2023 Vermont Hip Hop Awards: The Results
Ladies and gentlemen, it is time once again.
I never could have predicted many of these results, and that's because it was driven by voters, whether new artists or seasoned veterans, whether Burlington-based or building their own scene in the boonies, acknowledging artists outside of their circle, their scene. I could not be more proud of you.
This was decided by 107 out of 164 eligible voters. Despite the growing size of the jury, we actually lost a single percentage point in overall turnout: 65%, versus last year with 66%. Life is like that! 99% of success is just showing up.
Artist of the Year: Charlie Mayne
Runner-up: Conswank
Groundwork really matters. Charlie Mayne has been an inescapable presence, rocking memorable sets at damn near half of the hip hop shows that got thrown in 2023. He's also got a great team behind that work ethic. The same is true for Conswank, who honed his talent with 99 Neighbors before embarking on a solo career this year. He dropped an intensely personal (and musical) debut LP and lined up some movie-grade videos for a year worth of singles. Nothing beats hard work and a good plan, and both of these artists are in position to make noise nationwide in 2024.
Most Improved: FLYWLKR
Runner-up: Funky Diabetic
This was a tightly contested category, ultimately decided by three votes. Near as I can tell, FLYWLKR has done everything right, building a strong catalog, an organic online following, and co-helming Wave Cave Radio, which is probably the single most important platform that Vermont Hip Hop has. A year ago, Funky Diabetic was already making a name for himself as an affable young artist who asked for feedback & accepted it, too. As a result, he's polished a dynamic live show that turned a lot of heads this year. (Honorable mention to Burlington emcee FOZ. for placing a very close third.)
Best Emcee: Konflik
Runner-up: Rivan
There are some big surprises this time around, but Best Emcee is not one of them. The crown doesn't move an inch: Konflik has owned this category since we started. As ever, he took a big lead early on and that never budged. Second place was an exceptionally close call, with Maari, Jarv and Yung Breeze all tied in third, all just behind Rivan. Young, smart, and motivated, Rivan may yet become the first rapper to beat Konflik in 2024.
Best Producer: Caleb Lodish
Runner-up: Es-K
A big upset for 2023: newcomer Caleb Lodish took the top spot this year by healthy margin. Not only were his bright, dynamic productions impossible to avoid this past year, he also dropped an incredible album, I Expect Nothing In Return. 802 resident superproducer Es-K, naturally, has been prolific as hell, delivering a ton of top shelf products and cooking on a half-dozen collaborative albums that will shape the scene jhere in 2024.
Best Group: Pleasant Boys
Runner-up: Street Religion.
Another big upset: Pleasant Boys have vaulted from #2 to #1, winning Best Group by an overwhelming margin. For a duo from the sticks to work their way into the scene and win over Burlington like that is a huge accomplishment. The Street Religion crew have a similar backstory but way more years in the game, and it paid off big in 2023, enabling them to edge out 99 Neighbors and continue building their brand, one new fan at a time.
Best DJ: DJ Kanganade
Runner-up: Mendica
Once again, Kanga reigns supreme. No matter how you define what a DJ does, when it comes to sheer skills and technique, nobody is touching the guy who practices for hours every day. He's also a masterful conductor on the dance floor, and he's been branching out into drum and bass sets lately, too. Meanwhile, Mendica made a strong debut, vaulting past a lot of seasoned competitors to claim second place thanks to hard work, tons of shows, and building a rep for professionalism. DJ culture in Vermont has a wild talent pool in 2024, and I want to acknowledge a number of names who were tied very close to third: Craig Mitchell, CRWD CTRL, Dakota, DJ Taka, SVPPLY, and Two Sev.
Best Graf Artist: Tie. CAPES, Eskae1
Runner-up: FORTUNE
I am grateful that this category is finally competitive. I only mean that in terms of the voting; it's been a wildly competitive artform up here for a very long time. Vermont has almost always had a deep bench of talent on the cans, a secret society of burners under bridges. It's never been more visible than it was in 2023. Across that entire span of local history, Anthill Collective has been proudly repping the 802 across North America. (And again, props to the IG account vtgraff for documenting so much dope work.)
