Many students may have thought the hip-hop scene in Eugene was limited. But they were wrong.
“Down & Dirty,” a celebration of Eugene hip-hop, will feature four local hip-hop bands. The show is 9 p.m. Friday at Agate Hall.
The four groups, Logic, Texassippi Boiz, 13th Tribe and J2MIH, represent an eclectic mix of styles that show both the past and future of hip-hop.
The diversity of the groups playing Friday is representative of the multifarious nature of the Eugene scene. Texassippi Boiz consists of Clientel from Texas and Spydaman from Mississippi. The two are new to the area but are veteran MCs from the south. Their music is highly influenced by this background.
Logic has two vocalists, Katie Stevenson and Cortez, one DJ and three MCs.
13th Tribe is a trio of piano, drums and trumpet, and plays soulful music influenced by hip-hop, jazz and rock. Drummer Mike Shuman said the band’s varied influences give it eclectic style.
“(Keyboardist) Jonathan calls our music ‘tribal astrofunk,’” said Shuman.
The members of 13th Tribe have been playing together for a year, but their musical experience started long before that.
“We all come with our own style, and we try to blend it together,” Shuman said.
Shuman grew up in Southern California playing music with his brother, who played in several jazz groups throughout California.
J2MIH, whose name stands for the Juice to Make it Happen, is a high-energy group that plays catchy beats and melodic chants. The group consists of eight MCs, two bass players, a DJ and a clarinet player.
“There’s so many of them on stage that you don’t have a choice but to get excited,” said Gabe Sechrist, a University student organizing the show.
Sechrist described the group as high-energy and vibrant, with well-planned lyrics. The group identifies their music as thoughtful, new hip-hop.
“Our lyrics are pretty conscious,” said Ethan Virin-Brown, an MC and bass player for the group. “We don’t rely on words as a crutch, and we don’t rely on cuss words.”
Sechrist is in the midst of organizing a student hip-hop group that would bring together people who have talents in graphic arts and music, as well as other creative talents.
“We’re trying to unite hip-hop and make something fun for students,” said Sechrist. “We’re getting a lot of interest from different groups. A couple groups of breakdancers have been coming out to the shows.” Sechrist is also putting on several other hip-hop shows throughout the next several months. He said that the work he and other students are doing attempts to bring a diverse group of people together to work on common passions.
Virin-Brown agrees. “It’s not a huge city, but there’s a lot of intelligent young people, a lot of people that need to be heard. A lot of people that need to be seen.”
Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door, and are available at the EMU Ticket Office.