Public Zoo presents Gulf Wars 4

Kevin Mack and Mark Campion hang up flyers promoting Gulf Wars 4 taking place on Nov 12 at House of Rock at 8 p.m.

Devin Tyler/Staff Writer

This Saturday, Public Zoo and Produce Gallery will present the 4th Annual Gulf Wars  – an expanding independent emcee battle league – Saturday from 8 p.m. until midnight at the House of Rock, 511 Starr St. MC, CEO and founder of Gulf Wars Mark Champion will host the Saturday event and a pre-party Friday from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Produce, 415 Peoples Street.

Gulf Wars – born on December 3, 2010 and inspired by a love for hip hop culture and other emcee battle leagues such as GrindTimeNow and KingOfTheDot – Gulf Wars is the first of its kind in Corpus Christi.

“I decided last year in 2010 to start my own league here, giving local emcees the chance to showcase their skills with lyrical delivery and written material. We’ve grown a buzz, not just in Corpus but all throughout Texas in less than 11 months,” Champion said.

Gulf Wars’ premiere was held at Produce Gallery Downtown and Jake Salinas, QbDaProblem and Mark Champion who are members of Public Zoo founded Gulf Wars.

Public Zoo is a hip-hop collective crew of individuals who are b-boys (break dancing), graffiti artists, deejays and emcees who represent the elements of hip hop culture in their own way. Public Zoo has been around since the late 90s and has performed shows at almost every bar or club in Corpus Christi, even hosting block parties and house parties.

Gulf Wars is a whole new experience of entertainment for the Coastal Bend and is something Corpus Christi has never seen. According to the House of Rock Website “Gulf War’s sellout crowds, massive following and online buzz makes it one of the most exciting and energetic movements this city has seen,” (www.texashouseofrock.com).

The Gulf Wars pre-party will be a mixer and all-night cipher (rap session) to give people who attend the event an overall feel and vibe of Gulf Wars and more. In the span of 11 months, Gulf Wars has become more than just a local event and is attracting many of out-of-town emcees from Dallas, San Antonio and even Austin to this year’s event.

“The competition is going to be intense! We are teaming up with a lot of guys from San Antonio, Austin and even Dallas. A lot of heavyweights in the Texas emcee battle realm will be in attendance. It’s going be a great weekend,” Champion said.

One of the emcees who will be involved in the Gulf Wars 4 pre-party is Del Mar student and Real Estate major Andrew Brown. Brown, also known as Drew Breeze, is battling a fellow emcee Jon Bell at the Gulf Wars pre-party.

This is Brown’s first emcee battle in association with Gulf Wars. When Brown has free time from his studies he prepares himself mentally and lyrically for the battle. Brown is hoping that a victory in his emcee battle column will be a good show of his lyrical ability. Hoping he will gain exposure in the local hip hop community.

“This is my first time ever, I’m excited and anxious. I get all my assignments done beforehand then in my free time I think about my rhymes and such so I can be prepared for it. I’m very confident in my lyrical ability to hold my own in this upcoming battle,” Brown said.

The Gulf Wars 4 pre-party is free for all ages. Admission to Gulf Wars 4 for 21 and up is $7 and $9 for 21 and under. QbDaProblem, DJ Ugly, and Mark Champion will be hosting and deejaying for both events.

“Corpus needs to support local ran events like Gulf Wars and Unbeatable. We do these events not for ourselves but for our city. It’s a very energetic and live experience. We’ve maxed out our capacity limits at our past two events. I plan on doing the same for this one. It isn’t just a ‘rap show;’ it’s a competitive battle league with progression and style. Come check us out,” Champion said.

For more information on Gulf Wars, contact Produce or Facebook Gulf Wars 4.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *