A local hip-hop culture showcase event will be dropping beats and mics on Saturday in its 10th edition at a downtown Barrie bar.
The event, dubbed Tha Undaground, happens every second Saturday of each month at CW Coops, located at Mulcaster Street at Dunlop Street East.
Tha Undaground is described by the organizer as a hub for local artists and entrepreneurs, as well as music connoisseurs, lovers and practitioners of hip-hop culture.
It’s an opportunity for participants to network, collaborate, promote, learn, celebrate and share.
The showcase features performances of all the usual artistic elements of hip-hop, including breakdancing, rap, graffiti art, DJing, beat-boxing and more.
“We do everything from art battles to open mics, giveaway contests, special celebrations, new music, music video premieres and more,” event organizer LiftiD told BarrieToday ahead of the event.
“We have vendors, sponsor booths and we even have our own menu item called 'Tha Undaground Pound,' which consists of one-pound of chicken wings and a pint of draught beer,” he added.
Oftentimes, the event will feature more well-known and established artists from outside Barrie, “yet we strive to always feature locally established and up-and-coming artists from Barrie and the Simcoe County area,” LiftiD said.
“To us, it's important that we focus on the community-building aspect of these events. There is a lot of organic mentorship and relationship fostering that occurs naturally through our work,” he added.
Dawid Kumidaj, whose peers know him and address him simply as LiftiD, is a rap emcee and a certified "hip-hop kultural specialist," which is a program taught by legendary New York City rapper KRS-One, one of the creative minds behind Boogie Down Productions.
LiftiD is the founder and owner of Hip Hop Northern Promotions, an event organizing and promotions company.
“It is through Hip Hop Northern Promotions, in collaboration with LiveBarrie and a collective of peers and supporters, that we make Tha Undaground happen every month,” he said.
LiftiD is a past recipient of a BarrieToday Community Builder Award for his work with Unity Community Clean-Up, and a Barrie Arts Award finalist in 2023, as part of his group School Em Crew. He has also collaborated with and featured at the Barrie Film Festival, once again along with his collective School Em Crew, in recent years.
Doors open at 8 p.m. on Saturday, with performances starting at 9 p.m.
