d_Cyphernauts

d_Cyphernauts - Questions

The 'Nauts are two radical school teachers with impeccable mic skills and a commitment to change. MCs Alpha Nemesis (Boogie Down) and Othello (Shaolin) are leading a grassroots coup in traditional East Coast fashion—staying true, being honest and taking it to the streets! Othello's rhymes flow through your mind, while Nemesis spits in your face. It's a perfect balance. Nobody can deny the stuff they rap about either, and that's what makes it so compelling. I can assure you these dudes won't be getting any Clear Channel airplay. - Beyond Race March '08

2005-09-16

Cousin Larry's will begin hosting "Enter the Cypher," a new showcase and open mic series, tonight.

The series will highlight Danbury's emerging Urban Music scene while offering local rappers, singers, spoken word artists, dancers and DJs a place to perform.

The event is hosted by the d_Cyphernauts, veterans of New York City's underground hip hop scene.

Held every third Friday of the month, the event will showcase established performers such as Danbury s Cee Reed and Workforce, alongside open mic performers.

"This event is about creating a place where the elements of hip hop can flourish, where conscious, positive artists can get up and do their thing," said The Nauts' Joe Celcis, aka Nemesis Alpha.

In addition to showcasing established performers, the group hopes to make the event a place to discover and nurture new, rising talent.

The plan is that eventually the best open mic performers will get a chance to come back as featured artists at the upcoming shows, said the d_Cyphernauts' Jose Martinez, aka Snare.

Enter the Cypher is only the latest of Cousin Larry's efforts to help local musicians gain exposure. The venue already hosts an open mic each Monday as well as a weekly series, Independent Thursdays, showcasing local music.

Enter the Cypher runs from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. with sign up for open mic performers running from 8 to 8:45 p.m. and everyone who signs up is guaranteed to perform.

Cover is $5. All proceeds from the first Enter the Cypher will go to The Red Cross to aid in the hurricane relief efforts. - Danbury News Times

by Dan Barry - February 23, 2006

The monthly hip-hop open mic, Enter the Cypher , put on by d_CYPHERNAUTS at Cousin Larry´s (1 Elm St.), is one of several signs that Danbury is building some musical steam, especially where rap is concerned.

Less ¨conscious¨ than they are flat-out progressive, the ´Nauts strike an excellent balance between the positive and political. New York-based rapper Jay Eff Kay made a guest appearance to drop some revolutionary fire. Holding a gigantic axe onstage, he rapped about bombing the Hamptons and destroying malls now that the American dream is dead. Think Fight Club without the club. But it was d_CYPHERNAUTS who owned the evening, with their subject material ranging from the winter Olympics to Cheney blasting that dude in the face, to just how far black America has come since Cinque in Amistad said ¨give us, us free.¨ Enter the Cypher is held the third Friday of every month and I can´t recommend it highly enough. - Hartford Advocate

By Natasha Lee
Staff Writer

March 11, 2007

STAMFORD - Aspiring young MCs, DJs and rappers got a behind-the-scenes glimpse yesterday of what it takes to get on stage, spit rhymes and get the crowd pumped.

Underground rappers, producers and artists from across the state gathered at the first Hip Hop Summit yesterday to teach young people about performance, technique and skill.

The all-day event was sponsored by Westhill High School and hosted by Ant Farm Affiliates, an association of more than a dozen Connecticut hip-hop artists and performers.

Their message was one of empowerment.

"There's nothing wrong with being nerdy and being critical," said Queen Godis to a handful of students
following a performance. "We have to rely on our minds, because they are underused as it is."

Godis, a singer and spoken-word performer, and singer Kendall Johnson-Smith, both from Brooklyn,
N.Y., kicked off the summit with a series of songs and poetry from Godis' recent album "Power U!"

Godis said her message and the album are about the struggles and joy of womanhood. She said women
should be "unafraid to be who they are without fear or resignation."

Music videos featuring scantily clad women or sexually explicit lyrics send conflicting messages about a woman's place in society, she said.

"In the midst of mixed media images, there's a lot of disconnect as to what it means to be a woman,"
she said.

Westhill High senior Deidre Knight, 17, said she appreciates Godis' message. "When I listen to a lot of rap, it's like females really can't get anywhere. All you can do is look
good and be in a video," said Deidre, an aspiring rapper. "Even a lot of female artists are degrading
themselves. We need more artists like (Godis). She's good, and that inspires me."

