Celebrate all things hip hop culture this Saturday, February 24, when you take a trip up the road from Nashville to Clarksville for the first annual Hip Hop Symposium.
The Love Bistro (1009 S. Riverside Dr., Clarksville) will host the event from 7 p.m.-midnight. The event is highlighted by feature appearances from notable middle Tennessee hip hop artists Locksmith and Top Notch, as well as vendors, an art show, panel discussions, and performances from Nashville’s top emerging hip hop artists.
Pre-sale tickets are available now for $20 at lovebistro.org. Learn more about Love Bistro’s mission and additional programs at this link.
Cameron Mitchell is the Founder and Executive Director of Free Fyre, a team of artists whose mission is to “use our voice to renew the mind so people can live a transformed life and empower others.” Cameron was named the 2022 Poet Laureate of Murfreesboro, TN, and recently joined the national debut of The Rebirth Tour. Cameron has presented regionally and nationally for PBS, TN Voices, the Jazz Museum in Harlem, 92Q radio, Metro Arts, Civil Rights Museum, Lipscomb University, Meharry Medical College, and several others.
Cameron catches us up on everything happening in the world of Free Fyre, including some upcoming opportunities for the Nashville community to engage.
This episode of The Quinn Spinn was recorded and produced at Helping Our Music Evolve, Nashville, TN.
Josh Marinko (a.k.a. Raw Proof) is a Nashville-based hip hop artist who has spent decades immersed in the culture. Growing up as a military child, Josh lived all over the country before establishing roots in Tennessee, and has witnessed the massive changes that have taken place in Nashville and the music industry at large.
Today, we talk about those changes (and how we’ve adapted), the importance of building community, and the ways we find balance in the midst of the creative grind.
This episode of The Quinn Spinn was recorded and produced at Helping Our Music Evolve, Nashville, TN.
Nashville’s Big Bash — featuring headline performances from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lainey Wilson, Elle King, and Thomas Rhett — brought a record number of revelers to the Bicentennial Capitol Mall. Final attendance numbers are estimated at 215,000 people, who celebrated the arrival of the New Year in downtown Nashville.
For those in attendance, the evening kicked off with a tribute to hip hop’s 50th anniversary, featuring performances from Nashville hip hop mainstays Daisha McBride and Tim Gent, with brief DJ sets to book-end the action.
Then, the CBS national broadcast began at 6:30 p.m. The aforementioned headliners delivering the goods onstage all night long, and were supported by cut-ins from New York City’s Times Square, and pre-recorded performances from other popular venues around Nashville. Comedian Rob Schneider — father of Elle King — even made a couple of guest appearances throughout the night.
We hope you had an amazing start to 2024. We certainly did, and we have the photographic evidence below!
1:16 a.m.: Home from an absolutely epic final night of 2023! Thank you to everyone who followed along, and special thanks to the organizers, performers, and anybody who made tonight possible.
Same time next year?
12:33 a.m.: Happy New Year, Nashville!
11:45 p.m.: The champagne is out. “Freebird” is on. All smiles over here!
11:39 p.m.: Our YouTube channel is having a career day right now. If you’ve joined us from over there, welcome! Hopefully you’ll stick with us to stay up on all the best in indie music and creativity in 2024!
11:22 p.m.: Our night in the pit may be over, but things are getting festive here on the media riser…
11:17 p.m.: Want some of that “Sweet Home Alabama” performance? Here it is!
11:09 p.m.: Happy New Year to our friends on the East Coast!
Lynyrd Skynyrd is on, rocking as they have for 50 years. We were also very fortunate to have Lainey Wilson and Elle King join them for “Sweet Home Alabama” while we were still in the pit. Iconic visuals incoming.
10:42 p.m.: That moment you realize that the podcast you started in your parents’ basement in 2013 has led you to enjoy some pretty ridiculous things in your life…
10:31 p.m.:Jackson Dean and Grace Bowers — with whom we spoke earlier — joined Lainey Wilson for her set finale.
Heading to the pit for Lynyrd Skynyrd shortly!
10:00 p.m.: Here’s Lainey Wilson performing her hit, “Heart Like a Truck.” Her ability to make this GIGANTIC stage feel like an intimate experience is a testament to her ability to connect with her audience.
