A Hip Hop Yankee In King Austin’s Court: Birthplace Magazine’s SXSW Music Festival Recap [With Photos]

In all, to me at least, Austin was fantastically friendly. Raucous yes, but never chaotic. The SXSW staff were fantastic, both with initial registration and badge pickup, and anytime I encountered them throughout the event. City police were ever present, but seldom needed, and despite hip hop being only a small portion of the music present at this enormous festival, there was no shortage of artists, events, and activities that helped satisfy the rap fan in me, while allowing my hip hop journalist side to thrive, absorbing, observing and interacting with the whirlwind of sights, sounds and personalities during an experience I will not soon forget.

Some side notes from my travels:

Expected to be dope, and was: Homeboy Sandman, who decimated several appearances during the weekend with his rapid fire delivery, towering stage presence and inimitable skill.

Best non-NY hip hop surprise: Cleveland’s Machine Gun Kelly, who delivered one of the most energetic performances I’ve seen in a long time, by anyone. You know how they say someone was “bouncing off the walls?” MGK was, literally, spitting his ridiculously rapid-fire flow at times suspended upside down from the ceiling supports. Just killed it.

Favorite showcase event: The Audible Treats showcase, with Talib Kweli, Jean Grae (with Mela Machinko and Pharoahe Monche). Small enough a venue to feel up close and personal (and get some great flicks), but big enough to allow a couple hundred energetically excited hip hop heads commune in hip hop harmony. I got there in time to see the mighty Hieroglyphics crew start the rap crescendo that culminated in Kweli and friends simply putting on a damn fine show.

Most random non-music moment: Person dressed as Gumby bumping & grinding some lady in the window of a bar on 6^th.

Saw all over the damn place: Kosha Dillz, Shinobi Ninja stickers, lines for pizza, bluegrass groups performing on the corner, Jon Connor’s street team, MoDanger! stickers.

Didn’t see enough of because I left to go see Talib Kweli: Wu-Tang (even though it was sans Raekwon, Method Man and Rza so I’m not that upset about it)

Best act that I never heard of, stumbled upon, was pretty sure were pretty dope, and will be checking out in detail to see if I was right: Ty and the 35mms

Austin, I’ll be seeing you in ’12.

Click for more pictures from SXSW Music Festival 2011