Kevin Beacham

Longshot: I'm like Nas and Nicki Minaj had a baby

Chicago transplant Longshot has been rapping for 11 some years and has started making an imprint on the Minneapolis rap scene since moving here in 2009. Continuing his steady trend of quality releases, his latest, Instant 4 Eternity, is being celebrated at Cause this Saturday. Gimme Noise caught up ... More >>

Blueprint: I'll be onstage at Soundset for almost 10 hours

Rhymesayers label treasure and representative Blueprint is an articulate and prolific figure. Founder of Weightless Recordings, half of the super-duos Soul Position with RJD2 and Greenhouse Effect with Illogic, and a standout solo member of the biggest independent label in the region, the veteran em ... More >>

Mr. Gene Poole is back on the scene

The rapper moves forward with his new album, The God Particle

Get Cryphy turns five

The DJ crew that taught local hip-hop heads to love club bangers celebrates half a decade

Local Frames: New videos from Bob Mould, Atmosphere, The Color Pharmacy, and more

As the Twin Cities music scene grows, more and more artists are creating music that demands our attention. Combine the music with talented filmmakers locally and beyond, and you have a fruitful mix of distinct skills that generates more locally connected music videos than ever before. While it's im ... More >>

Jennifer Lawrence and SNL remind us Minnesota radio still lacks hip hop

Saturday Night Live still thinks the state of hip hop radio in the Twin Cities is laughable. Over the weekend, we returned to the fictional studios of B-108 in Shakopee, "Minnesota's home for blazing hip hop," for another early morning joke at our scene's expense. This time, guest The Hunger Games s ... More >>

Kevin Beacham on Get Out to Vote and when politics meet hip-hop

This Sunday is the Keith Ellison-sponsored Get Out to Vote concert at First Avenue. The incumbent Representative of Minnesota's Fifth-Congressional District has put together quite the bill, including performances from Brother Ali, Slug, Dessa as well as a DJ set from noted hip-hop historian and Rede ... More >>

Kevin Beacham: 5 Questions with the Rhymesayers enigma

​If you have been to any kind of Hip-Hop event over the last ten years, pretty great odds you have seen Kevin Beacham. Easily recognizable with his long dreads flirting over his shoulders he could be the Scott Seekins of the hip-hop community with his appearance. He usually rocks a comic book t-sh ... More >>

50 cool facts about the Minnesota music scene

Here's a not-so-secret fact about Minnesota music: People love to talk about how much they love the scene here. Musicians from both out-of-state and the Twin Cities have gone out of their way to pen odes to our town and its vibrant community, from Atmosphere to Lucinda Williams Tom Waits to Mark Ma ... More >>

Soundset Series: Festival founders J-Bird, Slug, and Kevin Beacham

Photos courtesy of Rhymesayers​The gigantic celebration of hip-hop that is the Soundset festival is already this Sunday. Now in its fourth year, this overwhelming explosion of rap, turntablism, graffiti, breakdancing, custom cars, skateboarding, and merchandise has proven itself a draw outside of ... More >>

Soundset 2011: Atmosphere, Big Boi, De La Soul, Doomtree, Brother Ali

Big Boi co-headlines Soundset 2011​The Soundset festival revealed its much-anticipated 2011 lineup this morning, and there are a few national surprises amongst the local mainstays: In addition to headliners Atmosphere, Brother Ali, and the full Doomtree crew, this year's fest will feature sets by ... More >>

The Current prepping all-local playlist for Saturday

​The Current is preparing for a 24-block of all-local music this Saturday, May 15 from midnight to midnight, which they are dubbing "Minnesota Music Day." The station will present three separate specialty shows with all-local programming in addition to inviting hosts Bill DeVille, Mac Wilson, Stev ... More >>

From Vices to Verses: A New Era of Hip Hop & Action

Atmosphere, Method Man & Redman to headline Soundset '10

​The lineup for this year's Soundset has been released, and Rhymesayers bigwigs Atmosphere will headline once again with a slew of openers, including Def Jam duo Method Man & Redman, the Hieroglyphics crew (Del the Funky Homosapien, Souls of Mischief, Casual, and Pep Love), and Rhymesayers art ... More >>

Freeloader Friday: Jug band battles, free ink, and Valentine's Day

Feel the love, flirt with hope, or share the hate this weekend. Take your pick.

Haiti fundraiser roundup

Check out our handy guide to events around town raising money for Haiti.

Rhymesayers announces benefit for Haiti

Brother Ali, Sage Francis, Toki Wright, Sims, and more will join forces for a Haiti fundraiser.

Last of the Record Buyers tonight at Fifth Element

The monthly DJ event will take place tonight at everyone's favorite hip-hop record shop.

Hey Mr. DJ

The monthly series Last of the Record Buyers brings producers out of their bedrooms and into the limelight

The Beat Keeper

For many listeners, hip hop history is a clip of the Sugar Hill Gang on VH-1. For Kevin Beacham, it's an obsession and a profession.

Rap's debt to the Caribbean

Local Music Yearbook '05

Rappers were hot. Smokers were cold. Rockers were on Myspace. And sometime after the last Katrina benefit, we wrote it all down for you.

Radio, Radio

Blazin' on $20 a Day

A DJ for every club, a mic for every stage: Five days in our own hip hopolis