VTHH NOTES 8/24/23 — Vermont Hip Hop

It's been a wild summer up here in the boonies. With the 10th A_Dog Day celebration coming up this Saturday, as ever, it's time to pause and reflect. I expected big things from 2023; great things. I have not been disappointed, and I have often been surprised.

That's thanks to the hard work of dozens of artists making it happen all around the state. The overall scene, of course, is far bigger than that: hundreds of heads cranking out new songs every month. But in terms of who has the quality control, talent and team to really raise the bar around here? Well, that's a far smaller list. Yet that core is also bigger than it's ever been. There was a time when making a list like "Top 10 Vermont Hip Hop Albums This Year" wasn't possible, simply because there weren't that many releases. That has changed forever.

Stories tend to simplify and exaggerate in equal measure. For a long time, the story of Vermont hip hop has been about a college town on the shore of Lake Champlain. As crews popped up all over the 802, inevitably, that story shifted to the tension between Burlington and the rest of the state. When VT Digger wanted to spotlight The Horsemen a few years back, it was a story about taking "hip hop beyond Chittenden County." But even then, the story was shifting again to a tale of generations, as a new wave of artists took over, building their own platforms and going bigger than ever in terms of sheer audience and reach.

"North versus south," as Yung Breeze put it in print just last week, "old school versus new school." Heading into 2024, that story has switched up once again. The era of immense opportunity and legendary shit I have been ranting about for five years is, at last, here, now. I agree with Breeze that making the most of this chance will involve a lot of cooperation & new connections. Then again, that's a real easy prediction to make when it's already happening.

Which is not to say there won't be competition: hell, this will be a bloodbath. The attention economy is a merciless arena where most of the contestants will never succeed. Stories require main characters, and the rest of us, even active participants, are basically just spectators in the big picture. So it’s important to remember that the big picture is not your real, actual life.

Vermont’s hip hop scene is thriving because of scale, diversity and momentum. There is no single consensus, no true center of gravity. This a network of networks, a feedback loop that’s getting louder every week. So even if you’re not getting press for your new album, you’re still an important part of this ecosystem, and your successes will help other artists win, too.

So when you’re walking around Burlington this weekend, be mindful of how electric this moment in time is. You are surrounded by opportunities, swimming in potential connections, one random encounter away from your next big step up. You’re building a team, and it doesn’t have to be an official crew, it just has to work for everyone involved. Roc Marciano was always going to be Roc Marciano, but he played his role in Flipmode Squad with no complaints.

This soil is too fertile right now to be complaining. Don’t worry about getting on someone else’s bill — make your own. Don’t fixate on someone else’s fan base — find your own. Don’t waste time on crab bucket mentality games. The demand for what you do is higher than ever, and there are still tons of unexplored lanes out here.

If you feel like you’re on the outside looking in, use that to your advantage. Next year will see new acts get huge, seemingly out of nowhere, but all of them will succeed on the strength of the work they’re putting in right now, cutting demos, perfecting beats, tweaking mixes, and finding other artists who can help bring out their best work. The world might never be yours, but Vermont definitely could be. Go forth & conquer.

Two more things: A huge Thank You to DJ Melo Grant for holding down The Cultural Bunker for 40 years, inspiring multiple generations of Vermont hip hop artists along the way. Be sure to tune in this Friday night at 7 pm on WRUV 90.1. Also on Friday evening, the Genesis crew from Castleton will be bringing a packed lineup of young talent to The Mothership, a DIY venue at 19 Church Street. If you’re looking for a great time the night before A_Dog Day, this is your best bet.