Best Verse: Yung Breeze, Chicken Strips
Runner-up: Rivan, BIG (Tom Hanks Freestyle)
Like most of these categories, Best Verse was based on who could convince the most people outside their circle, camp or clique that they'd earned the top spot. Both of these are dynamite tracks, stripped down to the very basics: just a crazy talented rapper giving 110% in the booth. In terms of skills, consistency and quality control, Rivan and Young Breeze are two of the very best doing it right now, and I don't see how anyone could be salty over how this one turned out.
Best Song: Raw Deff ft The Aztext, '98 Dust Pockets
Runner-up: Caleb Lodish ft. Hakim XOXO, Postman
No category suprised me more than this one. I never would have imagined that a boom bap throwback from New Hampshire rapper/yeti Raw Deff and 802 legends The Aztext would unite both new school artists and senior citizen rap heads to sweep the category by one of the biggest margins of the year. Then again, it does absolutely bang. In second, Caleb Lodish teamed up with Hakim XOXO, one of the most charismatic artists in BTV's new wave, to deliver a modern classic of a very different kind. Like Best Verse, this a huge spread and a tight field, even making the ballot was a serious accomplishment. (Later this week, we'll check out some worthy contenders who didn't.)
Best Album: Conswank, Low Point Retreat
Runner-up: Nahte Renmus, FUNK.95
I expected Caleb Lodish to run away with this one for his incredible debut, but Conswank converted a diverse and huge bloc of voters for his win. I am even more surprised that FUNK.95, another relentlessly funky boom bap throwback from Maiden Voyage alumni Nahte Renmus, placed second just ahead of the Yung Breeze album Ja'lani Skye. As something of a rap fan myself, it is encouraging to see there will always be an audience for dope bars.
Best Music Video: Charlie Mayne, Funk Like This
Runner-up: Conswank x North Ave Jax - Wrong Choices
This category really divided the voters in 2023. The gap between first and second place here was a single vote. (Props to Fabo and Rivan for "VT Vahbe" getting third place by a margin of, once again, one single vote.) Props to the Wolf Visuals team for their gorgeous, crispy work on “Funk Like This.” The second and third place entries are both by Pat & Seamus, the duo behind Holy Smokes, who got well over a dozen nominations this year in the Best Video category, much of it for their visionary work with Conswank.
Best Live Performance - 99 Neighbors
Runner-up: Konflik & Nastee
It's only right that 99 Neighbors would claim this title one last time: their Farewell Show at Higher Ground was a legendary high water mark for the scene, and a major transformation, too. 99 were always earnest students and their live shows are a mashup blending hundreds of influences into a single spectacle. In contrast, Konflik & Nastee specialize in raw hip hop, just an MC and a DJ with decades of experience rocking crowds. It is cool to see both aspects of the genre getting their due this year. You guys have some taste.
Andy "A_DOG" Williams Good Citizen Award: Big Homie Wes
Runner-up: Kelly Butts-Spirito
Wesley Turner, aka Big Homie Wes, is a straight shooter from Lamoille County. He makes deliberated moves, does good business, and provides opportunities for aspiring artists. Constantly. At some point over the past five years, he has helped out ... well, pretty much all of us, myself included. Along the way, he's built a genuine & poppin' hip hop scene far afield from Burlington's bar scene, always ready to do the hard work of promoting and producing another show, whether it's in Montreal or Morrisville. Cheers to one of the hardest workers in the scene.
In 2023, when the human dynamo that is Love, Kelly came in second for this prize, I said he had been "doing more to raise the visibility of Vermont Hip Hop than anyone in recent memory." In 2024, he more or less tripled that output, and the work he's done to get a loop going between BTV and NYC is going to create some wild headlines throughout the year. Kelly Butts-Spirito is a inspiring success story and he's an outspoken advocate of sobriety, too. Always encouraging, always positive, he is one of the brightest lights in our scene and he's only getting started, too.
