89.3 The Current, Vita.mn and RHYMESAYERS present: A Benefit for Haiti
Hosted By SLUG of ATMOSPHERE
SET TIMES TONIGHT DOORS: 7:00PM KING OTTO: 7:00 – 8:00PM MUJA MESSIAH: 8:00 – 8:30PM TOKI WRIGHT: 8:30 – 9:00PM KEVIN BEACHAM: 9:00 – 9:15PM SIMS: 9:15 – 9:45PM I SELF DEVINE: 9:45 – 10:15PM FREEWAY & JAKE ONE: 10:15 – 10:45PM KEVIN BEACHAM: 10:45 – 11:00PM SAGE FRANCIS & B.DOLAN: 11:00 – 11:45PM BROTHER ALI – 11:45 – 12:30AM BK ONE: 12:30 – 1:00AM ALL PROCEEDS TO BE DONATED TO THE EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS OF HAITI
BROTHER ALI
Brother Ali has no reservations in saying that he’s “trying to be one of the greatest of all time” (on the Molemen track “Life Sentence”). Inspired by golden era legends like KRS-One and Rakim, this undisputed Master of Ceremony began rapping as a means of survival. Growing up albino (colorless hair, skin and eyes, poor vision, and extreme sensitivity to the sun) in a world of cruel kids made it strikingly obvious to Ali that he needed a high-powered way to earn some respect and prestige among his peers.
SAGE FRANCIS
Dubbed as a "forefather of indie-hop," Sage Francis first made a name for himself in the emcee battle circuit during the late 90's and early 2000's while distributing his mixtapes from hand-to-hand. In the matter of a few years he graduated from bootlegging his own music to being one of the top selling independent artists in hip-hop, all while sitting at the helm of Strange Famous Records in his home city of Providence, RI.
I SELF DEVINE
I Self Devine returns with his highly anticipated sophomore album The Sound of Low Class Amerika. You can feel the passion I Self Devine delivers on topics of community, class and social injustice in America as he spits truths to inspire the masses. The album is both a narrative for the current state of the world and a telling history as to how we arrived here. I Self Devine's truly unique voice and style create a sense of urgency and call to action while leading and equipping the listener with the tools necessary to act and dissent.
SIMS
Restless and passionate but with an unflinching realism at his core, Sims has seen enough of life to know there are no easy answers. His second full-length release, Bad Time Zoo, released February 15, 2011 on Doomtree Records, reflects this rapper’s ongoing quest for solid understanding in a society on the brink of dystopia. For Sims, it’s been a long road. Andrew Sims grew up in the working-class Minneapolis suburb of Hopkins, Minnesota. His parents were both musicians with problems of their own, and Sims often had to look out for himself and his younger brother.
TOKI WRIGHT
Raised in a Buddhist household, immersing himself in Black history, world culture, and community work, Toki Wright’s awareness of the diverse world we live in is translated through his content driven music. He has taken paths that run the gamut from a non-profit youth organization in North Minneapolis to work with war-affected children in Northern Uganda. As an artist, Wright’s travels have taken him throughout the United States and Canada as support and hypeman for Brother Ali. Other performance credits include Soundset, Coachella, CMJ, Bumbershoot, Paid Dues, Scribble Jam, and SXSW.
MUJA MESSIAH
Muja Messiah was named City Pages Best Hip-Hop Artist 2009, Star Tribune's Best Local records 2009, The Onion 's Local Artist of the decade. Muja Messiah was featured on Atmosphere's Strictly Leakage on "Crewed Up", URB Next 100, with "Beautiful" ft. Samahra (Black Blondie). Muja Messiah released MPLS Massacre vol.1. in 2008 with its more hardcore, aggressive tracks including the internet jumps "Amy Winehouse" and M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes".
BK-ONE
BK-One's love of music has been a lifelong affair. From an early age, he studied classical piano and jazz theory, taught himself to play the vibraphone, and began collecting records. Before he was old enough to get into clubs, BK was touring the country as a vibes player in a jazz band and experimenting with multiple genres alongside local music veterans. After moving to Minneapolis in 1996, BK wasted no time finding a place for himself in the local Hip Hop scene. He helped to start one of the city's first independent Hip Hop radio shows and put his record collection
KEVIN BEACHAM
Kevin Beacham is host of The Current's hip-hop show, Redefinition Radio, heard Saturday nights 11 p.m.-2 a.m. Beacham has been an MC, producer, artist manager, record promoter, journalist, DJ, radio show host, record label manager, and now back to radio show host. He first got his start in radio in April of 1995 on WNUR 89.3 at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He moved to Minneapolis in 2002 to help manage the renowned indie hip-hop Rhymesayers label.
