Tallahassee’s Underground Sound

Tallahassee’s music scene is filled with unique sounds, original music, and if you are a fan of Hip-Hop culture, you will not be disappointed.

Through local bars or community events, Tallahassee offers an array of opportunities for underground talent and for young and hungry artists, many being college students, to share their gifts of sound all under one roof.

One of the many advantages of being an artist in Tallahassee is the demographic of college students allows everyone the opportunity to network and share ideas. These students represent a variety of diverse backgrounds and trends are constantly changing.

William Harris II, aka ‘Willie Beema’, an artist from Jacksonville, Fla., came to Tallahassee to pursue his education in music, and felt like Tallahassee is a great platform to break out as an artist.  

“An advantage of being a musician in Tally (Tallahassee) is the fact that so many people come from different parts of the country and collaborate and hopefully become successful.”

Success is relative to each artist. Just being able to come out and perform at different venues is enough for some artists while others see Tallahassee as a mere stepping stone towards bigger opportunities.

“In my opinion Tallahassee has great opportunity for establishing a foundation that can prepare artists for the next level of the music industry. Success can come in many forms depending on that particular person perception of what success is,” said Harris. “What makes me hopeful for success in Tallahassee is the connections that I gained in this city will last a lifetime.”

Other artists feel Tallahassee has a long way to go. Despite local support and venues that constantly host musicians, the public is not always there. Seymour Thompson, a club owner and event specialist, believes more support could go a long way.

“The biggest thing is support, I have worked with over fifty plus independent labels and artists around Tallahassee and even did showcases where the winner got cash prizes, studio time, graphics…but nothing works without support,” said Thompson. “I would recommend artists to open up for bigger artists when they come to town.”

Much of what makes and breaks the local music scene is the local support. Social media is an obvious avenue in terms of creating a buzz, especially since music thrives on social media. Local artists can benefit merely from word of mouth.

Josh Brown, aka “Omega Crimson’, a biology student at Florida A&M University, promotes his music on social media and believes that he receives most his tractions online.

“The great thing about a college town like Tallahassee is, one person might enjoy your show, take a video, and send it to friends. Post it online, and all of a sudden there is this buzz on a song I decided to play on a whim,” said Crimson. “College kids are cool like that. If they like something, they talk about it but the same goes if you suck.”