Funky low-riders lined the West San Francisco Street drag last Saturday night, just as the state’s most innovative hip-hop artists filled the Lensic Performing Arts Center to celebrate their craft. They were here for the second annual New Mexico Hip-Hop Awards, and they came from cities such as Albuquerque and Las Cruces to underline the work being done in their home state.
These young wordsmiths, many of them still working day jobs, walked the red carpet in their black-tie best and rocked the stage, filling a venue that’s often reserved for jazz virtuosos and traveling ballet troupes. And in a music genre known for boasting and friendly battling, these artists distinguished themselves with humility and zeal to promote their fellow performers.
Here, nestled in the Rockies and far from the glamour of such hip-hop hotbeds as New York and Los Angeles, there’s a cultural revolution brewing. And these young rappers, all distinguished in their own right, find common pride in sporting the Zia and name-checking their hometowns and high schools.
For this interested observer, not knowing any of the performers beforehand, it was a delightful melange of styles and a diverse surprise from act to act. From the first award of the evening — the Land of Entrapment Award, given to a local artist who produces a song containing clear, thematic references to New Mexico — it was an in-state love-fest. Another award was presented and named in the memory of Wake Self, an Albuquerque rapper killed by a drunk driver in 2019.
Spencer Fordin
The winner of the latter, Albuquerque-based rapper Siddiq Silguero, gave a brief and moving speech during which he said he had overcome drug addiction and a prison stint to be standing on stage; he now works to help people in his community avoid making the same mistakes he made.
Albuquerque’s Dremon won Hip-Hop Song of the Year for “Shiftin’,” his breakthrough anthem that was recently included in the nation-wide release of video game NBA 2K24. Standout performers included Miah Anthony, Alexx Cloud, JGray, and Mike Baty, and from the perch of the fifth-row aisle seat, the cool part was how accessible the stage and these performers were. They could easily have been seated next to you, and if not, they just passed by a few feet away.
Many of the artists were on hand for a pre-show meet-and-greet , and then as the audience filtered in, many people shared the red carpet with the hip-hop artists without knowing it. During the intermission, the rappers and dancers stood out front with the crowd, accepting congratulations and paying the love forward.
The event was hosted by Black Diamond Productions, a company run by a local performer who goes by the handle of Sove C.R., and multiple artists who hit the stage thanked the hosts for not just staging the event but also for getting all these artists and fans under one roof.
You almost had to feel for one befuddled onlooker, a boomer busker in Burro Alley warbling off-key to a karaoke tape of Bob Dylan. This wasn’t the best night to fill your empty hat, kind sir.
Rather, this was a night for the next generation, the local hip-hop artists who are pounding out homemade beats and bars in relative obscurity and inspiring their neighbors to pick up a mic themselves. Here, in community, they proved that people are listening, and they proved that the Land of Enchantment is a fertile place for artists who are willing to give each other a boost to the next level.
