Nightmare on Madison:

Keeping Memphis Music Live The Memphis Way

Location: Shangri La Records | 1916 Madison Avenue

Vendor Market: 3 pm
Live Music: 6 pm

About a month ago, I took my lunch break to spend it in the cluttered back office at Shangri La with Lil Noid to pitch them a Horrorcore Halloween concert. I sat on the stairs while Noid sat on the floor and laid down. John and Ezra (Shangri La) kindly offered us chairs that we both declined funny enough. As an HVAC technician, Noid's response was, "this is exactly where I want to be."

That was our pitch meeting: me on the stair, Noid stretched out on the floor, and an idea we hoped they would believe in. The idea was simple: host a free concert celebrating Memphis' Horrorcore Rap Scene with all the artists committed to perform for free. Within 5 minutes, Shangri La was willing to host their venue space for free.

Immediately, we began to brainstorm, walked outside to figure out the stage location and how everything would fit. What began as a conversation in Shangri La's back office was becoming something we could actually picture, in-person.

Now that idea is Nightmare on Madison: a free, all ages Halloween block party at Shangri La Records on October 31.

The lineup brings together Memphis rap pioneers, alongside emerging artists to celebrate the sounds that inspired artists across the world. The lineup brings together:

DJ Zirk x Lil Noid x Tom Skeemask x Tommy Wright III x Iron Mic Coalition x D-SUUPPA x E-Mane x Craig Fermata

Special guests: La Chat x M.C. Mack x Doll Face Toni x Dirty Fresh x Madd Keys

I’m grateful that these artists have agreed to give their time and talent to make this happen. Shangri La is providing the space for free, and Wiseacre has donated beer, with proceeds going toward artist compensation. People are contributing what they can because they believe in the event.

Your donation will go directly toward compensating the artists, helping us keep Nightmare on Madison free for everyone.

This is why I do The Memphis Way: to give Memphis artists a reason to stay in Memphis, a city that has created sounds heard around the world. My personal and professional work (which is always volunteered work) in music and music-centered policy comes back to one question: How do we help Memphis artists build sustainable careers that allow them to stay here?

That means paid opportunities and a community that supports their work. That starts with us. We, as Memphians, need to collectively need to start investing in our artists. Otherwise, as history has proved, our globally recognized musicians and performers will leave our city, taking with them sounds beloved by literally everyone in the world.

Free access to a legendary lineup on a Halloween on a Saturday supports that effort; but is just one mere step in a multi-faceted dynamic. We've celebrated our musical past, yelled "whoop that trick" at every grizzlies game," and named streets after some of our best. However well intended, we still haven't adequately invested in our city's best product: our musicians and creatives. Now, it is time for us to put our money where our mouth is. Let's show up, as a community, to show love for our artists and ourselves to keep that Memphis sound in Memphis.

Mind you that this all started in that back office: a few people bringing what they have, believing in an idea, and starting to figure it out together. This concert has grown through those kinds of contributions. However, we still need your help through donations. Your donation will go directly toward compensating the artists, helping us keep Nightmare on Madison free for everyone. Donate what you can, share the campaign, and come spend Halloween with us, The Memphis Way.

Nightmare on Madison

Memphis Horrorcore Reunion Block Party

Team Leaderboard

Team Members