PORTLAND, Maine — D.J. Graphic Melee kicked off the beat, headphones around his ears and both hands on the turntables, Monday night in Congress Square. Then, local rapper Dynamo-P launched into a steady flow of rhymes while stalking back-and-forth on the outdoor stage.
The words flew fast, doubletime to the tempo. Embedded in the breathless stream of hip-hop consciousness were sly shoutouts to his parents and his home city.
“I’m a Portland guy,” said the rapper, known as Pat Jones to his mom and dad.
Jones was performing during the monthly Monday of the Minds community hip-hop showcase, now in its fifth summer in the square. The showcase is a family-friendly offshoot of the regular, bi-monthly Monday of the Minds showcase, held year round, inside the Flask Lounge.
That adults-only version celebrates its seventh birthday in December.
The outdoor, all-ages edition is meant to introduce the artform to casual passersby who don’t normally listen to hip-hop, kids too young to get into the lounge or anyone not up for late, week-night music.
“Hip-hop started in parks, parties and basements,” said Dan Moon, also known as Alunarlanding. “So, this is a great space.”
Clockwise from left: Griffin Wood (from left) Max Chalmers and Teddy Fellows shout during the call-and-response part of rapper C. Shreve the Professor’s set in Portland’s Congress Square Monday night, Aug. 15, 2022. Shreve, from North Carolina, was taking part in the Monday of the Mind’s community hip hop showcase; C. Shreve the Professor, also known as Chris Shreve, performs at the showcase; A shirtless man dances by the stage in Portland’s Congress Square. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
Moon, along with Zack Mullin (also known as Stay on Mars), organizes the showcase.
“This is for families,” Mullin said, “it’s more accessible.”
“People are always saying they never would have found us, otherwise,” Moon said. “They walk by and they stop.”
Sitting on the steps near the street were a trio of young men, below drinking age.
One rapper’s set included an audience participation, call-and-response section. All three had fun, hollering back, smiles on their faces, saying they’d never been to a Monday of the Minds showcase before. They just stopped in after hearing it from the sidewalk.
The outdoor show normally happens on the fourth Monday night of the month, but this week’s was an extra, makeup show from a rainout in June.
Most rappers performing were local, but not all of them. Included in the lineup was C. Shreve the Professor, a hip-hop artist from Boone, North Carolina.
“I played in Manchester, New Hampshire, last night and I’m in Brooklyn, New York, in a couple days,” said Shreve, whose real name is Chris Shreve.
Having a mix of locals and rappers from far afield is always part of the plan.
“We bring in regional, national acts as well as locals,” Mullin said.
It’s a way of introducing them to each other. The locals get a chance to hear performers from away and the out-of-towners get a taste of the local scene.
“This also connects local hip-hop scenes to each other,” said Moon. “It’s all part of the DIY mentality.”
The next regular Monday of the Minds community hip-hop showcase takes place in Congress Square on Aug. 22.
