Editor’s note: This is part of a weekly series exploring the diverse music scenes in Athens.
Though Appalachian country historically flourishes in folk and bluegrass, it has now become a destination for rap and hip-hop artists — and the influence is noticeable.
“Being from this area, you’re exposed to a lot of bluegrass music, and I’m not opposed to sampling bluegrass to make really dope beats — of which I have before,” said Ryan Schwartzhoff (MC Schwartz), of local hip-hop group DysFunktional Family. “I’m sure someone from New York would have never thought of sampling bluegrass, but it’s definitely possible and it works out well.”
DysFunktional Family is comprised of two core members, Schwartz and Hil Hackworth, who have tried to build a rap and hip-hop scene in Athens since 2000.
Hip-hop survives in some “dirty down south” parts of the country, Schwartz said, so the theory became “if it can survive there, why not Athens?”
In 2004, the first Number Fest was held, with a similar goal of trying to bring rap and hip-hop to the forefront of Athens and the Ohio University culture.
“The hip-hop genre in general has always been the driving force behind the event,” said Dominic Petrozzi, one of the Number Fest’s organizers.
That goal is evident in the type of hip-hop acts the Number Fests have attracted, from Mike Posner and Machine Gun Kelly in previous years to Chip Tha Ripper this year, Petrozzi added.
The festival is also a good chance for local hip-hop artists to make connections with groups who have made a name for themselves nationally, Petrozzi said, and the best way to do that is to write music that appeals to a broader audience.
“You got cats that do hip-hop and you got cats that try to do the party thing, but the party thing ain’t really for me,” said local rapper Jean P. “One of the pros and cons of being a college rapper is that when you start here, they automatically paint you as a party rapper.”
Hackworth said he doesn’t try to walk the line between party rap and hip-hop, but focuses on what speaks to him at that moment and tries to appeal to a large crowd. There is plenty of material to talk about with Athens being the poorest county in Ohio, he added.
More than anything, Hackworth said he hopes people understand that hip-hop is much broader and more diverse than what is on MTV, BET or the radio, and they try to bring that philosophy to Athens.
DysFunktional Family’s entire philosophy about its music in Athens comes from its song “Letter to Hip Hop,” which states, “This is hip-hop/ This is not rap/ Rap is on the radio/ And this is not that.”
“It’s an extremely poor area, so why the (heck) would we be rapping about having tons of money?” Hackworth said. “It has nothing to do with money and cash and (girls) and cars; it’s about living trying to survive.”
wh092010@ohiou.edu
