Jonesing for some great up-and-coming rap without the trek to Houston? Look no further than the Austin Mic Exchange. Each week, this group invites artists from across the city to showcase their best rhymes in a freestyle showdown at the Spider House Ballroom in an effort to bring together previously disparate elements in the scene. In just two years, the event has become a central hub of Austin hip-hop spit and artistic exchange – they even have plans to host their first Weird City Hip Hop Festival this fall. For their weekly gigs, it's best to arrive early, because each night kicks off with warm and welcoming cypher outside the venue. Bring your rap game, your dance shoes, and prepare to enter Austin's hip-hop critical mass.