9:47 p.m.: I remember seeing Lainey Wilson open for Delta Rae at The Basement within my first few weeks of moving to Nashville in 2018.
She was incredible then, but to witness her DOMINATE this stage tonight was otherworldly. Wow!
8:56 p.m.: Just kidding! Looks like we’re getting at least one more from Elle King.
8:53 p.m.: As promised, a snippet from Elle King‘s spirited performance. Lainey Wilson up next.
8:48 p.m.:Elle King‘s 6-song set is about to conclude with “America’s Sweetheart.” Excellent set — she’s a hell of a talent with a commanding presence. Video coming shortly
8:47 p.m.: To chants of “YOU CAN DO IT!”, Rob Schneider introduced daughter Elle King. Also, he tipped his fedora to me from the stage, which was pretty cool.
7:47 p.m.: The temperature is dropping pretty rapidly from this afternoon’s high of 56. With that said, nobody here seems to care!
7:41 p.m.: A little more from Daisha McBride’s set, as we wait to re-enter the pit for Elle King.
7:13 p.m.: We’re taking all kinds of photos, and would like to offer this shot of Tim Gent’s set as an appetizer.
Sidebar: This stage is MASSIVE.
7:03 p.m.: The crowd was READY for Thomas Rhett, who opened up tonight’s broadcast. Elle King is next.
6:19 p.m.:Tim Gent had the crowd rocking to celebrate 50 years of hip hop!
6:05 p.m.:Daisha McBride does a great job amping up the crowd and brings out a couple originals, alongside an affirmation for 2024.
5:25 p.m.: Hip hop tribute is underway with a quick DJ set!
4:50 p.m.: A quick video update before we officially get underway…
4:33 p.m.: A couple more behind the scenes shots from Jason Davis/Getty Images. Pictured: Executive Producer Robert Deaton, Lainey Wilson, Elle King and Executive Producer Mary Hilliard Harrington.
4:07 p.m.: Want a preview of what you can expect tonight? Here are a few rehearsal photos featuring headliners Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lainey Wilson, and Thomas Rhett, as well as co-host Elle King. Photos courtesy of Jason Davis/Getty Images.
3:54 p.m.: “Two days ago, I played a dive bar for 25 people.” -Grace Bowers, who says she’s “excited to see everyone out there.”
3:31 p.m.: “As a human, it’s hard to fathom that many eyeballs looking at you.” -Jackson Dean, when asked what it means to perform for an expected audience of 200,000 tonight.
3:22 p.m.: Waiting for media availability from guitarist Grace Bowers and singer-songwriter Jackson Dean.
12:28 p.m. CT: Good afternoon, and happy last day of 2023! We welcome you to the First-Annual Nash Bash NYE Blog-A-Thon. We will be providing live updates from Nashville’s Big Bash, featuring Thomas Rhett, Lainey Wilson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, a tribute to 50 years of Nashville hip hop, and much more!
Be sure to follow the adventure here and on YouTube, where we’ll be going live throughout the night beginning at 5 p.m. CT.
On Wednesday, March 8 (International Women’s Day), Underground Music Collective teamed with Women in Music Nashville to present ‘Succeeding as a Woman in the Music Industry,’ featuring a panel of female entrepreneurs who shared their experiences navigating the music industry, the challenges they’ve faced and overcome, and the lessons they’ve learned.
Underground Music Collective is always proud to support our friends at Music on the Move Studios — and they showed up and showed out in East Nashville on Monday night!
On Monday, March 20, Music on the Move Studios will host its March showcase at The Basement East in Nashville. Hosted by Erin McLendon & The HellCats, this Women’s History Month showcase features performances Erin O’Dowd, Meg Rilley, Noelle McFarland, and Teagan Stewart, as well as pop-up shops from female-owned businesses.
The entire lineup joined The Quinn Spinn for a roundtable discussion about the showcase, and why it’s important for women in music to create their own opportunities. This one’s a deep dive!
Women are constantly rewriting what it means to succeed in the music industry — on their own terms. The music industry is filled with powerful women, from artists releasing record breaking singles and breaking ground in songwriting and production, to shattering the glass ceiling in the boardroom.
