Thermal Dynamixxx [Oct, 2004]
written by Jason Jajalla

Does anybody know when Eminem first dropped "Lose Yourself"? Or when Digable Planets performed "Rebirth of Slick" to a live audience for the first time? Can somebody at least ballpark a time and place when Sugarhill Gang unleashed their classic "Rapper's Delight"? Unless you're a hardcore hip hop fan and had the resources to travel all across North America during the late seventies up until the mid nineties, those moments are nothing more than legend.

U of T's Arbor Room, last October 14th, could potentially be one of those very same moments in time and space when it all comes together for young emcees.

Hip Hop Headz, a student organization dedicated to the proliferation of hip hop, hosted Thermal Dynamixxx, an open mic showcase where all proponents of spoken art in hip hop were able to get on stage and show off their stuff. Not just limited to original scripted rhymes over beats, freestyling (off the cuff rhyming) and floetry (poetry recited to music) were welcome as well.

"We're here to embrace not just those who listen to hip hop, but those who don't. To show them that hip hop has a relevant message for everyone," says Nin Chan, one of the organizers of the event and Head of MCing of Hip Hop Headz.

"Toronto is always downplaying its own talent. We're trying to showcase some of the talent here and bring recognition to these artists." With hip hop having such a diverse cultural base, there is no reason why one of the most diverse cities in the world should be so cynical about its own talent.

Unlike the B-Boy battle held by Hip Hop Headz last September, which was laden with the playful arrogance so much akin to break dancing competitions, Thermal Dynamixxx was nothing but love. "It is the love for hip hop that has brought everybody here."

All was well underway by 9:00 p.m. Each performer was able to showcase a few of their own original compositions, most of which were self-produced. Although amateurs strictly by name, they were far from it by game.

Amongst those of honourable mention were Prizm, Unknown Mizery, Logikal Ethix, and Soliva Spit Society.

Prizm hails from BC and, believe it or not, is only a first-year student. His talents should in no way be associated with his diminutive university career; he has the rhymes and flow of some of today's more talented emcees. Even his self-produced tracks rang of epic violin samples and beats hard enough to crack eggs on.

Unknown Mizery and Logikal Ethix rocked the house (and your ears, if you had the ambiguous privilege of sitting up in front row) with their high energy performance and hilarious comedic relief from an apparent lack of any sort of structured performance, partly due to miscommunications between the sound manipulator and the group. Their performance seemed like the hip hop equivalent of a two man mosh pit. In between tracks, they found the time to spew some knowledge onto the crowd: "Hip hop is bigger than the music itself."

Soliva Spit Society took to the stage like a group of guys meeting with old friends. They bring a certain informality that made the audience feel familiar with the set, while at the same time being something completely new to most of them. They are a five man crew that has flows and prose comparable to groups like A Tribe Called Quest and even a lightness that had a bit of De La Soul in it as well, complete with absurd segues. I purchased a copy of the EP, which was a great deal at five bucks. Be sure to check out their website at www.spitsociety.com.

Even if you missed the event in mid-October there are still four other chances for you to throw your hat into the ring throughout the year and show your mastery of alliteration and metaphor. November 18, January 6, March 10, and March 24 are the other dates, so mark them on your calendars, agendas, napkins, palms, insides of your underwear, carve it on your arms, brand it on your ass, shave it in your head, teach them to your parrot, or any other way where you can't forget. Be sure to check out www.hiphop.sa.utoronto.ca for more info about Thermal Dynamixxx and upcoming events.

If you're even too lazy to do that, Scratch-A-Fest, a showcase where DJs can mix and blend to boast their turntable skills, will be held on January 13, 2005. If you think that you have the Techniques (heh, I'm so funny) to hold your own and school the rest, make an appearance and get your scratch on.

The great thing about all these events is that you can go out and show support for all the different aspects of hip hop that appeal to you. Like Paul Kell's documentary Five Sides of the Coin, hip hop is about DJing, B-Boying, graphing, MCing, and beatboxing. Take advantage of this cornucopian buffet of urban culture; go out and drop a flow, throw it down, mix it up. Keep it real.

WRITTEN BY JASON JAJALLA
(read more articles here.)