#sdraps

I'm not talking about the hip-hop club scene vs. the live hip-hop scene. That's been there and will always exist. There's a huge difference between going the club and going to a show. I'm addressing the live hip-hop scene.

We talked about how some people are still paying to play and open for some hip hop acts. I'm not sure exactly what show it was (but I'm speculating that it was the artistformelyknownas Mos Def aka Yasiin Bey), but they were telling me about how one of those 'pay to play' acts were being practically booed off the stage. I was told were trying to quell the crowd down even by pleading their case or whatever. Like I said, I wasn't there. The problem was either the promoter or whomever set up the show maybe didn't do their research about the acts. Also they mentioned how Odessa Kane KILLED the stage and got everyone into it, then comes along the P2P rappers and killed the energy of the crowd. So MC Supernatural had to hype the crowd up again just to get the building back in it. 

(The video above says that SupaNat did a 'set', but he was probably hosting.) 

About a few years ago, the San Diego Music Awards' Hip-Hop category was limited to a certain demographic. I'm not dismissing their talent at all, however, the scope was typically limited to rappers from the beach communities. Then Daygo started to get up on game and promote themselves properly. Sending in albums when there was a call at the local readers. Thinking of new ways to market themselves. Some attribute the work of Quan Vu and what he was trying to do with NBC San Diego's Sound Diego & the new defunct sdraps.com. He was promoting the good MCs in the community and recognizing them for their talents. 10 19 now writes for NBC (check his article on his "tag-team rap partner", Parker Edison), so hopefully we can get that bigger magnifying glass on San Diego. 

There's been a resurgence of good hip hop in the San Diego scene over the past few years, but why aren't the good great local cats blowing up in their own city. (EDIT: Added the "Real Talk" clip with StuntDouble and other San Diego MCs. It's from the "Banana-Clip DVD" by Parker Edison available at Access Music).

Could it be marketing? Could it be the lack of venues that support local hip-hop acts? Could it be the short-sighted promoters not exploring their own backyard? Could it be the gap in the crowd vs the performers? Could it be that the diverse scene has segmented the crowds?Are there even crowds to play for still?