Little Rock’s Underground Hip-Hop Scene

“If you build it, they will come.” That’s a line from a movie I saw once. The guy built it, the people showed up. Great story … but what if … ?

What if we built a stage for Little Rock’s musicians? Would they show up and play? Because honestly, who wants to travel to a different city for music? Why should Little Rockians fall in that camp when they have music subcultures at their fingertips?

And truly … do we want our talented artists to leave, because as I’m told, we already have a couple of stages. I promise this is more than a string of questions here, but I thought it was good food for thought. Perhaps the secret to tapping into the underground music scene is all about knowing the when and the where, and the who, if you’re lucky. (If you know of an upcoming house part invite me. I want to come.)

Cue Thursday nights in the River Market. Venture into The Revolution Room around 10 p.m. for Indie Music Night – Independent Music Night. On these allotted evenings, the venue gives the area’s artists a stage, and it turns out, they have more than just something to say. They’ve got moves, a genre, and tude.

It makes for a great night out.

If you’ve never been to the Rev Room the different tiers offer the perfect amount of space for interaction whether you’re feeling a need to get up close up and personal, or if you’d rather stay far away and shy. There’s a space for dancing, a space for drinking, and a space for chatting and music-listening. The line up on Feb. 26 consisted of a wide array of acts: T-Scrill, Yung Mo, Blacksand, Marcelles R & B, Kidd B and Wayne D, and many more.

I ventured in last week to check out what I’ve been missing. I couldn’t stay long but some of what I heard while I was there really grabbed my attention. Firstly I’ll mention Yung Mo. This guy had a natural energy and was in the zone on stage. I was struck by his stage presence and his ear for good beats, and his performance really stood out from the rest.

Yung Mo wasn’t alone in putting on a good show. Kidd B and Wayne D opened up a set with a wavy bit of beats. I didn’t get a chance to chat with these kids after their performance. Even though Kidd B is a native of New Orleans, you can find him occasionally in Jacksonville, Ark. As I said, the stage performance was awesome, and Kidd B’s talent abounds especially when you check this out.

Mixed in with the various acts was a smooth session with Marcelles R & B. As soon as he took the microphone Marcelles shook some smoothness out of the house by silking up the room with his voice on a slower number. Sunglasses, dance moves and all, this guy is a fun listen.

I left before I got to hear D Dirt-Lil Rock Obama, and I’m more than a little upset. The guy created his own local label.

Sometimes you learn things you didn’t know before. Stay updated with The Rev Room on social media to make it out to the next Indie Night. And perhaps, if we build a buzz, they will stay.

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