Twin Cities hip hop, also referred to as Minneapolis hip hop, is sub-genre of rap music that originates from the
Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Minneapolis–Saint Paul is a metropolitan area in the Upper Midwestern United States centered around the confluence of the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is commonly known as the Twin Cities ...
metropolitan area in the
U.S. state of
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
.
History
Hip hop culture in the
Twin Cities
Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in statu ...
can be traced as far back as 1981.
Similar to the development of hip hop in the
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...
, 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,
[ and began hosting Hip Hop Shop on 89.9 KMOJ, the first radio station to play Hip Hop in the Twin Cities.][
The first Twin Cities hip hop vinyl record released was from the rap group I.R.M. Crew, led by Kelly "Kel-C" Crockett from North Minneapolis. Members were Devastating Dee, TLC, Kel-C, IBM and Cuttin' Kal. "I Dream of DJ’s" was released in 1986, followed by "Baseball" in 1987. Wide Angle, which doubled as a record store and indie recording label, is considered the first Twin Cities independent hip-hop label, with releases on vinyl from Shampayle, the twin cities first female rapper released on vinyl.
David "T.C." Ellis, was featured on a ]Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
song "Graffiti Bridge" in 1990 and his album "True Confessions", the first rap album released on the Paisley Park label in 1991.
Graffiti
Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
and B-boy
Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in ...
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 Soundset Music Festival was a hip-hop music festival held yearly in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area over Memorial Day, Memorial Day weekend. Since Soundset began in the Metrodome parking lot in 2008, attendance has grown from 12,000 to over 30,000 c ...
, 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, 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
An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A s ...
* Brother Ali
* Cecil Otter
Kyle Smith (born July 16, 1980), better known by his stage name Cecil Otter, is a rapper and producer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is a founding member of the indie hip hop collective Doomtree.
History
'' Cecil Otter's False Hopes'' was r ...
* Desdamona
* Dessa
* DJ Abilities
* Doomtree
* Eyedea
* Face Candy
Face Candy was an American improvisational jazz rap group by led rapper Eyedea in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The group released one album, ''This Is Where We Were'', in 2006. The initial lineup on the album consisted of Eyedea, Kristoff Krane, J.T. B ...
* I Self Devine
Chaka Mkali (born 1972), better known by his stage name I Self Devine, is an American hip hop musician based in Minneapolis. He has been a member of groups such as The Dynospectrum, Micranots, and Semi.Official. In 2012, '' City Pages'' describ ...
* Kill the Vultures
* Lazerbeak
Aaron Mader (born July 21, 1982), better known by his stage name Lazerbeak, is an American record producer, singer, and guitarist from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has been a member of Doomtree, The Plastic Constellations, Mixed Blood Majority, Shre ...
* Lexii Alijai
Alexis Alijai Lynch (February 19, 1998 – January 1, 2020), better known by her stage name Lexii Alijai, was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter.
Early life
Lexii Alijai was born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She was the granddaug ...
* Lizzo
* Manny Phesto
Manuel Levins Holden (born September 22, 1989) better known by his stage name Manny Phesto, is an Underground hip hop musician based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Manny is also an entrepreneur and business owner in the cannabis and CBD space. Pitch ...
* Mike Mictlan
Michael Marquez (born July 8, 1982), better known by his stage name Mike Mictlan (), is a rapper from Los Angeles, California, who is currently based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
He is a founding member of the indie hip hop collective Doomtree and ...
* Los Nativos
* Musab
Musab Saad, better known by his stage name Sab the Artist, Musab, or Beyond, is an American recording artist, rapper, songwriter, record producer, and music executive from Minneapolis, Minnesota, currently residing in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Career
...
* Muja Messiah
Robert Hedges (born December 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Muja Messiah, is an American rapper from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has been a member of the groups Raw Villa and Villa Rosa. ''Vibe'' named him in "51 Best MySpace Rappers" a ...
* Oddjobs
* Orikal Uno
* Paper Tiger
* P.O.S
* Prof
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...
* 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
KFAI (90.3 FM Minneapolis) is a community radio station in Minnesota. The station broadcasts a wide variety of music, and also airs programming catering to many of the diverse ethnic groups of the region. KFAI has frequently been honored by lo ...
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.
References
{{Regional hiphop in the United States
American hip hop scenes
Culture of Minneapolis
Midwest hip hop