The summit featured a series of workshops about gaining exposure through independent media, stage
presence and breathing techniques. Leaders also spoke about turning "tagging" (spray-painting a symbol or name) and graffiti into a graphic design career. Participants had the chance to showcase their own demo CDs and receive a critique from Ant
Farm Affiliates.

The event ended with a concert featuring the artists.

Westhill English teachers David Wooley and Joe Celcis, who also are Ant Farm performers, said the
goal of the summit was to introduce young people to another side of hip hop, a side less commercial and
more intellectual.

Wooley said he occasionally will interject lyrics into lessons to get students hooked on expanding
their vocabulary and to improve their interest in reading. "I think that we have a lot of kids who are either
artists or intrigued by the music and the culture, and they don't necessarily think it's a way they can
express themselves and be successful academically," Wooley said.

The artists with Ant Farm Affiliates have years of experience performing individually and together across the country, and they said they have
knowledge and advice to share with younger people who are up and coming.

"There's a real subculture that most people don't know about," said Celcis, who goes by the stage name
Nemesis Alpha when he's not teaching "Romeo and Juliet" to high school kids. "For every thug rapper,
there's three or four rappers that have a real message and keep it real."

Sixteen-year-old Brett Clarke came to the summit hoping to hone his DJ skills. Brett, a Westhill High junior, said his hobby of spinning records has landed him gigs at sweet-sixteen celebrations and at parties. The enthusiasm of the crowd as they dance and sing along when he works his turntables gives him a rush, Brett said. But the role of the DJ has been lost today, he said.

The artists said they felt encouraged by the reaction of tose who attended. "I've seen nothing but smiles, claps," said Manny Arias, an MC from Waterbury who goes by the stage
name Roc-one. "Everyone looks like they're enjoying themselves."

Copyright (c) 2007, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.

This article originally appeared at:

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-hiphopsummit6mar10,0,155564.story - Stamford Advocate

These cats got it on lock down! Conscious lyrics and bouncin' beats. Bangin!

Delivering a heavy dose of positive vibes with an East Coast style, this trio of Hip-Hop hard hitters are destined to move crowds.

Hailing from the city of New York, these cats represent like royalty. Not one to gush over most Hip-Hop heard in these times, The Nauts have found a niche that can't be denied!

"Got Your War" will definitely be a favourite among the conscious in this post election present day war scenario. "Questions?" has us realizing the need for uplifting the Hip-Hop scene in every sense, while "Areas of Pleasure" evokes the calming sense that only true Hip-Hop enthusiasts and lovers can bring...

Blending solid beats, heavy guitars and truly unique lyrics with gifted flows d_Cyphernauts deliver on time One Time!

Be on the lookout for d_Cyphernauts - Othello, Snare and Nemesis - these boyz is on for 2005 baby!

Reviewer: Duss Rodgers
Artist Site: www.thenauts.com
EPK: www.sonicbids.com/dCyphernauts

Score:
4 stars - CatsAsk Music & Entertainment

But the raging final act of the night, D-Cyphernauts , came roaring out of the gates with as much power as Perfect Silence has tenderness. While groups like the Missing Fifths are recombining old hip-hop elements in new ways, the 'Nauts are among a handful of groups pioneering the art of freestyle by performing songs without pre-written verses. They held nothing back, unleashing politically radical verses accusing Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell of being the government's token blacks, all too eager to push their faces up against racism's glass ceiling, and exploding against the backwards morals of some pop rappers.

- The Hartford Advocate

Areas of Pleasure

Reviewed By: Curtis Lowell



Industry Review of Areas of Pleasure
Category IRB Review Score

Music:
This track suggests a lot of musical possibilities because it grooves consistently through the two chords, the vocals in sync with the pulse of the track. There is a real sense of melody in the vocals, as well as rhythmic power, so that the choruses really standout just from the unison vocals. What's missing is more music in the form of instruments like horns or an electric guitar to add further R&B elements over the hip-hop beat. Or something less Old School, but, like your unison vocals on the choruses, you can define both verses and choruses better by getting more into the music. 8

Lyrics:
The three way vocals each have some different flavor to add. Each speaks eloquently about lust and life, with well defined rhythmic phrases that fit nicely into the track's groove. A lover's boast made good by deep groove feel. 9

