Here in Chiang Mai you meet a lot of interesting people. If you’ve lived here for any period of time you know that Chiang Mai attracts a certain kind of person. If you’re like me, you’ve meet some folks who you meet once and then they disappear like ships passing in the night. Others, however, make an impression and help make Chiang Mai an even more enjoyable place to live. I recently met this cat whom, from the moment I was introduced, made me ask two simple questions; who is this dude and when can we hang?
One night at Sangdee I was hanging and having a few beers while the hip hop crews that frequent there started to get into it — rapping, Babyscash is mixing it up — and a large bearded teddy bear grabs the mic and delivers some good, improv hip hop. Afterwards, I had to say hello and get to know this dude.
“Binky” comes from one of my favorite cities in the world, Chicago, Illinois, USA. And he comes from the south side of Chicago, no less, which automatically gives him more street cred in my book. Having grown up there surrounded by the music and sounds of Chicago, he has a lot of inspiration to go off of. Recently, I’ve seen him beat box with a loop recorder, after which he will rhyme over the beats he created off the cuff. An excellent show of improvisation and style, this is yet another example of how some good hip hop artist live here in Chiang Mai, despite not having much of an outlet for it. I do know for certain that there is a new hip-hop-only bar opening up soon here in Chiang Mai and it will be interesting to see if that club can cater to the many hip hop enthusiast here in Chiang Mai who don’t really have many places to go – if you are interested to hear more; watch this space.
If you would like to check out what Binky is doing he has a couple of weeklies that you can check out if you’re feeling like you want to head out on the town but don’t know where to go. Tuesday nights at the North Gate Jazz Co-Op Binky host and performs while working with the bands that come through there. If you know North Gate Jazz, you know that some of the best musicians in town frequent the establishment and you’re always in for some good music. Binky also host an open mic night at Tea Tree every Friday night.
If you’re like me, you’ll leave the rap to the professionals, but still, sit back with refreshing beer and a few friends and enjoy some refreshingly original tunes in a city where that can, at times, be difficult to find.