No one wins at Apache’s final Mic Club
March 21st, 2008 by Jacinta Howard in Music news
BEST OF YESTERYEAR: Mic Club didn’t go out without a fight.
Mic Club — the weekly event hosted and promoted by Dres the Beatnik at Apache Cafe — gave up the ghost this past Tuesday before a packed house full of faithful followers.
The weekly show was canceled when Apache owner, Asa Fain and Dres couldn’t come to an agreement about Dres’ compensation. After a few circulated emails, with both men defending their decisions, things came to a head Tuesday.
Before the battles began, Dres took the mic, reminiscing about the event and its numerous helpers and supporters, proudly adding that for the past six years the show always went on — rain, sleet or snow. He also mentioned that 10 million DVDs had been sold that chronicled Mic Club, bellowing that the “World Famous Mic Club will never die!”
The words “love and loyalty” were repeatedly slipped into his diatribe, as he not so subtly suggested that he was shown none by the Apache owners.
“The only thing we ask is that you take care of the people that take care of you, and that’s why we’re at this point now,” he said.
Despite the original idea behind the event, the mediocre emcees were mostly props for Mic Club’s colorful ending. Shortly after 2 a.m., Dres got onstage for the final battle, but ended up sidetracked, deciding instead to talk about his troubled relationship with Apache.
At that point, Asa grabbed the mic from the soundboard at the back of the club, urging Dres to “talk about it” with him, before getting on stage and suggesting that Dres wasn’t telling the entire story.
He then said that Dres wanted “20 percent of the bar and kitchen, and 100 percent of the door,” which made no sense for him business-wise.
Dres, with the support of the crowd, insisted that if it weren’t for Mic Club, no one would know of the Apache. Asa reminded Dres that it was Asa’s and the late DJ Ox’s idea in the first place. Agitated, Dres let the crowd speak, who animatedly declared that they loved Mic Club, throwing cups toward the stage at Asa.
Finally, bested by the crowd, Asa left the stage and the crowd, and Dres continued to share memories about the event.
In the end, Asa and Dres’ verbal sparring trumped the emcees’ — and no rapper was declared a winner for the night.
A fitting finale to an event that thrived on battles.
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March 21st, 2008 at 2:28 pm
it’s such a bummer. and basically right before our cover on atl’s hip-hop scene and community. had a writer talk to both of them and still can’t figure out why we had to loose mic club.
March 22nd, 2008 at 11:13 am
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March 23rd, 2008 at 9:56 pm
at least one person in this conflict is a grade A moron with an over-inflated ego.
no worries - someone else will step in to fill the void with a quickness and mic club will just be a faint memory.
and such is progress.
March 25th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
I was at the MIC CLUB Final Show last Tuesday. And I watched in Horror… If You were at a job for over 6 Years made Your employer a lot of Money and asked for a raise and You got a dollar extra after all of that time…. What would You do? I\\\’m suprised that He didn\\\’t leave sooner!!! I mean DAMN!! You people act like he shouldn\\\’t have asked for anything!! I\\\’ve seen Dres do some Great things and I\\\’ve seen him do some really Fucked up Shit, but guess what he\\\’s Human!!! I won\\\’t say that Asa was robbing him but to offer a raise with stipulations is the equivalent of not giving a Raise & that\\\’s FUCKED UP on Asa\\\’s part!! During that entire exchange the Reporter forgot to mention that Dres had made 3 other offers. She was there as was I and she forgot that!? who goes into a negotiation with one offer. The standard is 100% of the Door or very close to it. Wesley mentioned that someone will step in to fill the void of Mic Club. I doubt it, although I know someone will try, that\\\’s a pretty impressive streak. Good luck with that, whomever decides to jump in that Grave. The thing that gets me about all of the backlash with the MIC CLUB situation at Apache is that Promoters weren\\\’t even thinking about Apache Cafe or a Live Hip Hop Event on a Tuesday before 4Kings got there. Now all of a sudden everybody wants to get in there because it\\\’s already been broken in by 4Kings. Dres is a hell of a Host and does a Great Job given what He had to work with. Jacinta mentioned that the MC\\\’s were \\
March 26th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
gang mentality working here. while the host was good it would never have gone down without Apache. Apache should have at least half the friggin credit for what was built. are you kiddin me? apache is one of the best spots in town. i’ve seen some of the most amazing shows there that had nothing to do with tues night. there are obviously reasons that it ended that we just don’t know. everbody assumes that dres was owed something here. was he held hostage or sumthing. wasn’t it dres that threw the first stone here? w/o mic club we”ll survuve, but w/o apache the city would be far less cool. they’ll come with some more hot sh*t…watch.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Good Points… Take notes… But consider this Did You know about Hip Hop at Apache before MIC CLUB? 4Kings Ent. has been in the Apache Cafe since day one. And came in there with a Rep for holding down Underground Hip Hop in Atlanta. Everyone also forgets that DJ OX was a partner in 4Kings Ent. with Dres. He was Dres\\\’s partner not Asa\\\’s. And like it or not If You put in good work You should get a Raise. and Not just Dres, The Band, The DJ\\\’s, the Sound & Security. But if the Club is making Money off the Bar & Door and the Promoter is just getting it off the Door. That only works for so long. 4Kings signed the deal granted but my guess is when it came time to ask for More money somebody was being greedy. And the Economics of the situation in terms of who made out with more overall point in the direction of the Venue.