set and still haven’t told us whether they’re in or not, and Chuck D. announces, “Hey, after this, we’re going to be at The Blunt Club.” And [we] went, “Oh, shit.” Dumper: By the time we got over to Hollywood Alley, there were 300 people lined up outside. Around midnight, there was this bang on the back door and Public Enemy’s security came in with flashlights and started moving people around. Cosentino: And then in walks [Public Enemy and] Chuck D. starts doing all their old-school joints: “Nation of Millions,” “Fight the Power,” and “Bring the Noise.” McVay: Public Enemy didn’t rob the crowd of their full show. They played for more than an hour and gave us the show that they would’ve gave a bigger venue. To see Chuck D up there ripping such a small stage and with such an intimate crowd was incredible. Roqy Tyraid, local MC: I was underage at the time and snuck in. There’s no way to describe how important that was to me. It was my entry point into The Blunt Club. I was an up-and-coming rapper and remember getting into cyphers in a parking lot [after the show]. It was such a hip-hop experience. Professor Griff, former member of Public Enemy: Yeah, that [show] was a minute ago, man. I remember Arizona, of course. I remember the good people [and] how we got treated was very, very wholesome. Justus Samuel, co-owner and promoter of Respect Tha Underground: That shit was legend and put Blunt Club on the map. It wouldn’t have happened unless they made it happen. Dumper: We definitely got bigger after Public Enemy. Heading For Club Red The Blunt Club eventually got so big that in 2008, its promoters felt it was time to move again, this time to now-defunct Tempe venue Club Red and its adjacent bar, Red Owl. Dumper: Our shows were getting bigger, the acts approaching us were getting bigger, so we needed to find a larger space in the same part of town. We’d gotten an offer from Club Red to go there, so that’s why we moved. Quick: Once we got to Club Red, that’s when we started doing more partnerships with UM, who were getting bigger and better acts. A lot of are shows became really large scale where we drew 700 or 800. We still had locals out and our usual elements, but things were more performer-driven. Dumper: Digable Planets and Evidence were both really cool shows we did with Universatile Music. Word really got out to other states by then, because we had so many groups coming through on a regular basis that if you were touring the Southwest, we were probably the place to play. Murs, rapper and former Arizona resident: The Blunt Club is an Arizona institution. At Coachella, I’ve met people who’d say, “Oh, I saw you at Blunt Club.” In Germany, I’ve had people say, “I’ve seen you at Blunt Club.” Around the world, wherever I go, people know The Blunt Club. Samuel: The Blunt Club has really catered to the indie hip-hop, conscious, and backpack styles [of hip-hop] whereas Respect Tha Underground and other promoters have catered to the grittier, more street side of [hip-hop]. That’s not a slight; they have their lane and have owned it. What they’ve done was necessary, so there’s been a balance to the [Valley] scene. Quick: Stuff like [backpack, indie, conscious rap] is what a lot of us have been into, so we booked what we liked. We defi- nitely weren’t a mainstream night. The people who went there were artists them- selves. The crowds were full of really talented MCs, DJs, and graffiti artists. Pickster: There’s been a few hip-hop weeklies that have popped up but none of ‘em were in direct competition with Blunt Club. Even when like [bygone hip-hop night] Groove Candy moved to Thursdays, people tried to make that a big deal out of it [in the late 2000s]. Dumper: I think people who were trying to compare two different types of hip-hop nights that were doing things that really didn’t have anything to do with each other. We were doing our stuff and they’re doing R&B and more rap. We’ve all gone to each other’s nights and were cool with each other. Changing Things Up By 2010, the Blunt Club underwent a number of changes. It moved to Tempe’s Yucca Tap Room and both McVay and Quick amicably parted ways with the night. McVay: I just couldn’t commit to doing it every Thursday. Bionic Jive was battling with our record label and I was struggling to make a living. There was so much shit going on and I couldn’t afford to be there 50 percent of the time. I felt like I’d be letting the guys down, so I stepped down and let some of the other dudes step up in my place. It turned out to be okay, and The Blunt Club didn’t miss a beat. Quick: We kind of came to the end of the era where it was huge show after huge show and it started hurting us where some nights [the cover] was $10 on nights where we just had locals only. The [financial] crisis was still going on and it got where one week would be 200 people and 400 the next. There was inconsistency. And it felt like we kind of wanted to get back to the roots of what Blunt Club was, so we started talking about moving it to Yucca. Then at that meeting, I also told [Dumper] I was moving to Flagstaff in six months with my family. I just wanted to help get them to a new place and then I was out. Quick: Doug had to step away cause he had kids and was doing dad stuff, so me and Pickster started running things. Pickster: After Emerg left, we had a few different hosts, like [local rappers] Reuben Martinez and Mouse Powell. Mouse Powell, local rapper and former Blunt Club host: I grew up on Arizona hip-hop and was a fan of Blunt >> p 26 25 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES MAY 19TH– MAY 25TH, 2022
