2 YEARS OF LOCAL DOPE $#%T
Local Dope $#%T. The name says it all, and I’ll get to the “how” part in a second. This monthly showcase is celebrating its two year anniversary this weekend and it’s worth taking notice. This showcase has become a staple for the local Hip-Hop scene in its twenty-four months of existence.
My homie Shon and I have known about Minneapolis’ longstanding history of Hip-Hop since we were kids, but when we moved here we didn’t know where to start. We were rappers from a smaller town, so I hit up my homie and fellow radio crony from 88.1 FM KVSC, Derek Elhert, who was the main DJ for the most popular radio program on the St. Cloud station at the time, Urban Invasion. I asked him for advice on where to start, and he gave me two main places to check out: The Fifth Element Open Mic and Local Dope $#%T at Can Can Wonderland in St. Paul.
If you’ve never been to Can Can Wonderland, it’s a bit of a trip. Located off Pryor Avenue in St. Paul, Can Can Wonderland hides under a Warehouse and brewery in an industrial area of town. At first it seems like there couldn’t possibly be a hip-hop show for miles, however; as you walk through the long, vaulted ceiling and corridors down a flight of stairs and through a large metal door, there it is: A little hidden Wonderland.
Complete with a whole mini golf course, an arcade, a full bar, and two separate stages that holds all kinds of acts; from Drag shows to, well, Hip-Hop. Local Dope $#%T is usually held in the back on the Corral stage. This stage has a smaller; intimate setting. Pirate ships hanging overhead with vibrant, saturated corral decorations blanketing the walls and the ceiling making it look like a watercolor rainbow melted and grew on the walls. Under those melted rainbows one of the most important monthly showcases in the Twin Cities today is held.
Before its beginning, there was a monthly open mic at Can Can Wonderland where the winner would receive $100. That’s where the creator of Local Dope $#%T comes in, rapper/artist/entrepreneur Tori Johnson (AKA Uncle T) was just starting off her rap career in 2017 (She also has some dope season salt for sale called Side Hustle Salt. check it out at www.sidehustlesalt.com.) For any rap career to take off, open mics are a must, and she heard of this open mic and decided to go for it. But she did more than just “go for it:”
“The first time I ever did it I won. I used to go there and do that all the time [open mic] and I was like, ‘Oh man, I’m gonna keep doing this.’ The dude who worked there, the booking manager, noticed me and thought that I’d know a lot about Hip- Hop. I didn’t. This was 7 months into me rapping. I was like ‘yeah I could do that. I totally know what I’m doing.’ But I really didn’t. *laughs* -Uncle T
With only having a few open mics under her belt, she snagged a monthly residency. That’s a lot to put on an artist who hasn’t played a full set yet, but Uncle T took the challenge head-on with the help of some local veterans and some homies.
“I remember the weekend she [Uncle T] did the first LDS. I didn’t really know her that well and I’ve never been to Can Can Wonderland before that, but I was impressed that Uncle T brought so many people and pull off the first show well” -CMJ
Pivotal gatekeeper of the local scene and 20-year Hip-Hop veteran Christopher Micheal Jensen (AKA CMJ) was brought on by Uncle T after the first few shows to provide much needed experience and deep knowledge of the Hip-Hop scene. Even though they recently met each other, their chemistry and work ethic provided a solid foundation to make Local Dope $#%T what it is today.
Not only was Local Dope $#%T hitting the ground running, CMJ also just recently started hosting the Fifth Element Open Mic which gave him a reliable twice-a-month base to be involved with the scene. With Local Dope $#%T also having an open mic, the two monthly events became closely intertwined:
“The last ten years [20-year career] I was trying to throw shows constantly so I was already well acquainted curating events and residences, etc. and when she wanted me to come on board, it solved the issue of trying to find venues every month. It was nice to have a couple steady spots. So that helped implement things I wanted to do. Uncle T knew people from the scene that I didn’t really know of who were up and coming from events like Shut Up and Rap. And I’ve known people who have been doing this for a while, so together we brought different crowds.” -CMJ
CMJ started to host the Fifth Element Open Mic in September of 2018. That same month Uncle T brought on CMJ to collaborate with her curation of Local Dope $#%T. These two residences, along with the relevance of Go 95’s Shut up and Rap, created a major circuit in the Twin Cities Hip-Hop scene that helped mold what it is today. It gave young artists and veterans alike a consistent and solid conjecture to network and a platform to share their art with the rest of the community. Rappers and artists from a wide array of sounds, styles, and experiences all mixed together to create a new wave of culture to Twin Cities Hip- Hop.
“Every time we have a show, our circle becomes larger. Every time we have an artist that plays a show; we meet them, then we meet their friends. So it keeps building” -Uncle T
As CMJ and Uncle T celebrate the 2- year anniversary of Local Dope $#%T with a stacked lineup, along with a handful of special guests; there’s one thing that created the trajectory of all these important moments and milestones, and that’s an open mic. Without an open mic, Uncle T wouldn’t have had a chance to showcase her talent to the booking manager who gave her the slot for Local Dope $#%T. Without 5th Element’s open mic, CMJ and Uncle T might not have collaborated the way they did, and well, you get the rest. Local Dope $#%T stills makes time at the end of each show for an open mic. It gives new artists a chance to immerse themselves in this ever growing powerhouse of a local Hip-Hop scene. So if you’re not too busy this Saturday, come out to Can Can Wonderland. I’ll be there. CMJ and Uncle T will definitely be there. A great deal of people vital to the scene today will be there. So should you.
Review and Interview by: Paul Thorson, Hip-Hop Writer @PaulyT03
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner @PlaylistTC
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