Chances are, in the past few years you’ve become aware of at least one local hip-hop artist; be it House of H.E.M.P., Andromeda or Third Frame, you’ve certainly come across something hip-hop related. Perhaps you vote when Wild 96.3 feature their weekly Battle of the Streets segment; or maybe you’ve been at a Battle of the Bands event and saw a hip-hop group perform. If you’re the type to regularly pick up an issue of whatzup, then it’s safe to say you’re out and about enough to know that there’s something going on with hip-hop in Fort Wayne, Indiana. So you know a little bit; but unless you are directly involved in the scene, you have no idea the magnitude of talent this typically subterranean culture has to offer. No idea, not about the “Fortress.” Not yet anyhow.

P1/T2 emcee Anthony “Tony2Tone” Brewer is not alone in his belief that “Fort Wayne often seems to be scared of hip-hop.” With local media attention primarily focused on rock and metal acts, it wasn’t until recently that (local) hip-hop began showing signs of legitimately breaking through. But don’t be mistaken, the recent rush of newfound attention is hardly where the history of Fort Wayne hip-hop begins.

Prominent Fortress producer EDS had much to say on the topic: “There’s been a ‘scene’ long before the current crop of ‘scene huggers’ came around.”

As a perpetual underdog, hip-hop has always flourished just below the surface. When asked how hip-hop fits into the culture of Fort Wayne, local artist Corey “Illastrate” Presley was straight to the point: “I think hip-hop is still an extremely small part of the culture in Indiana, period. I think it can and will be a lot bigger, but also I think small is sometimes good, due to its pure and raw nature.”

Surprisingly to some, Fort Wayne has a rich hip-hop history, dating back to the early 80s. A vital member of the current generation of Fortress artists, EDS remembers the moment that inspired him to start working on his music vividly.

“The first time I had the feeling that really got me excited was when I was younger and I saw Shoe Dog’s CD for sale in the mall,” EDS said. “That was when I knew it was for real and that you could ‘do it’ as an independent.” Third Frame’s DJ Spot claims to have found his inspiration when the multiple Whammy award-winning outfit he is now a member of was first featured in whatzup over six years ago.

Thanks to the groundwork of the Fort’s original hip-hop scene, today’s generation is working hard to put out quality product. Recalls Sub-Surface emcee Levon “Rhymewise37” Williams, “SOUL 2000 had an immeasurable impact on my upbringing within the scene. Dre, one of the cats who ran the shop, used to make me battle him every time I came in there. It was where I’d go to get issues of ‘The Source’ (still reputable at the time)’ and just kick it in general. I learned a lot in that store.

“Also significantly inspirational to me to this day was the group Chains Of Chaos. Locally speaking, they are my hip-hop heroes. Their album, The Nuthin’, released in ‘99, still makes me proud as hell to be from The Fortress. What they did at the time, I didn’t think was possible. They’ll always have my utmost respect for what they did for me.”

Other early memories of Fort Wayne hip-hop include “jumping in freestyles down at Three Rivers Festival in 1998” says Shane “Custom Made Smitty” Smith of The Hydrophonic Crew/Hometown Hooligans,

For PT.E.M.U. of Unseen Handz, it was “Tallmen’s record store on Pontiac Street, local artists from the 80’s like Dollar BILL and Charlie D., Meaty and BONE, Rappin’ Bernard Brown, Chubby, LA, hip-hop Sundays, talent shows at Snider and South Town’s Show Down.”

So with such an established (yet still underground) history, how has the scene evolved into what it is today? 2RQ credits DJ Polaris (of the group Andromeda) and his Spittin’ Bullets mixtape series for bringing together artists that might not otherwise be aware of each other.

“Everyone got together and connected to unite, and thus, a lot of cats left the sessions much more interested in each others work,” says 2RQ.

Says Luke “Insane” Chavez (of Logikally Insane), “I realized that I wasn’t the only one with a pen and a paper in my hand and started hearing all the local music, it made me want to go out there and do the same.”

