Hip-hop stays vital in central Illinois
PHOTOS | Patrick Yeagle • TEXT | Scott Faingold
Every Tuesday night Bar None (corner of Fifth Street and Monroe) plays host to Torch Tuesday, the area’s most reliable showcase for hip-hop music and culture. Presided over by Howard “Torch” Tomas, Torch Tuesday has been going strong for years. January was particularly exciting for the little Springfi eld rap show that could, with the 2013 Torch Tuesday Awards ceremony honoring regional hip-hop artists as well as a concert by renowned international acts Ras Kass and Copywrite (onstage at Bar None with Torch Tuesday house DJ Yatti DNY) who included Torch Tuesday as part of their coast-to-coast Writers Block tour.
The
2013 Torch Tuesday awards were notable for fostering a sense of
community and uplift rather than bitter competition. A few of the
honorees and other Tuesday regulars recently gathered in front of the
Old State Capitol, left to right, squatting: Live Performers of the Year
winners (tie) City Boi and Scoobie Da Lyricist; left to right,
standing: Push; Producer of the Year winner Skiddlz; Mr.
Fresh
Lifetime Achievement Award winner DJ Classy B; Torch himself; Habilis
Riccardo, winner of the Grind Award; Hiphop Supporter of the Year Angel
P; Torch Tuesday in-house DJ DNY; and Meezy Killafi eld.
Flipping
through the vinyl stacks recently, the Phantom of Recycled Records
(Howard “Torch” Tomas) uncovered this rare, old school jam by Springfi
eld’s favorite son, Ol’ Dirty Lincoln, a/k/a MC Emancipator.
Heavy hitter:
Artist
of the Year and Fans Choice Award winner Pytch Wyte on the mic at the
Torch Tuesday awards ceremony, accompanied by fellow local hip-hop
artist Push.
Scoobie
Da Lyricist (left) and Blacksteel show off their trophies, for Live
Performer of the Year and Single of the Year respectively, at the Torch
Tuesday Awards. “Scoobie stands out for his showmanship,” says Torch.
“He’s fearless when it comes to his art.” Blacksteel’s winning song,
“Community,” namechecks practically every hip-hop artist on the Springfi
eld scene, underscoring the pervasive sense of mutual support. “A lot
of people, when they say they’re from Illinois, they want to say they’re
from Chicago,” says Torch. “We’re proud to be in the 217.
Torch Tuesday is at Bar None, 245 S. Fifth Street in Springfield, every Tuesday night from 9 p.m. until 1:30 a.m.
Big
Treez, half of Chasin’ Treez from Decatur and Champaign, accepts the
New Group of the Year award. “They seem to have a lot of fun spittin’,”
says Torch. “They have a healthy balance between the two guys and
they’re fun to watch perform.”
Springfi
eld’s Co Pilots (Money Green, left, and Ren Da Pilot) share a moment as
they receive their Video of the Year award for their song “Hefner.”
Torch describes Co-Pilot as one of the most seasoned local acts. “They
have a lot of individuality, charisma – their bars are real truthful,
real edgy, you know?”
“A lot of people, when they say they’re from Illinois, they want to
say they’re from Chicago,” says Torch. “We’re proud to be in the 217.”
West
coast rapper Ras Kass has toured all over the world and recorded with
artists such as Coolio, Snoop Dogg and Cypress Hill. However, when he
stopped in to do a blazing set at Bar None last month in a show set up
by Torch Tuesday in conjunction with Wize Guyz Productions, Ras Kass and
tour-mate Copywrite were surprisingly accessible. “They stepped over
the VIP rope and socialized and hung out for the duration,” says Torch.
In fact Ras is perhaps only the second most infl uential rapper to have
graced the Torch Tuesday stage; Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan played here in
May of 2011.
Several
local acts were given the opportunity to open for Ras Kass and
Copywrite during last month’s Writers Block show. Here Scoobie Da
Lyricist (left) and Xtortion spit some verses.
