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 Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States centered around the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi, Minnesota River, Minnesota and St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota) ...

metropolitan area in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 t ...

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 sta ...

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 of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Mott Haven, Melrose, and Port Morris. In the early 1900s, the South Bronx was orig ...

, 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. ...

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 t ...

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 Toki Wright (born March 27, 1980) is an American rapper and educator from Minneapolis. His debut solo studio album, ''A Different Mirror'', was released on Rhymesayers Entertainment in 2009. Early life and education Toki Wright was born in Minne ...

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 Rhymesayers Entertainment (sometimes abbreviated RSE) is an American independent hip-hop record label based in Minneapolis. History Rhymesayers Entertainment was co-founded in 1995 by Sean Daley (Slug), Anthony Davis (Ant), Musab Saad (Sab th ...

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 weekend. Since Soundset began in the Metrodome parking lot in 2008, attendance has grown from 12,000 to over 30,000 consistently ...

, the first being held at the

Metrodome The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly called the Metrodome) was a domed sports stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League' ...

parking lot in 2008. Soundset quickly became a popular festival and moved to Canterbury Park grounds in

Shakopee, Minnesota Shakopee ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Minnesota, United States. It is located southwest of Minneapolis. Sited on the south bank bend of the Minnesota River, Shakopee and nearby suburbs comprise the southwest portion of ...

, before moving to the

Minnesota State Fair The Minnesota State Fair is the state fair of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Also known by its slogan, "The Great Minnesota Get-Together", it is the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance and the second-largest state f ...

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 ...

Brother Ali Ali Douglas Newman (born Jason Douglas Newman, July 30, 1977), better known by his stage name Brother Ali, is an American rapper, community activist, and member of the Rhymesayers Entertainment hip hop collective. He has released seven albums ...

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 Margret Wander (born May 23, 1981), better known by her stage name Dessa, is an American rapper, singer, writer, and former record executive. She is a member of the indie hip hop collective Doomtree. Early life Dessa was born to Robert Wander ...

DJ Abilities Gregory Keltgen, better known by his stage name DJ Abilities, is an American underground hip hop producer and DJ signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment who is based in Minneapolis. He is a founding member of Eyedea & Abilities alongside Eyedea, S ...

Doomtree Doomtree is an American hip hop collective and record label based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The collective has seven members: Dessa, Cecil Otter, P.O.S, Sims, Mike Mictlan, Paper Tiger, and Lazerbeak. The collective is known for incorporatin ...

Eyedea Micheal David Larsen (November 9, 1981 – October 16, 2010), better known by his stage name Eyedea, was an American musician, rapper, and poet. He was a freestyle battle champion and songwriter from Saint Paul, Minnesota. Larsen had appear ...

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. ...

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 Kill the Vultures is an American hip hop group from Minneapolis, Minnesota. It consists of rapper Crescent Moon and producer Anatomy. It was chosen by ''City Pages'' as the Best Hip-Hop Artist in 2005. History Kill the Vultures was formed by Od ...

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, Sh ...

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 Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo, is an American singer, rapper, and flutist. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Houston, Texas with her family when she was 10 years old. After college she ...

* Manny Phesto * Mike Mictlan * 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. Care ...

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 Oddjobs was an American hip hop group from Minnesota. It consisted of Advizer, Crescent Moon, Nomi, Anatomy, and Deetalx. After the breakup of Oddjobs, the members of the group except Deetalx reformed as Kill the Vultures. History Oddjobs relea ...

* Orikal Uno *

Paper Tiger "Paper tiger" is a literal English translation of the Chinese phrase ''zhǐlǎohǔ'' ( zh, s=纸老虎, t=紙老虎). The term refers to something or someone that claims or appears to be powerful or threatening, but is actually ineffectual and ...

* 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". Professo ...

* Sims

Radio

KCMP KCMP (89.3 FM, 89.3 The Current) is a radio station owned by Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) that broadcasts a AAA music format including a significant rotation of songs by local artists. Licensed to Northfield, Minnesota and covering the Minnea ...

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 ...

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 KUOM (770 AM) – branded ''Radio K'' – is a daytime-only non-commercial educational college/alternative rock radio station licensed to serve Minneapolis, Minnesota. KUOM covers the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, and extends its ...

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.

References

{{Regional hiphop in the United States American hip hop scenes Culture of Minneapolis Midwest hip hop