Beginning in the mid-’90s, Cincinnati’s Scribble Jam grew to become a marquee event for indie and underground Hip Hop lovers. And not just among local fans — the fest attained iconic status within underground Hip Hop circles far and wide, attracting massive crowds every year with its blend of established and up-and-coming performers, as well as its various “battles” and a focus on the other forms of Hip Hop, like graffiti and dance. Several Scribble performers went on to have successful careers, including Atmosphere, Lyrics Born, MURS, Brother Ali and Eminem (who competed in — but ultimately lost — one of the event’s famed Emcee Battles), but the festival itself was the draw. It was a true “immersive experience” well before “immersive experience” became a marketing buzz phrase, but it was achieved in a very cool, organic and non-calculated manner.
This year marks 10 years since the last Scribble Jam. While it will never be duplicated completely, the spirit of Scribble Jam will live on in the Overcast Hip Hop Festival, which debuts this summer at Northside brewery/venue Urban Artifact and features a dynamic array of artists who represent the music’s progressive and sometimes experimental side. The event takes place Aug. 31-Sept. 1.
One of the top-of-the-poster performers at Overcast is Cincinnati Hip Hop legend Mr. Dibbs, who formed the DJ crew 1200 Hobos in the early ’90s and went on to work with artists like Atmosphere and El-P. Oh yeah — and Dibbs was also a co-founder of Scribble Jam. Along with Eyenine and Dope KNife (a Georgia MC signed to Strange Famous Records, the label founded by Scribble vet Sage Francis), Dibbs is joined at the top of the Overcast poster by another performer whose roots wrap around the base of the Scribble Jam family tree — Columbus, Ohio’s Blueprint, who competed in the Scribble MC battles and also performed at both the fest and its 2005 coast-to-coast tour, which help establish him as one of Ohio’s all-time greats.
The rest of the inaugural Overcast lineup is heavy on local Hip Hop artists. Greater Cincinnati performers include Raised X Wolves, Haskell, Trademark Aaron, Sons of Silverton, Eugenius, Audley, K. Savage, Watusi Tribe, Devin Burgess, Evolve and Triiibe (the group formerly known as Blvck Seeds), among many others. The fest will also feature plenty of non-locals, like Nashville’s Spoken Nerd, Milwaukee’s Taiyamo Denku, Philly’s ialive and Columbus’ Hafrican and Happy Tooth & Dug. (See the full lineup below.)
Overcast was created by the locally-based Grasshopper Juice Records, which was co-founded by musician Nick Mitchell, aka Hip Hop producer/DJ Juan Cosby, and is also the force behind the AYE Music & Art Festival. Juan Cosby will perform at Overcast with his various projects, including Counterfeit Money Machine and his collaboration with the duo WeirDose.
Overcast will also feature a rap battle hosted by Noah I Mean of the famed Cincy DJ ensemble Animal Crackers, plus an open-mic cypher led by Stallitix, Senseless, Ronin and Audley.
Pre-sale tickets for the Overcast Hip Hop Festival will be available soon. For the latest updates and more info, visit the event’s Facebook page here and overcastfest.com.
This article appears in Mar 28 – Apr 4, 2018.