Kevin Beacham Interview

Kevin Beacham is a marketing manager and hip hop educator/activist residing in Minneapolis, MN. He started as a DJ in 1981 while watching local DJs spin in Karlsrue, Germany. Years later, he met DJ Pill in Fort Riley, KS and learned how to work two turntables. Kevin also picked up rhyming and production, but his passion for vinyl collecting trumped the other art forms. Kevin later became an integral part of Rhymesayers Entertainment, Scribble Jam, Minnesota Public Radio, and others. He started his first company, Rage Production, providing an affordable studio for local artists to record demos and learn other tools. In 1992, Kevin’s career as a writer began, contributing to FifthElementOnline.com, URB Magazine, Ohword.com, and more. In 1995, he founded the Time Travel Show at Northwestern University radio station, which was an educational hip hop show teaching history of artists, regions, and cultural influences. In 1996, Kevin joined Mr. Dibbs and the Scribble Jam staff as a battle coordinator, and later became co-head organizer for the entire event. Scribble Jam was one of the world’s largest hip hop festivals and most highly influential battle leagues for 14 years. It was responsible for helping launch the careers Eminem, Brother Ali, Atmosphere, Sage Francis, Rhymefest, Eyedea, and more. In 2002, Kevin landed a Product Manager position with Rhymesayers Entertainment and moved to Minneapolis, MN. In 2006, he developed a curriculum to launch the Hip Hop Essentials class at The Institute of Production & Recording. Kevin teaches and coordinates the Rhymesayers staff and artists to provide an informative, real-world learning experience. He also the co-directs the Institute For Hip Hop Knowledge at Hamline University.