As active in the Fortress scene as anyone today, full-time b-boy and part-time promoter Josh “Glide” Rowlett offers a poignant perspective on how the scene has grown, where it’s going and what it needs to do: “As a community we strive to reach higher goals to enhance the quality of our existence and to use our culture for greater social change. These goals are being reached daily, as we have more local joints being played on the airwaves today than ever before. A few years ago you didn’t hear any local rap on the radio. Up until recently you have a very large majority of venues that wouldn’t dare let you rent their facility if they found out you wanted to throw a hip-hop event. Now those same venues beg the local hip-hop promoters to throw shows at their place of business.”

For over a year now you’ve been able to find at least one noteworthy hip-hop show per week in Fort Wayne, a feat that very few cities our size could boast.

Says Jason “R.O.C.” Winikoer, “I give it up to guys like Aaron King who have been putting shows on for a while now. Their shows give artists the opportunity to showcase their talent which in turn brings out people who are interested.”

“My first experience with local hip-hop was at Razor’s on Wednesday nights. We used to go there and watch the DJs and emcees. We also had a place to break.” says Jocelyn Eckhout, a dancer that performs by the name of Evillyn and teaches hip-hop choreography and locking classes at Fort Wayne Hip-Hop Dance studio.

“Everyone has a different sound, so a Fort Wayne hip-hop show is such an eclectic mix of sounds that everyone is a winner,” according to Gravedigga, a member of the group Cellblock M. “A personal favorite of mine was Andromeda at IPFW’s 24 Playhouse back in 2002. The guys came out with a performance that was made from scratch (beats and all) over the course of 24 hours and, as always, the boys came with a strong lyrical set that blew the crowd away. Even my parents (who were also in the crowd) were instant fans,” Gravedigga continued.

Even Piere’s, which boasts one of the most profitable stages in the country, has been bringing major hip-hop shows, most of which offer opening slots to local artists such as Trinide, who has opened for established national acts such as Trina, Dem Franchize Boyz, Young Buck and Ray J.”

Though a welcomed addition to the diversity of the city, the shows going on at Piere’s don’t represent the heart of Fortress hip-hop. For that, you’ll have to head out to the smaller venues where local promoters often take personal financial losses for the sake of scene-building shows. Tyler “Konfewshus” Davis had one show in particular in mind when asked his thoughts on local shows: “S.C.H.E.M.E. last summer was good. I hope to see a lot more of that. Events downtown in general are needed.”

No stranger to the Fortress Stage, Jes “Sej Sirraf” Farris (formerly known as Big Frame) offers his perspective on local events: “Promoters have owned the hip-hop scene since I’ve been in it. 32 Deadly Masters was an amazing event, and Fort Wayne showed up to check it out. People have been fighting to get hip-hop downtown during the festival, and last year it paid off, as it will again this year. All the Sunset Hall shows have been pretty rad, but my favorite was the show downtown at Freiman Square (S.C.H.E.M.E.). It was just a laid back, relaxed day filled with friends, junk food and music.”

Upon being asked what single event helped jumpstart the new wave of activity going on locally the vast majority of local artists agreed on one thing, Glide and Pringlz’ 32 Deadly Masters events. “This event will always be the best around All four elements of hip-hop (emceeing, djing, graffiti and b-boying) are always efficiently represented,” says Ryan “PremiseOne” Morrison (also of the local hip-hop duo P1/T2). “Some high times from last year’s event would have to be the b-boy battle where the Chicago Tribe crew took the prize, Glue’s amazing performance and then later listening to Ice Cube’s Amerikkka’s Most Wanted in the bar. The credit goes to Glide Productions.”

“Putting on 32 Deadly Masters and similar events, Glide is a true purveyor of hip-hop,” says Primo B. of The Hydrophonic Crew and Hometown Hooligans. Though on a temporary hiatus this year, the city hasn’t seen the last from Josh (aka Glide) and Amber “Pringlz” Rowlett, the masterminds behind Glide Productions. The couple is merely taking a break from events to open their new dance studio, appropriately named Fort Wayne Hip-Hop Dance.

