The Cincinnati hip-hop scene is on the rise with a new venue for live cypher performances coming to the village of Elmwood Place. Interested artists from all over the Midwest will get the opportunity to freestyle with a DJ, creating a live mix on the spot.
This concept of rap cyphers is instrumental to the hip-hop community, dating back to the origins of hip-hop in places like Brooklyn and Detroit, where underground rap venues would hold cyphers to showcase the best rappers in the city. A cypher is a collaborative and competitive event where artists exchange verses, often freestyling and feeding off of each other’s energy and lyrics.
The new cypher spot, Up Norf, was influenced by the popular XXL magazine freestyle, which goes viral every year for introducing the new kids on the block to the rap industry. The hip-hop-focused magazine is the platform behind numerous viral moments. The 2016 Freshman Class freestyle is notably one of the most memorable, helping launch the careers of Kodak Black, 21 Savage, Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Yatchy. Recently, with the new wave of female rappers sweeping the rap industry, the platform held an all-women cypher featuring new artists like Monaleo, Mello Buckzz and Maiya the Don. The video has over 3 million views on the XXL YouTube channel.
Up Norf owner and local hip-hop manager Jake Lemaster says it’s time to bring more awareness to the talent right here in the city. Lemaster is hoping to create a wave similar to the XXL magazine freestyle platform, but this one belonging solely to Cincinnati and promoting local artists. The Up Norf cyphers are set to drop every two weeks. Information on the artists being featured will be available on Lemaster’s Instagram.
Lemaster is looking forward to launching this new hip-hop outlet in his hometown.
“My broad view on Cincinnati is we don’t have a platform; we don’t have anything that can push these artists into the industry,” Lemaster said. “We don’t have something that can get eyes on them outside of Cincinnati. I want this to be national.”
Although Up Norf is destined to be known as the cypher spot based in Cincinnati, Lemaster is reaching for a much wider audience. The music industry has a major impact on a lot of surrounding cities like Louisville, Detroit, and Chicago, and Lemaster hopes the same influence will soon be on the horizon for Cincinnati.
Lemaster says he has big plans for the venue set to debut in the spring of 2025.
Lemaster has been involved with the local hip-hop community for over five years. He manages many Ohio hip-hop artists such as Nico Santana, Sahn Larahn, Universe DQ and more.
“I really just love the whole environment,” Lemaster said. “It’s my dream job. This is what I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid. It’s just me; I love music.” This is truly a passion project for Lemaster. His love for music is so strong he says he just wants to share that with his community and bring back the musical richness the city has to offer.
Although his love for music motivates him as a manager, Lemaster’s interest in creating a supportive platform that belongs to Cincinnati is what fueled the soon-to-come city gem.
Up Norf will be located in a multi-use building full of creative spaces like art studios, Rar3 Vision recording studio and Jalen “Real Guap Demi” Edmenson videography/photography studios. The cypher’s space is located in a single suite Lemaster occupies and consists of a hand-painted backdrop done by local artists Alex Thornberry and Rashad Orlando. Lemaster described his idea for the backdrop mural as simplistic but special. He says the vibe is “so Cincinnati.”
“I like to be unique; I like to be individual, so what I’m doing is going to be different,” Lemaster said. “I want to catch your eye first and then you’ll have to tap in and see who these artists are.”
Lemaster is hoping that by bringing this venue to the city, it’ll help reconnect the hip-hop community and bring new listeners to local hip-hop. He plans to use the platform to show unity in the industry. One way he’ll be doing so is in the backdrop design. The giant spray-painted canvas has a 3D look to it. The toned backdrop mimics a room with graffiti-covered walls, with an open roof showing the Cincinnati skyline and signs for Ohio cities like Cincinnati, Cleveland, Akron, etc.
Lemaster says the process of building and creating this space was very strategic. “We need platforms like this,” Lemaster said. “I’m just doing my part and trying to push forward with it. We’re centrally located in the city, easy for everyone to get to…I really plan on any type of way I can use this space, use the platform, use these cyphers to put Cincinnati on the map. I’m gonna do it.” Lemaster is hoping that the city meets him halfway by bringing the musical richness back to Cincinnati.
“The name is really to signify Ohio and kind of just the region of where we’re at: ‘Up Norf,’” Lemaster said. “The whole goal of the backdrop is to catch people’s eyes off the jump and, number two, just signifies Ohio because I really just want to put Cincinnati into that upper tier in the industry.”
Lemaster hopes for the platform to be on the same level of larger freestyle platforms, like On The Radar and Back of the class (BOTC), by the second year of production. It was extremely important to Lemaster for the city of Cincinnati itself to be the focal point. Lemaster says he just wants people to know Cincinnati is “like that” too, in comparison to some larger, musically-inclined cities.
“Really I want to surprise people as much as I can,” Lemaster said. “I want every two weeks when these drop for people to be like, ‘Oh wow, he’s got him on there,’ or, ‘Oh, she’s on there now;’ that’s the vibe I want — to catch people’s eyes and catch their ears. I want them to stop scrolling.” The hip-hop community in Cincinnati is full of talent but lacks a very important aspect that could put the hip-hop scene on the map: local support. Lemaster is counting on Up Norf to open the door for a much broader audience.
Although the cyphers will not be open to the public, Lemaster’s goal is to use Up Norf as a promotion to bring artists together for more local concerts. Lemaster says he wants the hip-hop cyphers to be enjoyable for all.
“It’ll be across all platforms,” Lemaster said. “I plan on making a YouTube channel for it, Instagram account, TikTok. I plan on recording the audio and uploading these cyphers on Spotify and Apple Music so people can listen to them like real songs as well.”
Artists are encouraged to reach out to Lemaster if they’re interested in participating in the rap cypher. Each cypher will include 3-6 artists and a mix by Slim the DJ. Artists are encouraged to rehearse prior to the big performance because the cyphers are filmed live. Artists and DJs interested in showcasing their mixing talent and looking for exposure can inquire about participating in the Up Norf cypher by sending a DM to Lemaster’s Instagram. The creative space is open to all artists, not just rappers.
Lemaster is hoping that the platform helps the local music community gain more recognition as a whole. “It’s going to be open to all artists of all genres,” Lemaster said.
The hip-hop events will be shown on YouTube and other social media platforms. When the platforms are officially up, supporters will be able to view and even suggest artists they want to see featured on Up Norf. To keep up with the schedule of events, follow Jake Lemaster on Instagram.
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This article appears in Mar 19 – Apr 2, 2025.