Local Music Series: Open Mic Night at Donkey

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The open mic scene is a relatively niche-filled lane for Athens locals. They have found a home, though, at Donkey Coffee & Espresso on West Washington Street. The coffee shop serves as one of the city’s staples for artists, poets and musicians looking for a platform to channel their self-expression.

The popular coffee shop is typically known for its midday rushes, calm lounging and piercing scent of freshly-brewed coffee bean. Since starting its “Open Mic Night at Donkey” events some years ago, the shop’s also been at the forefront of Athens’ open mic scene.

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Local Music Series: Red Brick Live

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Tuesday nights on Court Street are typically reserved for non-sticky hardwood floors, unoccupied bathroom stalls and empty seats. Outside “Taco Tuesdays” at Broneys Alumni Bar & Grill, it’s a fairly slow night for most Athens bars.

So, for Red Brick Tavern owner Daniel DeLuca, opting to try something new wouldn’t pose much of a risk.

In place of the empty Tuesday nights at “The Brick,” DeLuca decided to have local bands perform live for the first time in nearly four years on Tuesday.

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Music Review: Travis Scott’s 'ASTROWORLD'

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Since Travis Scott announced the title of his third album, ASTROWORLD, in 2016, along with last year’s collaborative project, Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho, with Migos front man, Quavo, fans’ anticipation arose to seemingly immeasurable bounds. As their expectations grew, Travis continued to tease the project’s release, announcing the album's progress while performing on his “Birds Eye View” tour.

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Music Review: TrigNO's 'Rawest 4m'

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In a year’s time, TrigNO has emerged from the depths of the city’s pool of talented artists, setting the stage for his third project, Rawest 4m. Upon its release, the rapper/dancer performed at Native Tongues, linked with the city’s hottest producer, Sean Starks, and made the 11th issue of the fastest growing magazine in Columbus, Fly Paper Magazine. Shameless plug, yes, I know.

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Music Review: Tieran's 'Never Had a Choice'

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Historically, Columbus’ music scene has honed a lengthy spectrum of artists who blur the perception of the "ideal" artist. And with Tieran Cline present, its only broadened the image and sound of Columbus hip-hop.

He’s unapologetically white, but that’s not what separates him as a creative -— nor should it. Instead, it’s his decision to pursue rap stardom by night, while balancing his life as a civil engineer by day.

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Music Review: Bizz's 'This 2 Shall Pass'

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Bizz is the quintessential conscious rapper. He embodies the qualities hip hop purists have revered, as he stirs from the new legion of artists who supplement substance for repetitive ad-libs and an overreliance on 808’s. Bizz opts to retain the components of alternative rap music, mirroring the styles of artists like J. Cole, Joey Badass and Kendrick Lamar.

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A look into the forming of Columbus' hip-hop scene

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With the emergence of Columbus artists pushing boundaries that transcend beyond the city, it’s hard to ignore this reality: Columbus is changing. One could even say the city’s evolving, as its artists are re-establishing some of the elements that made Columbus a cultural hub during the 1980s and 90s when creativity was arguably at its purist form.

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