Arrangement &
Production:
Each of the parts fits into its' own place in the puzzle of this track. The mix is sensitive to the inherent rhythms swung so tightly by the vocals and instrumental parts. The transition between the gut string guitar and the entrance of the rhythm is very awkward. Let the last chord of the guitar rest for a second before your drop. I would experiment with jamming some other instruments against the track, then check out what happens when you add or remove instruments with the verses and choruses. 8

Lead Vocal:
All the separate vocals are good and each stands on their own. The chorus where everybody joins in is good, but I hear some harmonies in the vocals on the "Areas of Pleasure" sections. The chorus works well because you rhyme the lines tighter and in more regular phrases. 9

Musicianship:
Except for that track entrance, you do connect all the dots on the groove and the vibe here. You could take this feel almost anywhere. The problem maybe more with the lack of variation in the music. Subtle harmonic shifts can deepen a groove monstrously and this is part of your task as musicians. 8

Originality:
I like the depth of your language. The images are fun and sexy with an urgent sense of desire, both to communicate and to make love. This is key to establishing an identity: a concise and true lyric, a message of love, a steady groove with island flavor. All of these add up to a strong track with no weak areas. Mo'' better production on the chorus could send it over the top. 9

Marketability:
Because the groove is so strong, this track could be a contender. The production is a little dry for the big leagues, but that's a popular street style. Still, upgrading the microphones or adjusting the production with reverb or delay could bring this into deper focus. Eminem and 50 Cents have Dr. Dre dialing in heavy production even for a sprase sound like this track. 8

General Comments:
I jammed along with my guitar to your track for fifteen minutes before I wrote anything. Nice track.

Average Score
8.429

This song has qualified to enter the contest









- MakeaStar.Com

Hip-Hop Summit: a day of learning and positive music

March 6, 2008

By BEN LEVINE

blevine@thestamfordtimes.com

STAMFORD — They rushed to the front of the Westhill High stage, 100 or so teenagers and twenty-somethings packed together, heads nodding and hands in the air, eating up every rhyme and breaking to every beat.

"I need you to lose you're mind," said Joe Celcis, Westhill High teacher and 'MC' for the group the d_Cyphernauts. "This is a real hip-hop show. This is how we celebrate African American history month. Hip-hop is not about violence, hip-hop is love."



And with that the performance part of the second annual Hip-Hop Summit had begun. For dozens of high school students who came out on a cold and grey Saturday, it was the opportunity to lose themselves in the music, and get a chance to see first hand the culture and art form of hip-hop they had been discussing all afternoon.

The Hip-Hop Summit's purpose was to deteriorate mainstream stereotypes about hip-hop culture. On March 1, long-time hip-hop lovers and first-timers had a chance to take part in hip-hop workshops and panel discussions.

The workshops were on everything from beat making, producing, rhyming, break dancing and turn table exploits. Legends such as MC Chubb Rock (Richard Simpson) and d.j. Terrible-T (Tyrone Dunmore) took part in the day's activities. According to Celcis and his d_Cyphernaut partner Dave Wooley (a.k.a. Othello), the workshops were a chance for kids to get hands-on experience in the music they love.

"The idea behind the summit was to merge teaching and hip-hop, and to do something positive for Black History month," Wooley said. "It's a great learning experience (for kids), and we had access to a wealth of artists who had a lot to say, and present a side of hip-hop (students) are not usually exposed to."

Wooley and Celcis wanted to inform youth about the positive and negatives of the music industry, and first and foremost, inspire those who are interested in pursing a career in music. Celcis, who goes by the MC name of Nemesis Alpha, said that as an artist he learned just as much about the hip-hop he's creating as kids learned about how they create it.

"I think as artists, when you're dealing with a specific population as we do, which is the 21-and-over crowd, sometimes you can become encapsulated," he said. "Interacting with these kids reminds us of the responsibility of the arts, which I believe is to have a message, a purpose. I think all art should challenge the human mind."

Celcis and Wooley are both part of the Ant Farm Affiliates (AFA), a collection of Connecticut-based hip-hoppers. AFA members include Phenetiks, Workforce, Cee Reed, The Rising Sun Quest, Sketch the Cataclysm, Expertiz, Pruven, and Spaz the Working Class — all of whom performed at Saturday's summit.

