Dres tha Beatnik pulls the plug on Mic Club at Apache Cafe
March 14th, 2008 by Rodney Carmichael in Music news
THE LAST STAND: Mic Club host/promoter Dres tha Beatnik (middle) says Mic Club won’t die. (photo by Zack Wolfe, taken from Mic Club’s MySpace page.)
After holding it down for 6 years at Apache Cafe, Mic Club — which won CL’s 2007 Critic’s Pick for Best Club Event — is calling it quits.
Next Tuesday’s show will be the last, says host and 4 Kings Entertainment promoter Dres tha Beatnik, who blamed the event’s sudden demise on failed renegotiations with Apache Cafe owner Asa Fain.
“They don’t want to give us what we need to stay,” says Dres.
According to Dres, his long-standing arrangement with Apache guaranteed him 60 percent of door receipts, but the best updated offer he says he received from Fain was a 70 percent take on door receipts on nights that net $1,500.
Fain counters that Dres “wanted 100 percent of the door and 20 percent of the kitchen and bar. I just don’t do those kinds of deals.” He admits the Tuesday night event was well-attended but disputes Dres’ average attendance numbers of 275.
“It’s a little bit insulting and disappointing because this show does mean something to a lot of people in Atlanta,” says Dres.
Fain says Dres let “pride get in the way” of what was originally a partnership that included the late Quinton “DJ Ox” Bradford Jr. and Fain’s own band.
“Now [Dres] wants to justify that it’s his thing, but now he’s made his bed and he’s gotta sleep in it. I’m not glad it’s over…. We had a great time. It was a blast. I’m sorry to see it go, [but] things change. It’s cool. I think people will miss it a little … but it’s time to get with the new.”
A monthly Mic Club event could be on the horizon, says Dres, who is looking at the Masquerade and Variety Playhouse as possible venues.
Meanwhile, Dres hopes other promoters in the city can learn from his experience.
“I wanna be able to have this serve as a lesson to up and coming promoters to know what to do and what not to do, and also for the general public to know how much this venue and this city [de]values independent hip-hop.”
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March 17th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
It is a shame that greedy venue owners are still operating. The event has been a great source of Hip Hop entertainment and from the acticle a good money maker. For a venue that can’t promote themself’s and basicly needs event like this to turn there noses up after so many years, i say I hope they close, I say bring back Ying Yang. The owner was right about one thing, it is time for the new, and they are the old. So shame on your venue and the owners. Hip Hop made you and now you bit the hand that feeds you, then shame on you. The event got the awards not the club, remember that. And once again, Shame on you.
March 18th, 2008 at 9:45 am
Whenever Tuesday night rolled around, I always knew where to go to have a great time. Everyone I brought to Mic Club always wanted to go back one more time and then one more time and then one more time. I can’t believe it’s no longer going down, but I respect DRES both as an artist and as a person and I’m sure he did what he felt he had to do. Mic Club was home for a lot of people, MC’s and regulars like myself. Just make sure it comes back. There’s such a great following that the place will be packed no matter the location.
March 26th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
“They don’t want to give us what we need to stay,†says Dres.
“It’s a little bit insulting and disappointing because this show does mean something to a lot of people in Atlanta,†says Dres.
one question: why does dres or anyone else think that the apache can give dres what he so authoritatively thinks he needs? obviously they can’t. what is so wrong with that? therefore you have a classic case of no deal’. dres took it personally cause he now is broke. ha ha.
& is dres paying apache’s bills?
dres is a punk to do this whole ‘poor mic club’ victim thing.
get the f#k out of town. you never did nothing for no one. you’re not foolin me or any one with a brain except those dumb doe-eyed college kids who eat your terds for treats.
oh yeah…tell your girl your a cheatin arse byatch for chinese girls.
shame on you dres!
March 28th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
I just commented on another MIC CLUB related story and decided to Copy and Paste it here and add more commentary. Hey Guru, Your Comment Sounds a little personal but whatever, You sound like You Own the place. Are You the Owner? LOL!!! Well let’s say you’re not and leave it there. For conversation’s sake consider this. As a Fan of Hip Hop, Did You or anyone reading this know about Hip Hop at Apache before MIC CLUB? 4Kings has been in the Apache Cafe since day one. And came in there with a Rep for holding down Underground Hip Hop in Atlanta. 4 years before The AVE @ APACHE (their Banner says “Being True School since 97) primarily because of Ox & Dres. Everyone also forgets that DJ OX was a partner in 4Kings with Dres. He was Dres’s partner not the owner of the Club’s!!! And like it or not, If You put in good work You should get a Raise. And the Show is the BEST CLUB EVENT in ATLANTA And FUCK that!! It’s not just about Dres, raises needed to be handed out across the board… The Band, The DJ’s, the Sound, Security & most importantly the MC’s that Won the Battle!!! HELLO!!! But if the Club is making Money off the Bar, the Kitchen & Door and the Promoter is just getting it off the Door. That only works for so long. Then the Economics of the situation just get fucked up. 4Kings signed the deal granted but my guess is when it came time to ask for More money somebody was being greedy. It’s a Fucked up situation all around. I mean 60/40 for over 6 years, ATL’s BEST CLUB EVENT and the counter offer was 70/30 after anything over $1500, NET! That sounds Fucked Up, period. The Crazy things is that eventually the Apache Cafe will give a Promoter 100% of the Door or close to it or will have to resort to being it’s own Promoter to cut costs. Which will end up producing a lower level of quality in the Venue overall, because the venue will be more focused on promoting the event rather than providing the best service to it’s customers. The other unfortunate alternative to that would be for the venue to just close it’s doors cause 100% or close to it IS what Promoters in Atlanta are getting Now and have been for a long while now. They’re bringing in paying Customers to Drink the Alcohol & Eat the Food, the Promoter is expecting to get full compensation for doing their job. Apache Cafe & Dres aren’t Special in this regard they are doing their Jobs simple and plain. Dres brings in the People and Produces a Show and Asa makes sure that they get Fed, can Drink & have a Room to do it in. Alcohol is overpriced in Clubs as is Food. I work in Hospitality and I know the mark up on a lot of this is Crazy. It’s just a Shame that when the Apache Cafe does decide to give some Promoter a deal like that, and they’ll or they’ll Die,the MIC CLUB and the people behind it won’t be the beneficiary of it. And as far as all of Us, College Students We were the ones that kept the place going and made it cool… We see how You view us and we won’t take it. Word Travels Fast my Friend… Word Travels Fast!!!
