mic check

After an Indefinite Hiatus, Pioneering Portland Hip-Hop Showcase Mic Check is Back

The showcase was really StarChile’s baby, though, and after his unfortunate passing in 2018 from cancer, Klyph grappled with how to go on, which eventually led to his hiatus.

After Years As Portland’s Viral Rapper, Wynne is Putting out Her First Full-Length Project

“The title If I May is posing a genuine question to hip-hop, like ‘Can I do this?’” she says. “White people, we come in and take things. And as a guest in this culture, it’s important that I approach it like, ‘I know what this looks like, let’s talk about this.’”

A Portland Rapper Went Viral After She Was Misidentified As Eminem’s Daughter

Portland rapper Wynne has gone viral yet again—this time under false pretenses. On Friday, Twitter user @ecky_boy31 posted a video of the Lake Oswego-born MC, claiming the rapper is Eminem’s daughter, Hailie Jade Scott. The original tweet has since racked up over 20,000 retweets and nearly 3 million views.

Portland Hip-Hop Day Co-Founder OG One Says the City’s Relationship With its Hip-Hop Artists Has Gotten Better, But Is Still a Work in Progress

Artists frequently claimed their shows were subject to increased police scrutiny. The debate came to a head when a show headlined by veteran rapper Illmaculate was shut down by police in 2014 in Southeast Portland. About the same time, Jackson learned from a venue owner that a police officer had warned him against booking OG One shows because, the officer alleged, Jackson brought gang members to his DJ sets. “Now, mind you, I’m the official Blazers DJ, I’m a community figure, I have no gang ties,” Jackson says. “It was 100 percent not true.”

Portland Hip-Hop Isn’t New. DJ Klyph Wants to Make Sure the Scene Can Move Forward Without Forgetting its Past.

Now that Aminé has a triple platinum single and the Last Artful Dodgr is Instagramming videos with Mark Ronson and Christina Aguilera, it’s known across the country, if not the world, that Portland is a hip-hop powerhouse. But praise of the scene’s current wave is frequently marked by one minor blip that has major implications—the assertion that it’s surprising to see a rapper rise out of Portland.

Longtime Portland Hip-Hop Promoter Idris “StarChile” O’Ferrall Has Died

Starting out as a rapper, O’Ferrall, a Portland native, assumed numerous roles in the city’s hip-hop scene beginning in the late ’90s as a student at Wilson High School. He went on to run his own label and host radio and TV shows. He eventually got into concert promotion and MCing, almost by accident.

Longtime Portland Rap Promoter StarChile Talks About Bringing Hip-Hop Day Back to City Hall

StarChile talks about Hip-Hop Day’s impact on the rap scene, his plans for its future, which local rap vets deserve a second look, and what Portland hip-hop needs to do to build on the progress of the last few years.

A Roundup of Monthly Portland Hip-Hop Nights

There is a proliferation of monthly hip-hop nights growing at smaller clubs across town that have become must-attend events for anyone hoping to sample the freshest beats and rhymes coming out of the city.

Willamette Week

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