In 2016, Portland hip-hop veteran StarChile had the vision to create an event that would be a platform for artists from the city. A night that would feature emcees with a focus on lyrical content. He invited producer Trox to be the resident DJ for the event and DJ Klyph to partner in curating and helping behind the scenes. With early photographer Renée Lopez on board to handle capturing the night visually, the new monthly hip-hop showcase was born.
The night has featured Portland legends and up & coming artists in part via the Open Mic Check segment. The collective has also partnered with the international brand Team Backpack to feature some of the city’s best on a worldwide stage.
In the spring of 2018, Mic Check lost it’s visionary though his vision as StarChile lost a battle with cancer.
Encouraged to continue the night celebrate Star’s legacy, Klyph moved into the role of hosting the night and invited StarChile’s longtime DJ, producer and mentor to the local scene DJ O.G. One to join the team of he and Trox.
Putting into play ideas Klyph and Star often talked about to grow the night, the Mic Check format has evolved once again adding a platform for producers with the Mic Check Beat Set segment, moving to a quarterly event [the last Thursday of every quarter], continuing the Open Mic Check segment and having the Mic Check cypher make a more frequent appearance.
The Mic Check team is excited to see the event continue to grow. We are grateful to McMenamins for seeing the vision and providing a home at The White Eagle Saloon, to XRAY FM for their continued support from the beginning, our sponsors past and present including Pabst Blue Ribbon, Yanagida, We963 and look forward to building with even more like minded individuals as we continue to celebrate Hip-Hop - Peace, Love, Unity and Having Fun.
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