Baltimore has some of the most unique artsy events any art lover could love. One worthy of being mentioned a second time on Doc’s Castle Media is the Open Mic Series named Beet Trip. This was not my first time attending Beet Trip, but my 3rd time and years later from when I first stepped into experiencing the open mic in 2014. Back then, Beet Trip was brand new, and when I first saw the name, I was turned off because I intentionally thought of the disgusting purplish vegetable beets, thinking it was some veganism attempt to push their health agenda to me using hip-hop. But I digress…
Beet Trip was established over five years ago by a group of beatmakers and rappers seeking to find a place where music artists could share their gifts over crafted beats created by local producers at a nontraditional open mic. Beats from the producers are heard for the first time, just like the freestyles from rappers who spit over the tracks. It’s a true “freestyled” event. For 6 years, the open mic series has ran in numerous art venues across the city.
I thought it would be nice to peek into the festivities to catch some of the vibes and check out some of the talents. It’s been so long since and spectatorship has definitely grown.
Gatherings like these are reminders for artists of the many possibilities and things they can achieve, even while it’s such a small event. Artists start off wanting to take part in something small because they believe in it. They participate in it because it’s an original idea. They support it because it looks cool. But we don’t realize how the pure fun of it manifests into opportunities for so many local artists creating names for themselves.
[Read about another open mic series in Baltimore called Baltimore Beat Club on Doc’s Castle Media.]
Beet Trip is where I discovered a style of rap called Basement Rap, a genre coined by a couple of local hip-hop artists, to name a few Butch Dawson and Zheep DZ, two artists who frequent attending and getting involved in Beet Trip over the years. Since taking part in the open mic series and collaborating with other local talents, the rappers build combined followership of over 24,000 monthly listeners on Spotify from just being their authentic Baltimore rapping selves and enjoying creating art.
Beet Trip Episode 60 was hosted by local talent Al Rogers, who’s currently making waves with his very own Ice Cream flavor that can be purchased at Baltimore ice cream shop The Charmery, artist & curator of underground collective showcase 808s and Sadbois Qué Paqueño, and rapper & founder of The NASA8 Bito Sureiya. All artists put in work or had some kind of influence in Beet Trip historically. It’s inspiring to see these guys continue to work hard to make ways for other talents that’ll come episodes later.
In Episode 60, I saw lots of new faces and lots of new artists paving a way for their manifestations. Make sure you check out Beet Trip’s Instagram to view more pictures of highlights from the night.
What are some open mics you’ve attended in your hometown? Have you ever experienced something like this? Leave your comments below.