Mondays are usually pretty slow event wise in Orlando. On June 2nd I discovered Hip Hop Night at Austin’s Coffee (929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL). The event runs every Monday and starts at 10pm. I got there early and ordered diner and a Yak iced coffee. The staging area was still set up for hipsters consuming food and information off the Internet. Eventually the stage was cleared so the DJ could set up his beats and a lone microphone was set up for performers.
This is an open mic night meaning anyone could perform. I met a comedian from SAK Comedy Lab who brings aspiring comics to the open mic to test their improv chops. A young woman stepped up to the mic and her first line of rap confessed that this was her first time. As the lines and rhymes fell into place the crowd cheered. With no script, this really was a tight rope walk with no net. Some performers were incredibly polished but the sound system and the rapid fire stream of lyrics made it difficult to keep up with the performances.
Mark Your Calendars! Hip Hop Night is every Monday night from 10pm to 2am at Austin’s Coffee. Be a voyeur like me or step up to the mic and see what happens. Regardless it is a fast paced inspired night.