The AFA was formed in January of last year, and first performed to gether at the inagural Hip-Hop Summit, also hosted by Celcis and Wooley. Their goal is to validate Connecticut as a prominent area to discover musical talent within hip-hop. The AFA hosts a local hi-hop showcase entitled "Enter The Cypher,' at Cousin Larry's in Danbury, Conn. The AFA strives to promote the authenticity and purity of hip-hop culture through music, dance, creative writing and art.

In addition to performances and workshops, Celcis and Wooley also held a panel discussion to discuss where hip-hop has been, and where its experts believed it was going.

One of the topics discussed at length by panelists was the record industry, and the changes it has experienced over the last decade. Chubb Rock, a Brooklyn, N.Y. native who has released several albums and sold millions of records world wide, explained that in today's music world, with fewer and fewer record labels, a small number of people make the decision as to what music should sound like, act like and look like.

"What happens in the mainstream media is things are watered down so they are easy to digest. It's the nature of the industry, regardless of the genre of music we're talking about. They want the music to be consumable," he said.

It's this mentality, Chubb Rock explained, that has led to commercial hip-hop's glorification of negative stereotypes, and why so many of today's artists sound the same. Original and positive artists get pushed to the underground scene, he said. Chubb Rock and the rest of the panel would like to see hip-hop pioneers do more to promote positive hip-hop culture.

"We have to go into our communities and help teach young people about the business of music and hip-hop," Chubb Rock said.

In the eyes of Celcis and Wooley, the summit fulfilled that pledge to the young people who came. From 6 p.m. on, kids felt the full-force of electric performance's by AFA artists, and at the end of the day, students were given the chance to go on stage and perform themselves.

"To have them on stage, and to be cheered on by fellow students and the AFA - Ben Levine

This past Saturday I was a guest speaker at the AFA’s (Ant Farm Affiliates) second annual Hip-Hop Summit at Westhill High School in Stamford, CT. The day was filled with workshops that included emcees mentoring students on the arts of songwriting, battling and freestyling, panel discussions that featured legendary emcee Chubb Rock and Stronghold’s Breez Evahflowin, and performances both by the artists who were doing the mentoring as well as some of the students. Through having conversations with the young men and women there, hearing their questions, seeing their reactions to the performances and seeing them do their own thing on stage, I have to say that Hip-Hop’s future looks brighter than ever.

The first sign that something special was happening on this afternoon was that over a hundred students showed up at school on a Saturday. Inspired to actually go back to campus on a weekend, these young Hip-Hop fans were looking to soak up any information given to them about the culture. In fact, during a question and answer segment I was impressed with the concerns the students came to us with. In an open forum it takes some guts to ask “why do older artists look down on us?� To the credit of the artists, fantastic answers were given to every question asked. At one point Chubb Rock not only gave a history lesson, but schooled everyone as to who was really making money in the industry, noting that Raven-Symone was selling more albums than Beyonce, a statistic that shocked the vast majority of the crowd, including some of the other panelists. Later a question was asked regarding the lack of women on the stage and Othello from d_Cyphernauts mentioned my “Where The Ladies At?� blog post and let me give some answers.

The live performances capped off the day and did so in impressive fashion. It should be noted that all of these young people that so many so-called Hip-Hop fans claim are brainwashed and don’t know anything about the culture embraced all the underground artists wholeheartedly, which is much more than I can say for your average older fan attending to a show. They rushed the stage, jumped up and down and reached out for high fives. The crowd was so hype, in fact, that Hawl Digg of Workforce decided to jump into it for a minute during his performance.


Smiles were plentiful as these 100+ young men and women were there to see some Hip-Hop, even if they didn’t know who all of the artists were. Note to everyone who goes to shows – this is how it always should be! We could all learn a lesson and take a cue from these younger fans and start showing up at the bars and clubs we go to for events with that same attitude of just wanting to see some Hip-Hop and being excited about it. It’s funny, a lot of people who claim to be Hip-Hop fans really aren’t. They go to shows with a negative attitude, wanting the artist to prove something to them. These stone faced, “I hope this guy sucks,� types fill up clubs and deem themselves some kind of expert, claiming to appreciate the art form “on a higher level.� That’s a load of horse dookie. We’ve all been guilty of it, I know I have in the past, but what higher level is there than going to a show to enjoy yourself and then enjoying yourself?

