When many people think of Eugene they might mention the Saturday Market, Oregon Country Fair or the organic produce. But have you ever thought of Eugene and hip-hop in the same sentence? Eugene has experienced a couple musical trends in recent years like the Northwest hipster band explosion and the fading dancehall reggae scene. The burgeoning generation is now embracing hip-hop almost exclusively and the Northwest music scene is responding with a range of local hip-hop groups.
I’m a WOW Hall and international hip-hop connoisseur. Lately I have been impressed by what the WOW Hall has to offer me culturally. A year ago KRS-One’s hip-hop explosion changed my life. He rocked every inch of the stage yelling “Turn it up!” It had me fearing an ear rupture. I was impressed with his enthusiasm and showmanship as an emcee. I was even more impressed with the community presence. The crowd quickly responded to KRS and his interactive style, suddenly a B-Boy battle circle broke out while KRS got in the mix with his killer freestyle. It would have impressed any hip-hop skeptic.
A couple of the local Emcees sparked my interest that night as well. Lafa Taylor jumped on stage and beatboxed as KRS ripped a classic freestyle. Taylor has been busting flows all over Eugene for years, you might recognize his six inch afro at Diablo’s or John Henry’s. He is one of the few local emcees that travels overseas to Japan, where he is building a fan base.
The opening act that night was the local crew “The pHormula.” It struck my ear with a new vibrant sound, different from the radio hip-hop monotony. Its roots are in Casper, Wyo. The group’s performances are high energy and there are a few clever songs on the latest album, “What the PH?” No local crew can compete with the PH. It has the best homegrown hip-hop Eugene has seen.
KRS-One is already well-known for bridging cultural and age gaps with his high energy musical philosophy. That night he seemed to do all of that and more, he brought everyone out of the woodworks, B-Boys and B-Girls, Emcees, Beatboxers, deejays and graffiti writers. Where did all this come from? Certainly, I had never been a part of such a strong cultural experience before in Eugene. It convinced me that Eugene has a potential boom ahead for hip-hoppers.
Hip-hop has a interesting history in Eugene. In my search for answers, Philosophy, a local emcee and member of “The pHormula,” sat down with me to break down the history of Eugene hip-hop scene.
Ten years ago the first group, called the Black Mob Family, blazed the way with nine versatile emcees. This group left a significant imprint on Eugene’s local hip-hop culture. Other groups like “JB Evil,” “Infinite Zone,” “Soundproof” and “Pathfinders,” also developed unique sounds. Some artists left town to succeed in different genres of Christian rap, gangster rap and reggae. DZO, Brail Brizzy, Paul Right, Hanif and Big Balu the Sasquach have all left contributions to the growth of the hip-hop culture but most have left town for bigger markets. Michael Kay has kept a strong connection to his roots but also has ventured to the Bay area to make a name for himself. He started two non-profits, Shama sounds and Pacific Urban Music Association (PUMA), which serve as a recording studio and an after school hip-hop program for youth. Kay has been one of the main ingredients in Eugene’s hip-hop development. For several years he and Mac Dub organized the biggest local event of its kind called Summer Jam, where over 1,000 people rocked with 20 emcees. It has become a staple event for the Northwest’s hip-hop community.
In the last year “The pHormula” and its rivals the “Three Blind Mics,” to a lesser extent, have picked up where the Black Mob Family left off. Emcee Philosophy organized the Under the Bridge Initiative this summer. For three weekends local artists performed and emcees pulled money out of their pockets to feed homeless adults and youth. He would like to make it a yearly event, but it will need more support from local organizations for it to be more successful. You can see the “Three Blind Mics” at the Best of Eugene awards opening for many artists. The two crews’ healthy rivalry is escalating as they compete for the title of local hip-hop’s top group.
If you still don’t believe Eugene is morphing into a well-rounded cultural hip-hop scene, go for ride on the fairground’s bike paths where you will find graffiti art under bridges. You can also see the influence in the basketball halftime shows, where local groups like Breakdown and Phenomenon perform the latest dance moves.
Repping Eugene isn’t hard when up and coming talents like Michael Kay, Lafa Taylor and The pHormula lead the way. Their maturing sounds are giving hip-hop a local influence. It is about time that we recognize and supports our own local brand of hip-hop.
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