Gospel-rapper Chance the Artist, an Asheville native currently based in Atlanta, headlines the Goombay on Sunday, Sept. 13. After turning his life around an devoting himself to positive rhymes, Chance finds himself on the cusp of some potentially major turning points, including the forthcoming debut of an official website, a DJ to enhance his live shows and a team to assist him on the business side.
Cypher Univercity was started in 2010 at North Carolina State University in Raleigh by MC Mike L!ve. The five year anniversary of the movement will be celebrated — along with the release of FTOLive, a new album from Free the Optimus — at The Orange Peel on Saturday, Aug. 29.
While the do-it-yourself ethic in music is often associated with punk bands, in Asheville, there is a hip-hop label that fully embodies that spirit.
The video by Just So Ya Know Productions previews the Valentine’s Day For the Love of Music event that will be held at New Mountain.
“For the eight-piece Tampa, Fla.-based funk/hip-hop band Green Sunshine, every show is a party,” says a press release. And that’s almost all you need to know. Except that members have stage names like Optimus Rhyme, Mowtown Tea and Sunshine Slim, and they’ve got matching green tracksuits. Together since 2008, the collective considers itself to be […]
1UP, the new record by Western North Carolina and Greensboro-based Seers is an unabashedly weird, inspired, fantastical, bizarre and transcendent collection. The nine-track album is just part of a larger project — released by the collective Nomad Staff — including short films and music videos. The combination is a slide down a rabbit hole of […]
“We wanted a revolution, but they just ran us around in circles. Here to speak truth, to say what needs to be said,” says the Bandcamp page for Free the Optimus, a hip-hop collective whose members are based in Boone and Asheville. The group was founded by lead emcee, C.Shreve the Professor, who is about […]
With lines like “If God had an iPod, I’d be on his playlist” and “Ya’ll just some major haters and some math minors,” Atlanta rapper Cyhi The Prynce held his own alongside Kanye West, Jay-Z, Pusha T, Swizz Beatz and RZA on “So Appalled,” one of the standout tracks off West’s 2010 album My Beautiful […]
Though the Emerald Lounge remains in financial trouble and risk of closure, owner Christina Brunell-Fortini told Asheville Scene that she plans to keep the establishment, even though she has listed the venue for sale as a fallback option. Two benefit shows will take place this weekend to help support the continuance of the iconic downtown […]
Brothers Davaion and Heath Bristol don’t just participate in the local hip-hop scene — they bring it directly to you.
Rap superstar Big Boi’s new video for “Thom Pettie” features footage from his sold-out spring show at the Orange Peel in Asheville.
It was only a few months ago that Atlanta hip-hop heavyweight, Killer Mike, celebrated his birthday with an exhilarating performance on The Orange Peel stage while opening for mentor and fellow Atlantan, Big Boi. Last Thursday, the southern fried soul man returned to Asheville alongside rapper, producer and Def Jux founder, El-P, in the midst of their Run the Jewels tour. Photos by Rich Orris.
The local hip-hop act opened the festival in style, with a set of songs that celebrated the South (and specifically, Asheville) with plenty of swagger. And lots of guests.
Northern California-based musician and yoga teacher MC Yogi fuses Hindu chants with hip-hop. He returns to Lake Eden Arts Festival this May — click through for dates and tickets info. Image from Smithsonianmag.com
The local hip-hop artist headlines a Saturday show at One Stop. Xpress will give away a pair of tickets.
After 16 years, kid-hop artist 23 Skidoo says goodbye to Asheville.
A week of hip-hop shows at One Stop and Asheville Music Hall includes this Thursday performance as part of Underground Unheard’s Man Tour. Xpress will give away a pair of tickets.
The local hip-hop artist lands on the national music chart with a soulful song that questions morality and pop culture.
The Ones headline with New Color, Ho-Tron and Matty Harper. That all happens tonight at 10 p.m. Xpress will give away a pair of tickets to the show at 2 p.m.
The local hip-hop duo releases a new album, “Backroads & Bonfires,” ahead of their Bele Chere performance.
While it’s no surprise that the third album by kid-hop artist Secret Agent 23 Skidoo is eleven tracks of awesome, the sheer number of genres and local artists represented is a marvel.
