Jay Brookens has been volunteering with the Chreece hip-hop festival since the first year in 2015. Three years later, he helped organize the day-long music festival in Fountain Square, along with founder Oreo Jones and Jane Kim.
This year’s festival, on Saturday, August 24, will be headlined by national acts Curren$y and Dem Franchize Boyz. Over 70 R&B, hip-hop and rap acts will perform at seven neighborhood venues including Fountain Square Plaza, White Rabbit Cabaret and Square Cat Vinyl. The festival starts at noon and tickets are $10 to $75.
As Brookens gears up for Chreece, he spoke to Mirror Indy about how to get the most from the festival, whether it’s your first time attending, or you’ve been going for years.
“Come with an open mind”
“There’s going to be a lot of different artists there that you may or may never have heard of,” Brookens said. “I want people to go see artists that you’re familiar with and stick around for some artists you’ve never heard of. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the caliber of artists we have here in the city.”
Don’t miss these acts
“If I was going to the festival, I would see 4200kory, who’s going to be playing at the HIFI, and I would see Eli G,” Brookens said.
“If you’re into R&B, Jacob Alexander would be a really good person to catch; he’s performing with a live band. Joosi is a female artist that’s really tearing it up right now.”
Also recommended: the Circle City Battle League, which will host two rap battles starting at 7:40 p.m. at the White Rabbit Cabaret. Pope Adrian Bless will take on Dead Silence in one round, with Sonny Arquette and Feeray competing in the other.
“Escape for the day”
Chreece organizers start planning the festival around January or February, selecting lineups, finding vendors and recruiting volunteers. Over the years, Brookenz said has seen the hard work pay off.
“That whole day is just like a big joy of people,” he said. “One of the big payoffs is when people come up to me after and say, ‘This is the best thing I’ve ever been to.’
“We want to give people an escape for the day and bask in the glory of Naptown hip-hop, and I’m blessed to be able to help provide that experience.”
Celebrate DJ Indiana Jones on August 23
The late Ron Miner – who grew up on the westside and was known as DJ Indiana Jones – was an integral part of Chreece and the local hip-hop and DJ scene. After Miner died of a heart attack in 2020, the DJ Indiana Jones Scholarship was created to support young, aspiring DJs.
In 2022, a mural was painted in his honor on the side of the Vogue in Broad Ripple, where he got his start as a DJ.
On Friday, August 23, Chreece will host the first DJ Battle Royale from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Tube Factory artspace in Miner’s honor. Sixteen local DJs will compete for the top spot, with proceeds going toward the scholarship fund.
“We miss this guy every single day,” Brookenz said, “And this DJ Battle represents his lane of hip-hop.”
The suggested donation to watch the battle is $20.
Mirror Indy reporter Breanna Cooper covers arts and culture. Email her at breanna.cooper@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @BreannaNCooper.
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