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Life & Arts

The Bench gets artists in the batter's box

Art on the Town

Dusti Rhodes

Local Houston hip-hop artists are getting their chance to be heard by being invited to ride The Bench.

Every month Craig Long, aka BBC, and his partner Comp 1 host The Bench, a night of music designed to connect local artists with one another.

"I felt like Houston needed a showcase," Long said. "There needed to be an outlet for up and coming artists."

Long has been a part of the local hip-hop culture since the summer of 1983 and has seen changes come and go, but he has never seen Houston getting the recognition it is getting now.

"Houston is hot right now ? it's like the sun," Long said.

However, the trouble for Long lies in who is getting noticed in Houston.

"The predominance of the artists getting attention are selling ‘bling pop," Long said. "It's no disrespect but there is a whole other set of artists not getting attention who have commentaries ? conscious rappers ? they don't talk about bitches and hoes and guns and gangsters."

Long said these artists are what is needed to change the current state of Houston artists as well as Houston fans.

Long said part of the problem stems from a scene overcrowded with artists who are not challenging their medium and fans who are not exposed to anything else.

"And they won't get it because there is too much fast-food rap," Long said. "I think it's time for a renaissance."

Enter The Bench and a chance for artists of a different caliber to get their chance in the spotlight. The Bench is comprised of four parts ? Respect the Mic, The Listening, local DJs playing throughout the night and a main performance that closes the evening.

Respect the Mic is the oldest portion of The Bench and dates back to one of Long's original ideas, which was to give more MCs a chance to get their words heard. Every night a handful of MCs are chosen to present their rhyming talents in front of The Bench's audience.

The Listening gives local beat-makers and producers the opportunity to play the music they have created for potentially interested parties. It is these two portions of The Bench — Respect the Mic and The Listening — that allow for local artists to meet and network.

"I've been trying to build it as a big networking thing," Long said.

In the end, Long said he hopes that MCs will meet producers (and vice versa) who they may want to work with on the local scene.

The Bench has moved around town quite a bit, but Saturday it lands in its new, perhaps permanent, home: The Studio at Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel St.

Ceeplus and the House of Knives along with DJ Samp will host a four-turntable event for the evening with San Marcos' Word Association taking the spot for the main performing act. Those interested in being a part of Respect the Mic or The Listening should sign up at www.youronthebench.com. Every month a handful of entries will be announced at The Bench and those artists should be ready to perform at any moment.

"We were trying to think of ways to do this that would be as fair as possible," Long said as far as giving every artist who signs up a chance to be featured at The Bench.

"Every artist should be ready. You could be sitting out there having a beer and hear like ‘Jack Smith'," Long said.

Long is also looking toward bigger shows, including a collaborative effort with Ghostface Killa on April 1.

"Can you imagine Ghostface Killa comes and here is this little guy who never get to be heard but you get to be the opener for Ghostface," Long said.

Send comments to dcshobiz@mail.uh.edu