Community Leaders Speak About State Of Hip-Hop In Madison

Hip-hop is a burgeoning art form, some say the fastest-growing on the planet. It emerged from the street corners of New York City a little less than four decades ago and now permeates global culture.

Two leaders in Madison hip-hop circles, Karen Reece and ShaH Evans, were among a group that co-founded the Urban Community Arts Network seven years ago with the goal of using hip-hop for empowerment and education.

They’ve succeeded to a large degree, establishing a nonprofit that has a presence in local schools and supports artists of all ages through several initiatives, including the annual Madison Hip-Hop Awards.

But they make the case that there’s still a long way to go, especially in terms of inequity in venues for performing hip-hop artists.

“You have Ted Park, who moved to New York. His single was number one on Spotify, not just hip-hop, number one on Spotify, period,” Evans said. “He made the Billboard charts, produced by DJ Pain 1. He still reps that he’s from Madison, but he can’t a get a show in Madison right now.”

There is an ebb and flow to being able to book hip-hop shows in Madison. While booking a show isn’t impossible, the ability to be able to do so decreases after an incident happens. Last year, The Frequency announced it was going to enact a temporary one-year ban on hip-hop shows after an employee was injured breaking up a fight.

Claims of higher crime rates at hip-hop events need quantifying, and UCAN has enlisted undergraduate students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Community and Environmental Sociology to take a look at police and crime data related to Madison performance venues. The data has been compiled and will be analyzed this spring.

“Hip-hop is nowhere near the top for having problems. But we’re the ones getting banned,” Evans said.

“When it really comes down to it, Madison has a problem with large groups of people of color gathering in one place,” Reece said. “And there’s no other way to say that, there’s no other way to sugar-coat that.”

That said, the two expressed optimism and long-term commitment to hip-hop’s art and culture. And there’s reason for optimism, as two of the artists Evans manages are appearing along with other local performers Friday night for the Wisconsin Hip-Hop Fest at the Majestic Theater in Madison.