Z-Man, Sacred Hoop, Eddie K, and DJ Quest performing at the Priceless Inn during the Blunt Club’s first-ever show. Jes Jordan “HOW MANY REAL HIP-HOPPERS IN THE PLACE HERE?” It’s a question being asked by local turn- tablist DJ Element over the house mic, and a crowd of hundreds of people packing the patio of Crescent Ballroom on a Saturday night in late March eagerly answer back with a roar of approval. Satisfied with the response, Element goes back to spinning up hip-hop cuts by Beenie Man, KRS-One, and Anderson .Paak from a pair of turntables. Meanwhile, the crowd is in constant motion, bobbing and moving to the beats. Off to one side, a large circle has formed where dancers are showing off their moves. Some are actual b-boys and b-girls with skills to spare. Others make up for their lack of polished dance moves with enthusiasm. They’re all gathered for the home- coming of The Blunt Club, which cele- brates the long-awaited return of the long-running local hip-hop night after an extended absence caused by the pandemic. And it’s like no time has passed. The energetic scene unfolding on Crescent’s patio is similar to many previous editions of The Blunt Club that have taken place since it launched back in 2002. That includes the presence of Adam Dumper, the local painter, graphic artist, and promoter who helped launch the night 20 years ago at bygone Tempe sports bar Priceless Inn. At the moment, Dumper is standing off to the side and chatting with friends between sips of his drink. Blunt Club’s return coincides with the artist moving back to the Valley after living in Portland for five years. “It’s good to be back and to get this thing going again,” Dumper says. Longtime fans of The Blunt Club would agree. For most of the past 20 years, The Blunt Club showcased all four elements of hip-hop culture – DJing, rapping, graf art, and b-boyism/breakdancing. A brainchild of Dumper, former bar owner Keith Nichols, and local MC Emerg McVay, the night helped influence the Valley’s hip-hop scene and gave a platform for local artists and sense of community for hip-hop fans. It also featured scores of underground and indie hip-hop artists, including such legendary names as Planet Asia, Aceyalone, Pep Love, Rob Swift, Jeru tha Damaja, Oh-No, Murs, PFC, Diverse, Blacksheep, Abstract Rude, Busdriver, 2Mex, Souls of Mischief, and Guru. The Blunt Club has been a movable hip-hop feast over the years, first as a weekly and before becoming a monthly, occupying the calendars and stages of such local venues as now-defunct Hollywood Alley in Mesa and Tempe’s Yucca Tap and Club Red. The longest-running hip-hop night in Arizona and quite possibly the entire U.S., The Blunt Club’s longevity is unheard of among club events, which typically tend to last a few years. Its fans have been loyal and diverse. “To me, it’s given local hip-hop heads a community for decades. Local performers, DJs, dancers all embraced it,” says local MC Michael “Mic Cause” Cosentino of Drunken Immortals. This weekend, Consentino and numerous other Blunt Club DJs, rappers, and regulars will gather at the Pemberton in downtown Phoenix to celebrate the 20th anniversary. Phoenix New Times spoke with many of them about the night and what it’s meant to them and to them and others in the Valley’s hip-hop scene for an oral history looking back on the 20-year journey of The Blunt Club. Blunt Club’s Beginnings The origins of The Blunt Club lay in the local nightlife and hip-hop scenes of the early 2000s. In spring 2002, Valley resident Keith Nichols and his family sold now-defunct Tempe dive and music venue Boston’s, which they’d owned for 11 years. His parents then bought sports bar Priceless Inn near Baseline Road and the Loop 101 freeway. Keith, who also managed popular local >> p 22 21 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES MAY 19TH– MAY 25TH, 2022
