Underground Hip Hop artists come together for two shows

Who would've ever imagined that there could be too much hip-hop at Oberlin to choose from? This weekend's myriad of events presents a rarity for the campus that usually hosts almost as many indie rock bands as Cleveland's underground club Speak In Tongues. So if you've never heard of the place, and you could care less about indie rock, you're in luck: Hieroglyphics is here. And so is Medusa. And so is the Jus'us League. And lucky for Oberlin students, they're all under one roof tomorrow night.

But especially with all the chaos of this huge event going on this weekend, it can be a little overwhelming to pinpoint exactly what is going on as far as concerts are concerned. Yesterday night, the Last Poets rocked the 'Sco as hard as any spoken word groups could, accompanied by Babatunde on drums. Narrative artist Maggie Estep, Nuyorican Poets Cafe's Bob Holman, and New York performing poet Sekou Sundiata also delivered moving sets.

Tonight, then, is when the real music begins. The X-Ecutioners is comprised of the four-man DJ crew formerly known as the X-Men. Original members Steve D, Johnny Cash, Sean Cee and Roc Raida are the masters of beat juggling, and take pride in reorganizing sounds and raising the stakes of DJing to new heights. The group is proceeded by a number of acts, all of which should up the ante for tonight's 'Sco show.

100 Proof are the opening act, and should make a large impression on their audience, if nothing else, because of their size. The 10-person 100 Proof crew is more than straight forward hip-hop and rap. Also featuring drums, bass, guitar, keyboards and horns, the group's sound is creative and makes for an incredible live show.

Mekka Sunshine, Espionage and Kwiz Fluz will also be appearing at the 'Sco tonight, mixing up the weekend's hip-hop platter and representing the local scene. Mekka Sunshine is a student at Cleveland State University and does a program on WCSB 89.3, the same campus that Espionage hail from. The duo used to compete on campus and won first prize on more than one occasion in CSU showcases, but has since retired to doing shows for pay, not competition.

Saturday night marks the end of the conference, and luckily, it all ends with a bang. Hieroglyphics, made up of acclaimed artists Del the Funky Homosapien, Souls of Mischief, The Prose and Casual, performs alongside a grip of openers. Del the Funky Homosapien started off writing lyrics for cousin Ice Cube's The Lench Mob at the ripe age of 18. Del then went on to release his first solo album in 1993, and has most recently released Third Eye Vision with the Hieroglyphics group.

Hosting Saturday's show will be acclaimed DJ crew The Coup, with Boots, E-Roc and DJ Pam The Funkstress. Their 1998 album, Steal This Album, is the third from the rap/hip-hop group, produced by Boots. The Coup will serve as MCs for the show, introducing opening acts like Jus'Us League from Champaign, Ill.; Medusa, who ties roots with both the Organized Noize Crew and is a former member of Los Angeles' Heavy Weight Crew; and Siah and Yeshua DapoED, who see hip-hop as both a science and an art form.

And if that's not enough, the conference will finally close with an after-party featuring Bobbito Garcia, who's Fondle 'Em label houses artists like Siah DaopED and other renowned hip-hop acts. Most of this weekend's performers are known through the underground grapevine, but now is their chance to break out big and get exposure to those of us who may have not had the means in the past. Sacred Mics and Raw Needles does the unthinkable: it has assembled an astouding array of quality acts at our fingertips. This weekend, it's all about reaching out and digging in.

Please see the Sacred Mics and Raw Needles Schedule of Events for specific information and show times.

Tellin' it like it is: Poet Maggie Estep was one of the special guests at Thursday night's poetry slam which opened the 1998 HipHop Conference. (photo by John Matney)