He came to the second or third night, and we had no idea. Top two debut performances: вЂњ Rhino, right off the bat, because none of us saw it coming. He always shows up at the beginning and completely destroys Kanye or some other crowd-pleaser. He was the first one to bring to the table more underground artists like Edan and Aceyalone. He always does stuff thatвЂ™s off the map and lyrically challenging.

Torontoist asked Dix to run down his top twos of the past two years of doing HHK. WeвЂ™re into the serious business of having fun.вЂќ And I like it when people tell me weвЂ™ve started a great hip-hop night rather than karaoke night, and one thatвЂ™s serious about hip-hop but still fun. ItвЂ™s brought out all sorts of people who donвЂ™t look like regular hip-hop types but kill it, like Rhino, who is now a legend. вЂњIt sounds corny, but it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy when I think of all the people who have met through our night and become friends. If you really mess up there, the crowd boos you!вЂќ Which isnвЂ™t to say the two editions are enemies: in January the HHK NYC organizers drove up for the Toronto edition and loved every minute of it. вЂњAnd their version is a bit more higher stakes and competitive. вЂњWe have twice as many songs as they do,вЂќ says Dix. Originally inspired by the New York edition, Hip-Hop Karaoke Toronto has always been its own entity and may in fact now be bigger than NYCвЂ™s night. But you definitely wonвЂ™t have to wait another year to see us bring in someone else amazing.вЂќ вЂњI asked him and he said he would do it, but nowadays heвЂ™s hardly ever in Toronto. IвЂ™d love to somehow have all the lyrics on screen like proper karaoke.вЂќ And stay tuned for more special guests, though Dix contends that perhaps the only performer who could generate Maestro-level hype would be Kardinal. You sign up on paper and then we give you a lyric sheet. вЂњRight now weвЂ™re working with raw materials like pen and paper. ThereвЂ™s talk of bringing more technology into the fold to make the sign-up process and the actual karaoke run smoother. So how do you top having homegrown hero Maestro perform at HHK? Dix admits it will be tough, but heвЂ™s got some ideas for the future. Lately weвЂ™re packing the place, and we love Revival now.вЂќДЇrom left to right: Dalia, Abdominal, Numeric, Ted DancinвЂ™. But the owners saw promise in our night and supported us. вЂњWe wondered if HHK was big enough for Revival, just because itвЂ™s so huge, and at first it was looking pretty empty at peak hours. There was a short-lived stint at the Gladstone, and now theyвЂ™re settled into their new home at Revival, although it took a bit of time to get comfy.

The HHK crew were forced to find a new venue. Eventually, the BoatвЂ™s capacity became an issue: even early birds had to stand in line and still risk not even getting in the door. Then this guy went up and performed вЂThe Bridge is OverвЂ™ by Boogie Down Productions, and I turned to Dalia and said, вЂThis is it, weвЂ™ve started.'вЂќ Each month saw bigger and bigger crowds thanks to promotion and especially word of mouth. It was busy, but not crazy, about one hundred people. вЂњWe werenвЂ™t really sure how it was going to work. вЂњThe first one was very good,вЂќ recalls Dix.

The fact that they are joining forces with a Canadian hip-hop legend shows how far theyвЂ™ve come from their humble beginnings at the Boat. Having Maestro perform at HHK fulfills a dream for the monthly eventвЂ™s organizers Dix, DJs Dalia and Ted DancinвЂ™, and MC Abdominal. And all sorts of people might come out of the woodwork for this, so you never know who might show up.вЂќ ItвЂ™s a homecoming show for him now that heвЂ™s living in Vancouver, and itвЂ™s been twenty years since Symphony in Effect came out. This time, with bringing in Maestro and the amount of press, it could get chaotic. вЂњOur last one in February was our biggest one ever, even with no special event. вЂњI think itвЂ™s going to be ridiculous,вЂќ says Noel Dix, aka DJ Numeric. For one thing, most two-year-olds donвЂ™t have Maestro Fresh Wes perform at their birthday parties. The Toronto edition of Hip-Hop Karaoke celebrates its second birthday at Revival tonight, and its organizers are experiencing anything but the terrible twos. News It Takes Two to Make a Thing Go Right

It takes two to make a thing go right