Hip Hop Week returns to UTC

When Micah Chapman was a student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, many friends he made on campus were from somewhere else but decided to stay here for good.

“They’re still in Chattanooga, and they’re still doing important things in Chattanooga,” he said. “I feel like they wouldn’t really be here if they didn’t find out, ‘OK, I like Chattanooga.’”

The draw of the city, especially its cultural history, is one of the reasons Chapman created the Chattanooga Hip-Hop Week, a series of events from Oct. 9-15 that includes a concert scheduled Oct. 13 in the Roland Hayes Concert Hall at the UTC Fine Arts Center. Artists slated to perform include Trap Beckham, Swayyvo, T Rizer, Isaiah Wallace, Qualls, Calle & Band, Honcho Truth, Sayso and Frost.

Held from 7-11 p.m., the concert is free and open only to UTC students, faculty and staff. A Mocs ID will be needed to gain access to the Hayes Concert Hall.

As part of the 2021 Hip-Hop Summit, a similar concert was held on Chamberlain Field.

“What I envision bringing this concert to the UTC campus is so the students can see Chattanooga from a hip-hop perspective but also engage with Chattanooga outside of being on campus,” said Chapman, who was enrolled at UTC in 2009. His mother, Norma, received a bachelor’s degree in human services from the University in 1974 and was a charter member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

“I want to introduce them to Chattanooga as a student so they can know that there is more culture, more activity, more life.”

Chapman is co-founder and director of Hip-Hop CHA, Chattanooga’s first collective working to help local hip-hop artists.

Holding the hip-hop concert on campus is a great way to highlight the connection between UTC, Chattanooga and the city’s music history, said A.J. Davis, coordinator of engagement in the UTC Division of Diversity and Engagement.

“You think about UTC and its history and legacy within this community. Then you think about, too, the history that music within the Chattanooga community,” he said. “There’s this rich history of music that you have from the city of Chattanooga that is—slowly but surely—having more light being shed on its rich history of music associated with the university.

“I think there is this effort, particularly with the Hip-Hop Summit, to be able to merge the two in a unique fashion, where you not only have this really unique dynamic and element of Black culture in terms of hip-hop and its significance and what it means to the community, but also UTC in terms of its educational resources and what it means to the community.”

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Chattanooga Hip-Hop Week

Monday, Oct. 10

Sponsor & Partner Luncheon (Invitation Only)
Edney Innovation Building, 1100 Market St., 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 11

Clout Trap Finalé Sponsored by WTCI-TV
Wanderlinger Brewing Co., 1208 King St., ​7 p.m.-Midnight

Wednesday, Oct. 12

Hip-Hop Summit Reception
Waterhouse Pavilion, 850 Market St., 6-8 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 13

Chattanooga Hip-Hop Meets Memories & Inspiration
Hunter Museum, 10 Bluff View Ave., 6-8 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 14

Legacy Night with live performances by Yung Ralph, ​Dem Franchize Boyz, Chattanooga Legends
Bessie Smith Cultural Center, 200 M.L. King Blvd., ​7-11 p.m.