April 1st, 2008 at 3:12 am
guru…i dont know who you are but obviously you have some personal ties to the situation but dont have the balls to say who you are. or you have never owned or promoted for a club cause you would know the deal dres had was SO wack. mic club is the only good event at apache. mf’s go there on nights other than tues just on the strength of mic club. if you know anything about clubs and promotions you would know that dres should have been getting 100% of the door at the VERY least plus a piece of the bar AND that mf that owns that shit should have been puttin up money to bring in acts that dres booked.
club owners and promoters need eachother. in this case apache need dres more that he needs him
and yeah, im sure mic club was paying apache’s bills
May 19th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
I got a good Joke!
- How was the Grand Canyon formed?
- Someone dropped a mic in a crack and Dres tha Beatnik went and dug for the motherf*ck*r!
August 13th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
yea this was a good show i saw it grow from mabey 6 people too you just can get in the door one of the best coed crows in town a lot of money made on both sides i dont of any club owner that gives up a cut of the bar what kind of car are you trying too buy dres?
October 8th, 2008 at 6:51 am
I knew this day would come and I hope D.R.E.S would have grown up some more. I watch him take pieces out of the shows video to push his artist that brokered little deals with him for $ on projects and shine for them. The worst one was the night this guy name Apache came in and was not heckling at all just minding his own business. Yet has a rep around the streets of Atlanta as a underground artist. This guy came in a lot but just to watch. Anyways D.r.e.s spots him in the front and sees that he isn’t into the guy SOS who has been rapping at the club the whole night and nights B4. SOS had just won for the night with some not so good comp but had the inside connect with the crowd. D.r.e.s looks @ Apache and says something like oh you looking like you don’t like my man SOS, are you hot? Apache response of coarse I’m hot. So with out asking Apache is pulled into a battle. Then told if he loses he can never come back to the club. It look like Apache had a long ass night and just wanted a drink. So they go at it on a Jamaican beat out of all the beats that they could have used as far as hip hop. Apache rips the guy no stuttering no punch lines from other written rhymes. Yet no many in the crowd knew him from the club. How ever they knew SOS and D.r.e.s very well. As the show goes D.r.e.s is making faces while Apache is rapping and than give all kind of mental signs like he wants him banned from the club (listen to the count, when Apache raps/ZERO) lol. The parts that was took out the video is the start and the end. The end was not what D.r.e.s shows on You Tube. The crowd at first sounded like a tie so they ran it back and said they should battle once more. Even the owner ASA came to the stage and said wait that was bullshit. Apache daps ASA and says even though I didn’t come for all this I will leave. ASA says hell no shit your name is Apache but he leaves. I was so fucked up behind it when I bumped into a friend of Apache from Tupac’s group the Outlawz. He told me he was there because he had just left the studio with them and was thinking about bringing them to perform because he was like family with them. 6 months later I am going to the club every Tuesday like come on this dude got to come back and take some cats out. So I’m outside and a fight almost starts because D.r.es is yelling to Apache you can’t come in here Dog. Apache is like man ASA and I have a meeting he ask me to come. A chick comes out with ASA and brings Apache a drink and says come on in. ASA cusses D.r.e.s out saying you don’t have the power to band people from my club. While inside D.r.es gets on the mic and tells everyone that Apache got his ass rip and isn’t suppose to be in the club. Apache goes to rush D.r.es but they grab him and pull him in the kitchen D.r.es keeps going on and on about Apachi. After that night I never seen that dude until the You Tube posting. The dude had respect for the show, for ASA and was damn good off the head. After that night I started paying more attention and I see how D.r.e.s was putting out clips and chopping in a way that fit his motives. Also I asked the dude that runs with the Outlawz did he know why D.r.es keep going in on Apache (Artist). He said man look first Apache is his nick name not his stage name. Second Apache was dating a girl that D.r.e.s wanted for a long time when all that happen. So that’s when I said damn we could have missed one of the best performances in Apache Café because of D.r.e.s has extra motives for pussy. Yeah any one can say what they want but the real truth is D.r.es plays on the fact that these kids want to be famous legends then capitalize off their skills and door charge. I think that D.r.e.s will always be a underground hog that will make it appear he is doing things for hip hop but lacks the money to book any artist that cost. On top of the fact he chases pussy over maybe the next big artist to blow. Before you diss the club and get all on the side of a guy who couldn’t find away for the majors to pay him. Put your self in Apache’s shoes the damn dude just came for a drink.lol In the video they have the words up some one in the crowd heckles, but you don’t hear Apache heckling because he wasn’t I was right there to know it. I will wait for some of you to come at me wrong about this and break down some more fake ass Mic Club stunts. D.r.e.s may get famous but he will always struggle and hustle. He is not a business man and not a true rep for Hip Hop. Don’t let him standing by KRS1 who we tries to be like fool yawl.
Google Apache VS SOS Mic Club Battle at Apachi Cafe.