In his recent Scene cover story on hip-hop in Nashville, contributor Lance Conzett and everyone he talked to made a strong case for this statement: “At this point, the question isn’t ‘Where is Nashville’s hip-hop underground?’ but rather ‘When will Nashville’s hip-hop underground break out of Tennessee?’ ” Hopefully you’ve both heard and heard about a good selection of rap by Nashvillians, but you’ve got some excellent opportunities this week to catch local MCs in person.
Two of those happen to be on one night. On Wednesday, June 15 — aka 615 Day — there are two packed hip-hop shows to check out over on the East Side. Rapper and radio host E.T., stellar rhymesmith Negro Justice, rising MC HB Mandella and producer and DJ Quiet Entertainer are set to play an event called Cash Wednesday at The East Room. The cover is $10, and the show kicks off at 8 p.m. — watch Facebook for updates.
Meanwhile, Negro Justice’s sometime partner in rhyme and fellow Six One Tribe member Gee Slab is on the bill across Gallatin Avenue at The Cobra for a special 615 Day edition of the Exposed showcase series. Also appearing will be Abu Da Don, 2’Live Bre, OGTHAGAWD, MAXX DBL X and Sweet Poison. You’ve got DJ 270 on the 1s and 2s and Averianna the Personality will be your master of ceremonies. Tickets are also $10, and that show also starts at 8 p.m.
The only bummer here is that the events are happening at the same time, but bouncing back and forth will give you an excellent sample of Nashville rap. If you can’t make it out — or even if you can and you’d just like some more — don’t miss Thursday’s edition of Vibes at the Dive over at The Dive Motel, where The BlackSon, Reaux Marquez, Brian Brown and more will hold court. That starts at 6 p.m. And there’s plenty more through the Juneteenth weekend, too. The National Museum of African American Music’s Juneteenth Block Party celebration on Sunday includes a ton of live music including phenomenal Nashville MC and community organizer Mike Floss, and there’ll be live music at the Juneteenth 615 celebration at Fort Negley (lineup TBA) as well.
