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Event
The Rap Contest Berkeley featuring Equipto, presented by Sellassie
THE RAP CONTEST
Registration + Info: 415-484-5704
The Rap Contest announces a residency at the new Berkeley Underground every Monday in January 2015. The Rap Contest is a nation-wide original song competition series created in 2010 by Sellassie and Inhouse Talent in San Francisco, CA. The Rap Contest has produced competitions in more than 12 cities from coast to coast including Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Berkeley, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Orlando and Seattle.
The Rap Contest, originally called 2Racks Rap Contest, is a fast-paced song competition for upcoming Hip Hop Artists to showcase original material, perform live and compete for a $1000 cash prize. The series is innovative, trendsetting and authentic and is consistently packing clubs for new music. The Rap Contest's objective is to provide live performance opportunities for independent artists to become more successful and self-sustaining while presenting a fun and exciting stage show that exposes new music. The Rap Contest is building a genuine network of Independent Rap Entrepreneurs, encourages artists to listen to each other's music and provides a priceless opportunity, a platform to be seen and heard in front of new audiences. The Rap Contest has produced 55 successful shows in its first four years and partnered with several local and regional promo companies, radio stations, studios and organizations. The Rap Contest has booked over 1000 talented and emerging hip hop artists from across the country that have performed in front of industry professional and celebrity judges ranging from music supervisors, radio station music directors, on-air personalities, producers and artists. The Rap Contest is Independent Hip Hop, it invests in artists on the rise and respects and contributes to the Culture of Hip Hop.
The January 2015 Berkeley residency will feature special guest performers that have garnered significant acclaim and success with independent hip hop. January 5th features Los Angeles rapper Aceyalone [of Freestyle Fellowship, Project Blowed] who is best known as a pioneer in shifting West Coast rap from Gangsta to Lyricism. He is also credited with developing the double-time rap style that emerged in the mid 1990's. With 11 solo projects, group projects with Freestyle Fellowship, Haiku D'Etat and The A-Team, along with many features and collaborations, Aceyalone is a well accomplished artist that has been releasing influential music for 20+ years. January 12th features San Francisco rapper Equipto who has been making a name for himself since the 1990's with the group Bored Stiff. Equipto went on to create numerous solo albums and mixtapes along with collaborative albums including 4 albums with Andre Nickatina, 3 with Michael Marshall, 1 with Berner, and 2 with Opio of Souls of Mischief. Equipto has also toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia and has long been recognized as a prominent California artist. January 19th will feature Oakland rappers A-Plus and Knobody [Hieroglyphics.] Rapper/Producer A-Plus is a founding member of Souls of Mischief who enjoyed measurable success with their debut album '93 til Infinity and is a founding member of the underground hip-hop consortium known as Hieroglyphics. Since the late 1980s A-Plus has produced music for the Hieroglyphics and is responsible for some of their biggest hits & most critically-acclaimed tracks including Soweto featuring Goapele, You Never Knew, and the title track of Full Circle which was featured in HBO's "The Wire." Oakland rapper Knobody is the first signee to Hieroglyphics project/label called Triple i League and has released several solo projects since he was 16 years old. January 26th features Oakland artist RyanNicole, an award winning artist/activist whose creative work ranges in theater, poetry, and music. As an intelligent female rapper, RyanNicole provides solutions to societal problems thru Hip Hop. Alongside her solo work, RyanNicole performs in hip-hop's dynamic Nu Dekades and is also the Executive Director for Oakland-based, non-profit, Youth Movement Records.
About Sellassie:
www.sellassiefrisco.com
The Rap Contest creator, host and producer Sellassie, is the world's first Higherground Hip Hop Artist; he is a Social Justice Activist, Entrepreneur, Event Producer and Pioneer. He has carved his niche as a leading progressive voice in Hip Hop and as a force in bringing independent artists together. With an acclaimed and award-winning debut release, I'm Tryin' to Make a Livin' Not a Killin', a recent follow-up, Sins of Your Forefathers and a brand new single, Cops Keep Firing; this trendsetting emcee has garnered a street level buzz with a fresh perspective. Sellassie is proof that there are young black artists that can make music that is creative, street, positive and smart. He stands firm to his message, has a charismatic presence and is evidence that not every rapper raps negatively, glorifying drugs, guns, misogyny, money or their ego. He is also the creator, producer and host of the Independent Artist Series, We All We Got, The Rap Contest and Undiscovered Tour. Producing over 200 shows on the calendar in the last few years in over 15 markets nationwide, the series have distinguished themselves as premier outlets for independent artists. He is also working with many social, political and youth based initiatives, and is a contributor to various special projects including the film, It Doesn't Cost Nothin' to Dream. Sellassie is grounded; a confident and refreshing emcee in an industry plagued with commercialism, materialism, negativity and drama. Sellassie utilizes his music and events as a vehicle for social change and inspiration, and he regularly states that he "wants to be in the history books, not the pop charts."
Sellassie has shared the stage with many great artists; Rakim, Saul Williams, KRS-One, The Goodie Mob, Mos Def, Sly and Robbie, Vieux Farka Toure, dead prez, Redman and Method Man, Aceyalone, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Ziggy Marley, Alanis Morissette, Raekwon, The Indigo Girls, Radio Active, Rebelution, Warren Haynes, Goapele, The Hieroglyphics, Mr. FAB, Camp Lo, Pharoahe Monch, Ise Lyfe, Namkha Rinpoche, Medusa, One Block Radius, Lyrics Born, Kev Choice, Martin Luther, Silk-E, The Mighty San Quinn, The Jacka, The Husalah, Bayonics, Zion I, Rah Digga, Rappin 4-Tay, Jelly Bread, Vinnie Paz, Keith Murray, Richie Rich, 2Mex and Jennifer Johns among hundreds independent artists.
Contact:
Gina Gallo
415-572-3224
gina@therapcontest.com
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LocationBerkeley Underground (View)
2284 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA 94704
United States
Categories
| Minimum Age: 18 |
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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