America’s largest independent hip-hop gathering falls victim to economic and internal pressures. Will this king of Midwest festivals rise again?
Summer 2009: For the first time in its 13-year history, Cincinnati’s Scribble Jam, one of America’s largest hip-hop festivals, was cancelled. The event had become a Midwest institution, featuring both independent and internationally known artists while representing all aspects of hip-hop culture including graffiti art, DJing, break-dancing and audio production. For performers and fans, the event was a chance to participate in hip-hop as a living, breathing culture.
Sole, formerly of anticon. fame (Plastique is out on Fake Four Records), has always fit perfectly into the box that mainstream hip-hop fans would prefer to call “alternative.” His lyrics are yelled as much as they’re rapped; his content, which is political more often than not, is generally so dense that most of his work requires multiple in-headphone listens to even understand the topic (let alone his message); and the production, well, let’s just say it doesn’t exactly bang.
All of which apply now more than ever. Backed by the ...
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