(Published April 22, 2010 in the Daily Item Applause section, page D3.)
An underground hip-hop show featuring three trendsetting hip-hop groups and one of Pa.'s most popular disc jockeys is coming to Big Andy's in Milton this Saturday night.
The showcase of hip-hop has been dubbed "Saturday Satisfaction" and will feature Northeast Pa.'s Track Masons and DJ Hersh, Williamsport's Smoked Out Entertainment, and Lewisburg's Basement Productions.
"This show was put together as an effort for 3 independent Pa. based hip-hop record producers to cross promote each other and hopefully increase exposure across the state," said Dana Barrack, producer/manager of Track Masons.
Hip-hop shows are few and far between in Central Pa., but Barrack believes that there is a strong potential market for hip-hop music in this area.
"My research showed that on average, a third of all people interviewed between the ages of 13-30 preferred hip-hop, R&B or some other genre played on an Urban station," he said.
Barrack also explained that hip-hop continuously dominates the Billboard album and singles charts and is enjoyed by a vast demographic of people.
Barrack's label, Track Masons, was founded in Northeast Pa. in 2006. Barrack and Juan Carlos Jimenez founded the label after they were introduced while spinning records for WCLH-FM, Wilkes University's radio station in Wilkes Barre.
The label has released several compilation albums and currently has two artists on its roster that have released full length albums. Bee Ez's album was released in December 2008 and Crusafix's album was released in September 2009. A third artist, Rukus, is expected to release an album later this summer.
Artists from Williamsport based Smoked Out Entertainment will also hit the stage. The label was established in 1998 by CEO Anthony Parsons and features artists AP Tha Don (Parsons' stage name) and co-CEO C-Kwal.
"I have always been able to paint a vivid picture so my music is the picture I give to the people," said Parsons.
The goal of Smoked Out Entertainment is to strengthen the underground hip-hop movement in Pa. Parsons believes that Saturday's show will help the independent groups earn more recognition within local communities.
DJ Hersh expressed an interest to Barrack in traveling to Milton for "Saturday Satisfaction." He is a veteran of spinning records in the Northeast Pa. region. He was recently named NEPA's favorite DJ in The Weekender's Readers Choice 2010 poll.
"[Hersh] is extremely familiar with how these local hip-hop showcases go as he's done several shows with us before," said Barrack.
The Susquehanna Valley's own Basement Productions will also perform.
The group, also known as Basement Pro or BP, is a hip-hop movement formed by a unit of longtime friends in the Lewisburg area.
BP's artist roster includes Sammy Hope, Angels, Crypto Creep, Rounds, Ruff Jungle, Relivant and FU.
Crypto Creep, a co-founder of BP, explains that his biggest accomplishment has been evolving as an artist which has helped his vocabulary and confidence. The music has also allowed him to reach out to people that he normally wouldn't associate with.
As for the state of hip-hop in Central Pa. he explains that "rap isn't exactly popular around here, so [BP] had to make it popular."
Sammy Hope, who participated in the 2007 NYC 50 Mics Tournament, a showcase in front of major record labels and a large audience, is also determined to make this area known in the hip-hop scene.
"I want to give back to the community I was born and raised in. People are going to know about the 570 and Basement Pro," said Hope.
Visit http://www.myspace.com/danabesus for more information on Track Masons, http://www.myspace.com/smokedoutentertainment for Smoked Out Entertainment, and http://www.myspace.com/lewiking or http://www.myspace.com/sammyhope570 for Basement Productions.
"Saturday Satisfaction" will be held this Saturday night at Big Andy's, 14 S. Front St., Milton. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. with performances starting at 10 p.m. The show is ages 21+ only and will be $5 at the door with $2 drink specials from 9-11 p.m.
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