At Rap Showcase Crate Sessions, the Beats Are the Stars
How a couple of young promoters turned their love of Dilla and Madlib into a community-forward space for producers to shine.
Crate Sessions has one goal: to give both up-and-coming and seasoned rap producers a platform to show off old, new, and in-progress music live. Just under a year’s worth of grinding by co-creators Quincy Davis and Miles Krieger has led to five showcases, the most recent of which took place on a stormy Saturday night in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood over the summer.
Inside Loudmouth, the streetwear and record store where the series is hosted, the hype was palpable as around 100 young hip-hop heads stepped out of the rain and crowded around the front desk for a good view. The night’s headliners were a couple of new-generation underground rap pillars—New York’s Mike and Florida’s 454—best known for their prodigious mic skills. But that night, they barely said a word. They performed as their respective producer alter egos, DJ Blackpower and Gatorface, alongside a parade of fellow beatmakers, and let the loops do the talking.
