I stopped by Chicago’s Red Bull Big Tune last night at the Metro between the two different YP events (which were both dope, by the way), and it was definitely at capacity. Besides the fact that it was 400 degrees in there (No Juuuuuvaay!), hip hop heads were thirsty for a beat battle (still trying to grasp the concept), to hear Just Blaze spin and to hear Little Brother (thanks for the shout, Phonte!).
My man on the scene (pause it!) Brandon Riley has some footage coming later on, but for now, I did hear that Chicago’s own J-Rell was crowned victorious. I was back by the bar (of course) so I couldn’t hear exactly who was doing what (I did catch Rob Bates set and he killed it), so I can’t really give you much from my end (worthless blogger, I know). But here’s the official, official:
Chicago (July 23, 2009) – The Metro was bursting at the seams tonight when more than 1,000 people crowded the floor to root for their favorite producer at Red Bull Big Tune Chicago. In traditional dancehall fashion, the winner of each battle was decided by the audience and moved on to the next level in the bracketed competition. Although many East Coast producers took to the stage, it was once again a Chicagoan, J-Rell, who took home the title of Red Bull Big Tune Beat Master. J-Rell will represent the Windy City in the national championship in Atlanta this fall.
“It felt good. I finally made it,” said J-Rell who after three years competing finally finished first. “It was really nerve racking with people like Little Brother and Just Blaze watching you, but the crowd really responded. Ya know, you just got it, and you couldn’t wish for more.”