You won’t get a better sense of the strength of Dayon’s rap legitimacy and the vibrancy of the local scene than the Rap Campp experience. Rap Campp is a unique album and event that’s in its second run (the first album dropped earlier this year). The new edition features two dozen local emcees representing three generations of Ohio hip-hop.
WYSO music contributor Greg Simms Jr. spoke with Rap Campp co-creator and co-organizer Cooley the Curator about the project.
Greg Simms Jr.: Just what is Rap Campp? Did you create it, and what is your role in the project?
Cooley the Curator: Rap Campp is a series of single-session marathon albums produced by myself and Don Johnson with a rotating cast of some of Ohio’s best emcees.
Simms: How was the response for the first Rap Campp album?
Cooley: The response from the emcees we invited exceeded our expectations. We were going to be happy getting an EP out of the session and ended up getting a full-length album! The reception from the public was great and we had a lot of emcees we hadn’t worked with on the first one who immediately started asking when the second one would be held.
Simms: How was the second Rap Campp experience put together?
Cooley: We tripled the cast of artists and had a documentary crew on site, so it was pretty crazy! There essentially was no break in the recording process from about 11am until 1am the next day. Luckily, we had friends and family on site to assist when needed and plenty of food and beverage. This time around we had a better idea of what emcees might show up so Don and I had planned a little better on who might work on what beat. None of the artists heard the beats ahead of them arriving at Campp, so we directed them as they showed up to what might work best.
Simms: What are the singles that have been released from the new album? Are they available for download? For streaming?
Cooley: We’ve released two singles to streaming services. First is “Smoke Again” featuring Cas Metah, Natural Onyx, & Jay-Vez (which we also dropped a video for). Next up is “Outside (Epilogue)” which is me rapping with Don on the beat. The full length album Rap Campp Vol. 2 is currently only available on my Bandcamp page for stream/purchase.
Simms: Will there be a Rap Campp 3?
Cooley: We definitely want to do a third installment but don’t have an exact date yet. Right now we are focusing on working the two current projects as well as completing the documentary Welcome to Rap Campp with City Of Gems Video Production. The documentary will debut at Neon Theatre on October 28 with an after party at Toxic Brew Company.
