Looking ahead to 2011, here’s some great news for hip hop fans and artists in Chicago. As part of their Off-Air series, WBEZ will be hosting their 3rd Annual Winter Block Party for Chicago’s Hip-Hop Arts with a MashUp beat-making contest and more.
The Winter Block Party takes place on Saturday, January 15 from 11am – 10pm:
Here’s a quick breakdown on the day’s events and you can get the full low-down and ticket info here.
- 11am: Doors open to view the 2011 visual art and graffiti gallery exhibition (free)
- 1pm: FILM SCREENING ($5/$3):“Copyright Criminals” examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling.
- 2pm: Vocalo SAMPLING SHOWCASE (free): hosted by Jesse Menendez, of Vocalo’s Music Vox, for a live presentation on the art of sampling. More on this and the Mashup Contest below.
- 3pm: DANCE BATTLE ($5/$3): A one-on-one B-Boy/B-Girl battle Hosted by Chicago’s very own Legendary Brickheadz
- 8pm: Original Style: Exploring the History of Chicago House: featuring the founders of Chicago House: DJ Frankie Knuckles, known as ‘The Honorary Godfather of House Music’; Robert Williams, owner of the Warehouse and Music Box.
MashUp Beat-making Contest
From now until January 7th Vocalo is also hosting a MashUp beat-making contest leading up to the Block Party.
Three finalists will present their beats live on stage at the Block Party, and the winner will take home a nice prize package and get to play their winning beats live on the air during the Music Vox radio show.
You can get more info on the contest here.
More Hip Hop & Dance Club Explorations
We’re excited to share this info with you because we enjoyed the interview with Lupe Fiasco earlier this year, and the Block Party looks to be a killer bash for hip hop fans too.
And judging by the line-up, the Block Party should be a perfect place to continue these Live Fix explorations of hip hop and dance club culture:
So check these posts out and head out to the Block Party in January!