Hip-hop rocks Buskirk

The MidCest Entertainment's Hip-hop Showcase proved to be a success, with approximately 375 people attending the four-hour show at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater Saturday night. Despite some technical difficulties, the show continued with a big crowd and non-stop hip hop. \nThe evening opened with a battle between eight local emcees. Groups of two competitors freestyle rapped about their opponent. After each set of performances, one rapper was chosen for the next round. At the end, MC Boogie, a performer with City Council, emerged victorious.\n"The battle went well," promoter Geremy George said. "It was kind of pushed with a little stress at the end, though."\nGeorge admits it started a little rough, but he was happy all involved worked hard to bring it together. \n"We had some technical difficulties, but we pulled through. It was a great show. It brought (hip-hop) out of the bars for a while and put it in a classier environment."\nJohn Mullens, known as MC Skitz of City Council, was excited that the battle could take place.\n"The battle was good," he said.\nMC battles aren't new to Bloomington, but it was new to some of the people in attendance.\n"A lot of the people had never seen a battle before," John Mullens said.\nParticipants and organizers were excited about the prospect of people supporting the local hip-hop scene.\n"A lot of people were really into it," George said.\nSenior Jennifer Lynn attended the Hip-Hop Showcase without really knowing what to expect.\n"I thought it'd be fun," she said. "It's a change of scene."\nMullens wants Bloomington to continue supporting local hip-hop artists.\n"It's not where you're from but where you're at," he said. "(being in the midwest), we've listened to East coast, West coast, and Southern hip-hop. Artists have a wide variety."\nGeorge also urges Bloomington to support their local artists.\n"Everything anyone has, Bloomington has," he said. "Support your local artists and keep your ears peeled for shows."\n-- Contact staff writer Jenny Kobiela at jkobiela@indiana.edu.