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Bungalo Five hosting Nappy Grooves' roster
Published on Saturday, May 31, 2008
Akron is not well known as a hot spot for hip-hop music or spoken word.
But like most cities across the nation, there are plenty of aspiring emcees, budding beat makers and writers with a lot to speak about but few places in which to speak.
With little hip-hop scene to speak of in Akron, twin brothers rapper/poet Aarron ''Ace Boogie'' Epps, and behind-the-scenes businessman Hiram D. ''Dee'' Akeem, 38, have been creating their own outlets for their music and poetry through producing spoken word and open-mic nights in various venues in the area and recording/producing and releasing Boogie's music independently.
Boogie, a husband and father, has self-produced and -released nine albums of his positive-minded, blue-collar, purposefully ''ungangsta'' hip-hop and spoken word. Additionally, the brothers have for several years played host to spoken-word nights at various venues in the area and built up a following among hip-hop fans based on Boogie's animated live performances. Those often include a DJ or band, percussionists and backup singers.
''We're in a city where pure hip-hop and pure obscure art is dormant,'' Akeem said.
''What we try to do is take the initiative because there's no one else doing it . . . If there's no outlet for us to do it, it's pretty much up to us, so we've been forced to always produce the venue and the vehicle to express ourselves,'' he said.
At 9 tonight, the venue will be Bungalo Five, 2511 Romig Road, where the brothers and their Schoolhouse Productions will present the Nappy Grooves Listening Party. It features performances and CD releases from Boogie and their roster of artists, including rap crew Failed Musicians, singer/poet/emcee Tameka Simone and DJ/producer Simplee — all on their Nappy Grooves Records label anchored at http://www.nappygrooves.com, which they want to become a regional center for alternative hip-hop, spoken word and neo-classicist soul.
In addition to their artists, the duo is also bringing in Cleveland's DJ Q-Nyce, New York City-based poet Rueban and rapper Doodle Bug of the '90s alternative hip-hop trio Digable Planets. Doodle Bug appears on two tracks on Ace Boogie's latest album, The Progress That Struggle Brings.
Boogie has self-produced and released nine albums of his positive-minded, blue-collar, purposefully ''ungangsta'' hip-hop and spoken word.
The duo also have a television show that features videos and interviews from local artists and airs at midnight on Saturdays on Time Warner Channel 15. They have jump-started yet another spoken word night at 9 p.m. Saturdays at another venue, Absolutely Exclusive, located at 392 Storer Ave.
''We're in a little city like Akron, and the type of things we do are not trendy, so we have to stay steadfast and true to it,'' Akeem said.
Malcolm X Abram can be reached at mabram@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3758.
Akron is not well known as a hot spot for hip-hop music or spoken word.
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