The good times continued when the students hit the stage. Breez and I both commented on how much more advanced the next generation of artists are at 15 and 16 than anyone from our generation was at that age. One group featured a full band and midway through a song titled “Don’t Shoot The Gorilla� had a guy in a gorilla suit join them on stage. Talk about a sight to behold! The place erupted with cheers. In fact, all of the students supported each other, which was great to see.

All in all, the AFA’s second annual Hip-Hop Summit proved Hip-Hop’s future is in capable hands (and notebooks). The only way things could be derailed is if the older generations, mine included, choose to ignore the questions, comments and concerns of our future MCs, DJs and producers. So if you’re an established artist, take a few minutes to converse with some of the aspiring future leaders of Hip-Hop, you might be surprised at how quickly someone can go from looking up at you to looking up to you.

- Adam's World music blog

Othello of d_Cyphernauts Ant Farm AffiliatesThe New England based d_Cyphernauts embody everything I’m advocating here at Audible Hype: they’re dedicated, positive and intelligent—and they’re running an increasingly successful career entirely by themselves. Even more impressive, they recognize the importance of building a community and put in endless hours to develop their local scene and help everyone around them progress. Needless to say, I dig what they do.

So I was honored that d_Cyphernauts member Othello agreed to do this interview—a very detailed, practical and inspirational look at his daily routine, his past achievements and his plans for the future. He’s politically outspoken, business-minded and holy shit does he ever work hard. In addition to running his own business and maintaining a prolific musical output, he’s also a full-time teacher.

Obviously, the first thing I’d like to ask about is balance. How do you maintain momentum with two professional careers—both as teachers and as hip hop artists and entrepreneurs?

Actually, the two careers really fuel the fire for what we do and they both feed off of each other. We both look at hip hop and teaching as forms of edutainment, to use the phrase KRS-1 came up with. Being constantly connected to our students helps us to keep things fresh and relevant and being artists helps us to keep our teaching interesting. We have also been participating in a bunch of forums and mentoring projects to educate people, especially young people about hip hop and the culture of hip hop, which has also helped us to open up more people to our music. A great example of that is the Hip Hop Summit that we are hosting at the high school that we teach at. We are combining workshops, open forum discussions and performances to create both a great learning and networking opportunity with a show that’s gonna be crazy!

It’s tough, though. There was one time where we finished teaching on a Wednesday afternoon, drove to Washington DC to do a show that night and then drove from the gig directly back to our school to teach on Thursday morning. That’s the last time we’ll ever do that. Probably.

I’m very impressed with how much work you put in to build a strong, supportive scene in your area. What inspired this approach for you?

For us, it’s like, what other choice do we have?! We wanted to showcase ourselves as a live hip hop act and in New York, where we are originally from, if you are not dealing with pay-to-play situations, then you have to hit the open mic circuit- which are both things that we’ve done. By creating our own showcase and open mic event, one where artists don’t pay to play and where we don’t rush them off the stage, we built a positive rep in Connecticut among the artist community. We also made sure that our event didn’t promote negativity, so it’s been pretty much violence-free, which allows us to continue to push live hip hop to club owners.

Can you pass along advice for promoters and artists looking to create a better scene in their own areas?

First of all, you need to have a strategy. With us, we found a location that we wanted to develop and then started making our presence felt at whatever events we could perform at. We performed at any open mic we could, we gave away promo cds, worked on putting together an e-mail list and we got to know the promoters and owners of the spots we performed at. Once they saw what we were all about, we pitched the idea of hosting an event. By hosting the event, we were able to build with a bunch of different artists so we were able to look out for one another, share fan bases, etc. Really, it’s all about building relationships and making sure that the product is dope so that the people who come out to see you keep coming back.

What needs to change in hip hop culture on the ground level? What kind of assumptions and behaviors do you think are holding the underground back right now?

I really think that hip hop lacks balance. Commercial radio is killing hip hop and there’s really not much that the grassroots artist can do about that, but, at the same time, as an artist, you don’t want to alienate people either. I think a lot of underground artists are really close-minded and self-righteous about their art, to the point that it can turn off potential fans.