Another local power couple, Yvette “Solaris” and husband DJ Polaris also play an important role in Fort Wayne hip-hop. “I depend totally on DJ Polaris for guidance,” says local rapper Tiya “Schizo” Green, “and he always came through for me. I find myself directing others new to the scene his way. He organized the first Fort Wayne mixtape ever, Spittin’ Bullets, and let us not forget fortwaynehiphop.com.” Operated by Solaris, the website has undeniably become the backbone of the local hip-hop community in the time since the first 32 Deadly Masters event. With the site, Solaris aims to give artists and fans a home to network, learn, discuss and teach about hip-hop.

The site’s impact is best described by local emcee Sonny. “We used to rock Legends every Wednesday for about eight months, very rarely getting paid, but that’s when we learned sometimes you gotta take one for ‘the scene.’ After that, in my opinion, the scene kind of slowed down. It wasn’t that everybody quit; it was like we were getting ready for the hip-hop revolution. That’s when fortwaynehiphop.com came along and really changed the game. The whole city could finally communicate, throw shows and, most importantly, make music together.

“Now, we’ve got more artists and more venues than ever before because we started working together.”

Tony2Tone also references the website as a key component to the scene’s new wave of success: “It really did bring the whole scene together. I didn’t know the scene was this big until a friend of mine pointed me in the direction of fortwaynehiphop.com. I met a lot of local rappers there.”

DJ Polaris and his artistic collaborator, Andromeda emcee Brainstorm, have also made quite an impact with their Spittin’ Bullets mixtape series.

“Polaris, Brainstorm and EDS did a lot for exposing some of the newer talent in the scene with their Spittin’ Bullets projects. The mixtapes offered a chance for artists to hear each others work and cross-pollinate the scene,” said Rhymewise37.

Polaris himself had much to say about the series. “The mixtapes were a milestone for the simple fact that it accomplished what others claim they want” unity!” he said. “It brought together over 50 Fort Wayne emcees, with some not getting along and some belonging to rival crews, all for the common cause of representing Fort Wayne hip-hop.” The series stands as a document of the local rap scene. Those interested in hearing it can pick up a copy up at Convolution Records and hear for themselves what the Fortress has to offer.

With so much going on it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where the scene is heading. Hometown Hooligans emcee Massakre had much insight to offer when discussing the evolution of Fort Wayne’s rap scene: “First off, we need to swallow our pride and support each other because Fort Wayne is very underrated. All crews need to communicate with each other and let the radio stations and club owners know we stand together, united, and that we need to be heard and respected just like all other genres of music. It will take hard work and sacrifice to make the scene blow up further.”

“In the next year I would like to see local hip-hop realize that talent is only 2 percent of the necessary requirement to make it and know that eventually you have to do business and be smart about it,” says Eclipse.

Certainly, artists are starting to make major moves. For example, 2RQ just finished up production for Jason Miller, who looks to have Mariah Carey featured on his upcoming album. Says King about his latest endeavors, “I recently flew out to New York to perform on VH1 but unfortunately cannot disclose the details of that performance until the show airs.”

And this year, for the first time, the Three Rivers Festival will showcase hip-hop in a Generation Teen event sponsored by Wild 96.3 and Three Rivers Festival Credit Union. The event will feature, among others, P1/T2, Good and 2NYCE, 2RQ, Sonny and DJ Dap, along with a “surprise national hip-hop act.”

“People need to realize that this is one of the first times so many local hip-hop artists have been given the opportunity to display themselves in a venue such as the Three Rivers Festival,” says the festival’s director of operations, Angela Stevens. “It needs to be an event that showcases the positive things about hip-hop so that the people in power and the greater community can see the movement in local hip-hop and that it’s more than the preconceived notion that may be in their minds.

“This show is really a test run,” Stevens continued. “If it’s successful, there will more more events like this in the future.”

As things continue to build you can feel the energy. The Fort Wayne hip-hop scene seems to be on the cusp of its glory days. As artists like Sub-Surface, King, Andromeda, Headz of State, Massakre, the Land Pirates, P1/T2, Chuck Vorhies, Sonny, and so on finish up work on their upcoming releases, you can bet that, in retrospect, 2006 will stand as the year the Fortress scene went for broke.