The Minneapolis Sound - Part 1

 First time I stepped foot in Minneapolis was about the time Rhymesayers was solidifying as a unit and not just a concept. I rode up there with my main dude Phil in the back of an old, decommissioned bread truck that had (kinda) been converted into a tour bus for Code XIII, the flagship band for a [very] different independent record label in the Twin Cities, and MVPs of the century for letting two drunk hobos they just met to share that cramped box truck all the way there from Chicago. As we helped unload the band equipment and offer our debts of sincerest gratitude Felix acquainted us with Uptown Minneapolis and directed us toward the intersection of Hennepinn & Lake  in what I would generously describe as a walking tour without the walk which had been  truncated at the outset, then abbreviated beyond usefulness once our journey together had reached it's natural end. Parting ways, Phil and I gave our final farewells over heavily-laden shoulders, invigorated by our good fortune and the adventures that lay before us. 

Minneapolis belies it's conservative roots with progressive social programs and a regional culture that feels more "Left Coast" than "Endless wasteland of shredded corn stalk remnants in varying states of decay frozen in time by the brutal arctic winters, rustic log cabin BnBs,  and water towers painted like corn  sharing the horizon with grain silos filled with corn ," and has become a model for urban renewal in the region.   

 I wouldn't compare the street culture to anything on the East coast, but there was a lot more activity than I expected. And it was a diverse group, very diverse, I'm talkin skateboard kids, girls with dreadlocks making bracelets, a duu was pushing his mixtape, a couple older native guys were crushing a jug of Cool Mint Listerine, and there were train tracks not far away you could cool at and smoke at. We ended up staying there 2 weeks I think before we moved on, but first impressions.... Minneapolis in 1996 was dope. Def makes sense it has become such a powerful epicenter of culture, it's a beautiful city, badass uptown & downtown, plus there's nothing else nearby.

 Nicknamed the "Mini Apple," Minneapolis has been the testing grounds for unique, off-beat sounds since the late 70's, with roots going much further back to the early 19th century., when nights by the fire staring off into the endless vistas of inhospitable frozen tundra inspired an original folk music style  that   fused their traditional instruments and vocals with the rhythms from the neighboring tribes such as the Sioux and Chippewa. The roots aren't immediately recognizable, but the Twin Cities have a sound and culture unlike anywhere else.

 The Rhymesayers Entertainment headquarters in Minneapolis looks like a chill workplace. I'm envisioning a ping pong table, an open kitchen with assorted fair-trade beans, herbs in small clay pots with hand-painted spirals painted on the sides, a VERY clean fridge full of neatly arranged 100% post-consumer recycled materials bento boxes, where every Friday Slug will invariably pull out a reusable Whole Foods shopping bag and offer to help Brother Ali  "pack the rest up to take home, um, I mean office" bc 7 or 8 years ago Ali was going thru some shit with his woman and ended up crashing on the couch in the "reflection chamber and meditation study" MAYBE 3 nights, he stayed with his mother the the rest of the time. Wednesdays perhaps include a compulsory, but you'd want to come anyway,  "HR Rap Sesh"  to facilitate "inclusive dialogue" and  provide a Safe Space to  let some stagnant issues ventilate by taking turns going around the circle and addressing the group with the traditional salutation of the Great Lakes indigenous tribe of your own choosing, while Slug stares intently at his reflection in the plate glass window across from him, waxing philosophical, pondering his soul patch and how that  has become his signature visual, making it  his sworn duty to preserve the integrity of the patch while recognizing the party-boy,  keg-standing mischievousness his age-reversing facial hair inspires in middle-aged  men across the Twin Cities regional metropolitan area, some of which occasionally have  performance issues, which is very common in men their age... and not any type of indicator of their ability to turn the function out with that fire  these young-school ass cats don't even know about.

Ant, pictured left, and "Soul Patch Slug" are regulars at The Soul Patch Diner every Thursday, between 3PM and 6PM for the  Early Bird Special Meatloaf.