The Lyricist Lounge was birthed as a series of open mic events hosted in a small studio apartment in the Lower East Side of New York City. Founded in 1991 by Hip Hop aficionados Danny Castro and Anthony Marshall, the duo dreamt of creating a space for raw talent and unsigned hype throughout the five boroughs of the city and beyond. This dream became a reality and resulted in three full-length albums ("Lyricist Lounge Vol.1", "Lyricist Lounge Vol. 2 and "Underground Airplay"), seven domestic tours, two seasons of the MTV sketch comedy series "The Lyricist Lounge Show", two DVD releases and countless showcases.
Lyricist Lounge has been the springboard for several of today’s biggest Hip Hop stars. Past Lyricist Lounge alumni artists include Mos Def, Eminem, Talib Kweli, Foxy Brown, Sean "Diddy" Combs and The Notorious B.I.G.. Lyricist Lounge looks to continue providing support for new talent in often overlooked communities.
West Coast events
Date
City
Venue
Lineup
May 30, 2009
San Francisco, California
MIGHTY, 119 Utah St.
Featuring Pacific Division, U-N-I, and Mickey Factz. Also HOPE, Tiron, Ayomari & J Billion with DJ Ant Marshall, DJ Haylow (D2S) - with a video DJ set, DJ Strategy
East Coast events
Date
City
Venue
Lineup
Attendance
October 2007
New York City
Southpaw
Lyricist Lounge & Afro Punk Presents: Kings Of Rock showcase. Performances by M.O.P., Game Rebellion & Lordz Of Brooklyn
Hosted by Guru of Gang starr. Sponsored by Rap Pages, Willie Esco, Spiewak and U.B. Tuff Clothing. Notable performances by The Roots, Whoriders, M.O.P., Medusa & Bushwick Bill
Hosted by Lost Boyz. Sponsored by ASCAP, Stress Magazine. Notable performances by Word of Mouth, P-Dap, Jesse West & Nine, Large Professor, Dead Prez, Destruct & Icon.
Hosted by Goodie Mob. Sponsored by Rawkus Records. Notable performances by Eternal Reflections, Company Flow, BHA Enterprize, Mass-Influence, Micronaughts, Ghetto All-Stars.
Rotating line up of headlining performers include Slick Rick, EPMD, Outsidaz, Royce da 5'9", Planet Asia and others
September 1998 tour
City
Venue
Sponsors
Lineup
11 U.S. cities
House of Blues (LA/Chicago), The Tunnel (NY), Cameo Theater (Miami), Maritime Hall (SF),Avalon (Boston) and Electric Factory (PA).
EXSTO XXIV VII clothing, Blaze Magazine, 550 Music/Sony, Relativity Records, Loud Records, Rawkus Records, Tommy Boy/Black Label Records, and Open Mic Records.
