be found throughout the twin cities, sanctioned and not. One popular place for writers to write legally was known as the Bomb Shelter. Hope Community is home to Graffiti and hip hop production classes; many active artists in the community have passed through its doors. Intermedia Arts was a nonprofit in Uptown Minneapolis which closed in 2018. Intermedia Arts allowed public art and offered workshops/programs/ grant opportunities for artists in the cities. It was at Intermedia Arts that Desdamona co-founded the first festival dedicated to women in hip-hop, B-Girl Be.

Notable artists#

Atmosphere
Audio Perm
Brother Ali
Cecil Otter
Desdamona
Dessa
DJ Abilities
Doomtree
Eyedea
Face Candy
Gozie Ukaga
Heiruspecs
I Self Devine
Kill the Vultures
Lazerbeak
Lexii Alijai
Lizzo
Manny Phesto
Mike Mictlan
Los Nativos
Musab
Muja Messiah
Oddjobs
Orikal Uno
Paper Tiger
P.O.S
Prof
Sims

Radio#

KCMP 89.3 (The Current) - Home of Rhymesayer’s H2 Radio as well as The Local Show which plays some popular local hip hop
KFAI 90.3/106.7 FM - Hosts Soul Tools Radio every Saturday hosted by local Hip Hop artists Toki Wright.
KMOJ 89.9 FM - Home of popular show “Rush it or Flush it” where artists submit music to be voted on by the audience
KUOM 770 AM (Radio K) - University of Minnesota College Radio. They feature a “Track of the Day” from local artists.
WMCN 91.7 FM - Macalester College Radio - weekly hip hop radio shows featuring live performances and interviews with many local artists.