The Overcast Hip Hop Festival is returning for a second year this weekend. Showcasing local and out-of-town underground Hip Hop artists, DJs and dancers, the event debuted in 2018 at Urban Artifact in Northside.
Presented by local independent label Grasshopper Juice Records (which also hosts the Northside-based, multi-venue Adjust Your Eyes music and arts festival annually), Overcast was inspired by Scribble Jam, which was co-founded by last year’s co-headliner — and a Cincinnati Hip Hop DJ legend — Mr. Dibbs.
One of the most storied Hip Hop festivals in the country, Scribble Jam began in the mid-’90s and featured artists like KRS-One, Little Brother, Atmosphere, Lyrics Born, Sage Francis, Rhymefest and Eminem, who famously competed in (and lost) one of Scribble’s legendary MC battles, a cornerstone of the Marshall Mathers origin story.
This year’s Overcast fest was initially intended to take place at Top Cats, which would have been another nice nod to the Queen City’s Hip Hop history. The Corryville club, which was one of the top spots in the city in the late ’90s/’00s for live Hip Hop, reopened last year under new management. The club’s opening weekend featured live sets from various classic and current local artists, like Dibbs and the acclaimed trio Triiibe, who are returning to co-headline 2019’s Overcast.
But the festival, it turns out, won’t be held at Top Cats after all.
Overcast organizers recently sent out a press release saying the venue informed them they were canceling the booking just two weeks ahead of the second-annual event. On its Facebook page, Top Cats said it had to cancel because of construction at the club. (“We apologize for the inconvenience and wish the organizers and artists a successful event,” the post said.)
Organizers acted quickly to secure a new location and now Overcast is set to take place just across the river at the Thompson House (24 E. Third St., Newport, thompsonhousenewport.com) this Friday and Saturday, Sept. 20 and 21. “A big thanks to the new venue for coming to our aid in this bizarre turn of events,” the latest Overcast press release said.
Along with live music from area and touring independent artists, like Scribble Jam, Overcast also spotlights some of the other elements of Hip Hop culture with a B-Boy/B-Girl dance battle and an MC battle.
The dance battles will begin on Saturday around 5 p.m. in the Thompson House’s ballroom. Hosted by DJs Topspeed, Juan Cosby and NoahIMean, the Rap battles get going in the ballroom on Saturday at 8 p.m.
On Friday, music begins in the ballroom at 8 p.m. with Cosby, Haskell, AP Counterfeit, WeirDose and Kill Bill performing with a live band that features local musicians Nick Baverman, Chris Barlow and Dan Dickerscheid. Other local acts performing on Friday (in both the ballroom and on the venue’s lounge stage) include Sons of Silverton, Raised x Wolves, Audley, Lionesque and Trademark Aaron.
Friday also sees the return of Ill Poetic, the onetime Cincinnati-based MC and producer (and CityBeat columnist) who now resides in California. The Friday night Overcast headliners are Vast Aire (half of the renowned duo Cannibal Ox) and Chicago twosome The Palmer Squares, who’ve amassed a huge online following since releasing their debut, Finna, in 2013.
Triiibe headlines Saturday’s Overcast festivities on the ballroom stage. On the Thompson House’s “parlor” stage, the lineup (which gets rolling at 4 p.m.) includes a slew of solid local artists, including Bla’szé, Roberto, Xzela, CJ the Cynic, Frank McQueen, Blakhí, Vibe One and Patterns of Chaos.
Check the full Overcast schedule below:
Friday, Sept. 20
Ballroom:
- 8:00pm – Grasshopper Juice Records w/ Live Band feat. Haskell, AP Counterfeit, Juan Cosby, WeirDose, Kill Bill, Nick Baverman, Chris Barlow, & Dan from Relic
- 10:00pm – Sons of Silverton
- 11:00pm – Raised x Wolves
- 12:00am – The Palmer Squares
- 1:00am – Vast Aire
Lounge:
- 8:30pm – Lionesque
- 9:10pm – Deuces
- 9:50pm – Trademark Aaron
- 10:30pm – Spoken Nerd
- 11:30pm – Audley
- 12:30am – Ill Poetic
- 1:20am – Hell Hole Store
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
Ballroom:
- 5:00pm – DJ Topspeed & DJ Spam
- 6:00pm – B-Boy Battles
- 8:00pm – Rap Battles
- 10:00pm – Dope KNife
- 11:00pm – Jarv
- 12:00am – Eyenine
- 1:00am – Patterns of Chaos
Parlor:
- 4:00pm – Blakhí
- 5:00pm – Frank McQueen
- 5:50pm – Xzela
- 6:30pm – Matt Alflen (FISO)
- 7:10pm – CJ The Cynic
- 7:50pm – Vibe-One
- 8:30pm – Dug & Happy Tooth
- 9:10pm – Ialive
- 9:50pm – Roberto
- 10:30pm – Bla’sze
- 11:10pm – P The Emcee
- 11:50pm – SEEALLHUES
- 12:30am – Taiyamo Denku
An all-ages event, admission is $15 for single-day tickets or $25 for a two-day pass. Tickets are available in advance via ticketweb.com.
For the full festival schedule and more info, visit overcastfest.com.
UPDATE : Triiibe will no longer be performing due to "health reasons," according to a post on Overcast's Facebook page. Patterns of Chaos will play in their main-stage slot on Saturday at 1 a.m.