Look, our music isn’t always the most accessible music, but we’ll play wherever, to whoever and with whoever. Everybody is a potential fan. I think a lot of underground artists don’t want to go outside their comfort zones. It’s almost like the same thing that everybody complains about mainstream hip hop doing- rhyming about the same topics and acting like walking cliches, the underground cats do the same thing. It’s just that instead of rhyming about slanging on the block, getting gwap, rocking rims and pimping bitches, they’re talking about how nice they are, how re - Audible Hype: DIY promotin and Marketing

For a time, area hip-hop artists and fans feared the plug had been pulled on Connecticut's longest-consecutively-running rap showcase.

It was April of this year and 1 Bar (formerly Cousin Larry's Cafe), the Danbury venue that had been the base of operations for Enter the Cypher for the last five-and-a-half years, shuttered its doors.
"It was a bad time," recalled Dave "Othello" Wooley, one half of d_Cyphernauts, the Danbury/New York City hip-hop duo that spearheaded the monthly event. "We had this thing we had been running for a long time, and it looked like it might be coming to an end . . . we didn't know where we were going at that point."

However, after six months of searching, d_Cyphernauts, along with fellow members of the Connecticut-based hip-hop crew the Antfarm Affiliates, have found a new home for the event: Bridgeport's Acoustic Cafe.

On Saturday, Sept. 24, area hip-hop fans will once again hear the freestyle rhymes and breakneck beats of some of the tri-state area's most revered MCs, DJs and producers when d_Cyphernauts and Armando "Sketch Tha Cataclysm" Acevedo II host the Return of Enter the Cypher: The 6th Year Anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 24.
Proceeds from the event, which costs $5 at the door, will be donated to the Danny Holt Foundation, a charitable organization named for the late brother of AFA member Eric "Dirt E. Dutch" Bassriel, which distributes funds to a variety of nonprofit organizations.

Acoustic Cafe, which is nestled on Fairfield Avenue in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport, has long been a platform for musicians of all different stripes. Now, Othello hopes to make it the nexus of southwestern Connecticut's underground hip-hop scene, with opportunities not just for established local acts, but for up-and-coming artists from throughout the Nutmeg State and beyond.

"I'm hoping our move here does the same thing for Bridgeport as it did for Danbury, which is to create a pipeline of talent flowing through the region," he said, adding that the venue's location between New York City and Boston makes it a convenient stopover for touring musicians.
Though Enter the Cypher may have changed location, the formula for the showcase hasn't: the evening kicks off with a freestyle rap circle, or cypher, in which emcees take turns spitting rhymes on the spot; next, audience members are invited to perform in an open mic session, with a chance to earn a "Featured Artist" slot at a future gig; and finally, headline acts take the stage to present original material.

Tri-state area artists Coole High, PremRock and Willie Green, Tha Blaqout Cru and AFA groups Workforce and Phenetiks are slated to headline the Sept. 24 show. The AFA's resident turntabilist, DJ Mo Niklz, will be on the ones and twos.

"There's a huge amount of talent right under everyone's noses," said Othello, who teaches English, journalism and hip hop at Stamford's Westhill High School. "Everyone should come out and see what's in their own backyards."

It was that idea -- to raise the profile on Connecticut's underground hip-hop scene -- that brought Othello and his d_Cyphernauts colleague, Joe "Nemesis Alpha" Celcis, to Danbury to perform at the open mic night at Cousin Larry's Cafe more than six years ago. The duo's performances became so popular that they were offered a monthly residency and, not long after, Enter the Cypher was born.

As AFA members explained, the stage at Cousin Larry's Cafe helped to unite and fortify the ties between the group's Waterbury and Danbury-area contingents, while providing a springboard for its members' nascent music careers.

"(Enter the Cypher) means a lot to me," Sketch said. "I used it to gauge new material. When you have a regular event, it's a constant reminder that you haven't been working on anything. If you don't have anything new, it's a reminder that you need to get on the ball."

Enter the Cypher continues to function in similar fashion. But to a region hungry for quality hip hop, the state's longest-consecutively-running rap showcase means much more -- to pull the plug, so to speak, would be like cutting a lifeline to Connecticut hip hop.
"We all feel so blessed that we can continue doing this," Othello said. "We want to create a bit of a buzz for Bridgeport and the hip-hop scene there. Having a showcase event will be the key to making that happen." - CT Post