Just when you thought Hiphop's passion was out the window - there is a
weekly event called Tru Skool in Washington, D.C that proves you wrong. Tru Skool
is held every Friday, from 7pm to 11pm, and it€™s FREE!  This is an all-ages event held at
a vinyl record store called Capital City Records. It€™s a place where you still feel the
passion, excitement, and rawness of Hiphop. There is NO censorship and the only rules are to
respect the mic, yourself, and the establishment.

There is no corporate sponsorship.  It€™s just people donating talent, time,
money, and space to keep Hiphop culture alive.
Tru Skool was founded by DJ Underdog, MC Sporatic and Born Infinite in 1999. The first event was at Bintumani Night Club.
The name Tru Skool becomes clear as "thugged out" rappers come through and
the host, Enoch, teaches them about freestyling. Many young rappers are faced
with veteran emcees to battle and find out that they can only talk about
killing for so long.  They are forced to come up with better lyrics and
concepts. X.O., a regular, calls it the Gold€™s Gym for an emcee and say€™s it
is where he learned Hiphop fellowship.  Shahid Mustafa calls it an emcee bootcamp with
an audience.  It€™s the only place where you can walk straight into a cypha and release
your stress. All creative art forms are welcome.

For many aspiring artists it is easy to forget why you love music and Hiphop
in the first place.  Tru Skool is a weekly reminder and inspiration. The
three DJ's, Underdog, Damu, and Earth1ne bring a different vibe and mood to the
performers, so there is never a boring night.  Producers bring their beats
anytime and they can just be put on the spot for people to rhyme over; graffiti art
is on the wall from local artists; there is the weekly public service
announcement from MR. Vic and DJ Soyo, who always brings a positive message about
self-motivation, unity, and community service.

This is the place where all aspects of Hiphop come together and just have
Fun. The 50 Cents, Mike Jones, Lil Johns, and Kanye Wests come together with
the Bootcamps, Krs, Premiers, and Wise Intelligents of the streets. This all
while surrounded by vinyl records at Capital City Records. (1020 U ST NW,
Washington DC 20001 Tel.  202-518-2444)

It is not unusual for Artists to pop up like AD from the Cold Crush
Brothers,  J Sands from Lone Catalysts, Krs One, Immortal Technique,
Gangstar, Jeru, Afu-Ra, Little Brother, and Craig G to name a few...

READ TO SEE WHAT BEAT GRINDER IS ABOUT Here are the rules:

Entry Information:

Registration fee is $5.00 by October 7^th and $10.00 between Oct. 8^th and Oct. 12^th. No registration after  Oct. 12th !!!!

Registration is to be completed at The Universal Caperio Angelo Center (1351 U Street, NW ). To qualify, producers must drop off a beat cd with 5, 1 minute, beats at 1351 U street. If you have entered before, do not submit the same qualification cd you used previously. We will disqualify you.

There is no theme for this Beat Grinder. Producers will receive a copy of a chosen song, once they complete their registration and pay the entry fee, that is to be used to make 1 song 1 minute long. The song made from the sample given is not to be included on the qualification cd. This song is only for the night of the battle.

The top 10 producers out of all entries will be chosen for the battle. If you are chosen for the battle you will receive a phone call or e-mail on the 11^th or 12^th letting you know to be ready. If we leave you a message you will be given a deadline to return our call so that we know you will be available for the battle. If you do not return the call by the deadline someone else will be chosen as your replacement.

ALL ENTRIES WILL BE REVIEWED PRIOR TO COMPETITION AND 10 WILL BE SELECTED

***************ABSOLUTELY NO REFUNDS***************

Notes for night of battle (October 13th):

Chosen producers must be at The Universal Caperioa ( 1351 U Street NW, WDC) by 6:30pm to check in.

Producers are not to bring their equipment, only a cd. We suggest you bring 2 cds in case there is a problem with one.

Battle starts at 9:00pm.

10 producers - 3 rounds - 1 minute per beat demonstration.

Producers need to bring roughly 20 beats. We suggest bringing 20 beats in case of a tie. If there is a tie, producers will need to go head-to-head until the judges can decide who moves to the next round.

Judging notes:

Judges panel will consist of at least one dj, producer, and mc. There will be 4-5 judges.

Judging categories include: Technical Structure, Drums, Mixing, Crowd Response, & Nod Factor.