It's no secret that Athens, Ga. is a thriving environment for rock music due to the
success of R.E.M., Widespread Panic and, more recently, Of Montreal and The Whigs - but
ask hip-hop aficionados what rappers hail from the college town and odds are you'll be met
with blank stares.
While Athens has never been known for its hip-hop scene and is overshadowed by that of
nearby Atlanta, that doesn't mean there isn't one on the rise. Growth has been slow, but
in recent years the town has seen a proliferation of hip-hop artists, such as solo rappers
Keelan "Fresh" Knox and Curtis "Son1" Jones and ensembles such as Kidz in the Hall and
WildKard.
Jones is a relative veteran of the hip-hop scene in Athens, having been a community
mainstay since 2004. "I didn't really choose Athens; it was more like Athens chose me," he
explains. "The venues here were really receptive of alternative hip-hop, unlike Atlanta at
the time."
Knox, a student at the University of Georgia, is slightly newer to the scene. "I've been
rapping for about three years, but it was only a hobby until last January. I started
rapping in Athens in July of [2009]. Tommy Valentine gave me my first opportunity to
showcase my talent on the 4th of July at the 40 Watt Club."
According to both Jones and Knox, the modest size of Athens' hip-hop community has its
perks and drawbacks.
"Athens is an open market for hip-hop," Knox says. "Everyone knows that it has a
thriving music scene due to the other popular genres, but hip-hop is considered an
underdog. Depending on how you look at it, some may consider that to be intimidating, but
in the eyes of someone who's involved with the hip-hop scene here, it's a great
opportunity to make a name and establish [oneself]."
He does admit one shortcoming: "It can be difficult to find venues that are willing to
allow hip-hop events to take place due to the misconceptions that many people have about
the genre."
Jones mentions the close proximity of venues as a pro to performing in Athens, but he's
quick to point out life as a hip-hop artist in the town is far from a cakewalk.
"There are no industry connections here in Athens, so your chances of getting any kind
of exposure here are slim to none," he says. "Plus, there aren't as many people who like
to go to live [hip-hop] shows here in Athens. They'll buy your CD, but they'd much rather
be at the club dancing to Top 40 hits than come out to support local music."
Nonetheless, recent years have brought a renewed sense of interest to the local
hip-hop scene.
"I haven't been involved for long, but what I've seen since I've started has been nothing
but growth," Knox says. "New Earth Music Hall [a new local venue] and the people who have
been here since day one have been a huge help with uniting everyone."
Knox, in particular, has achieved heightened local exposure, due in part to the efforts of
Elizabeth Schenck, Stephen Prevost and Rebekah Baldwin, three students in the university's
Music Business Program who formed their own hip-hop entertainment company, H.E.R. Hip-Hop,
earlier this year, and are working to get their business off the ground by the beginning
of the fall.
"As of now, going with the 'full-service' idea, we plan for our services to include
artist promotions, booking, publicity, music publishing and licensing, and sponsorship
accrual," Schenck says. "We may narrow it down to just a few of these, depending on what
ends up being most needed (and profitable); we don't want to overextend ourselves."
According to Schenck, H.E.R. Hip-Hop, which stands for "Hip-hop in its Essence and
Real," a metaphor borrowed from a song by Common, exists in Athens for the purpose of
increasing the presence of hip-hop locally.
"Athens has never been seen as a place to see the latest hip-hop concerts - in fact,
hip-hop has pretty much had no presence at all in the Athens music scene," she says. "With
our event and company, we want a complete 180 change to occur - we want to push hip-hop
from the background to the forefront of the music scene."
Jones echoes Schenck's sentiments, attributing the company as a factor in helping to
organize the local scene in a way never before achieved. "In the past, with the exception
of Montu Miller with Athfactor, we only had artists trying to organize everything and at
the same time trying to be artists, and it never really worked out," he says. "But thanks
to H.E.R. Hip-Hop as well as Pharis with BOOM Foundry, and, again, Montu Miller, all that
has changed."
H.E.R. Hip-Hop got off to a great start in April, hosting their first-ever showcase at
New Earth, which featured established rappers Dead Prez and proved a substantial success
for the community.
"I'd say the show was definitely a success," Schenck says, while admitting their goal
is to make next year's showcase even bigger. "The audience loved it, we loved it, and the
artists loved it, meaning we've branded both the event and company well and have laid a
really good foundation for next year's showcase."
Thanks to the combination of the hard work of companies like H.E.R. Hip-Hop, venues
like New Earth Music Hall and the hip-hop artists themselves, Athens' hip-hop scene has
certainly taken a meteoric rise - but for the culture to continue to prosper, this is only
the tip of the iceberg.
"Everything that's been going on with the scene so far must continue," Knox says. "As
the underdog, everyone must understand that one cannot stand alone and prosper. Many have
tried and it's obvious that it doesn't work. Everyone involved with the hip-hop scene must
work together to keep the growing scene progressing in the right direction."
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