3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
What that name means and more: Everything you need to know about Chreece hip-hop festival
Chreece founder Oreo Jones doesn't mind if you pronounce the music festival's name wrong — he actually finds it funny.
The closest phonetic way to say the portmanteau of 'cheers' and 'peace' is probably 'tree-s.' Long 'E' like 'cheese' or 'breeze,' short 'S' like 'sizzle.' Not everyone sticks that landing, but Jones said the multiple discrepancies he hears are part of the appeal.
'I honestly think it's kind of sick when people mispronounce it,' Jones said. 'It's yours. Your experience, your world. Say it however you want.'
The moniker is back, signifying the return of Indianapolis' beloved one-day hip-hop festival. Chreece, which celebrates its 10th birthday this year, will feature more than 70 artists, DJs and producers across a cluster of Fountain Square stages Aug. 23.
Rappers Smino and Mavi, R&B singer Audrey Nuna — who currently tops the Billboard Hot 100 as a credited artist in Huntr/x, the fictional girl group from the movie 'KPop Demon Hunters' — and local experimental hip hop trio 81355 (pronounced 'bless') will headline. A roster of more than 40 local artists will round out the set times.
This year's festival is Chreece's third year back after a three-year pandemic hiatus from 2020 to 2022. Fountain Square's streets will close to cars as vendors, DJs, interactive art installations and more fill the block.
Chreece's track record of tapping promising upstarts precedes it, with rising stars like Benny the Butcher and Jordan Ward performing in past years. The festival, which hosted its inaugural slate of performances in 2015, will continue the tradition of spotlighting a fresh local talent pool this year.
More performers want a piece of the action every year, Jones said, with more than 250 applying to the festival this year. Jones, one-third of the headlining 81355 trio, said the showcase is an opportunity for artists to test their performance chops outside the streaming and social media bubbles.
'Everyone is salivating now about numbers,' Jones said. 'That's all well and good, but can you rock a stage?'
The final Chreece lineup features more than 40 local artists and the winner of the festival's Last Shot competition, where selected finalists performed in front of a panel of judges to earn a show slot. This year's winners, Pinky and P.S. Maldonna, got the nod after the live finals at Indianapolis Artsgarden Aug. 9.
Jones said he hopes Chreece's presence puts Indianapolis on the map as a flourishing artist community. The talent pool is deeper than most would think, he said, and it's only getting bigger.
'There's almost a million people in Marion County, and there's probably 10% of them that are rappers and musicians,' Jones said. 'We're still just getting started with it all.'
Chreece sold its general admission tickets in tiers, with prices rising as each batch sold out. Tier 2 general admission tickets are still on sale for $60 and available here. Tickets grant access to each venue on the bill as well as the vendor village.
Purchase of a general admission family ticket pack includes access to games, art-making, DJ battles and the festival's vendor village for two adults and up to four kids under the age of 12 from noon until 6 p.m., per Chreece's ticket description. The pack is available for $150 here.
A party is only as good as its afters, and Chreece is doubling down with two immediately following the performances. Presale tickets to the Atomic Bowl Underground Afterparty are on sale for $20 and available here, and presale tickets to the festival's staple No Rap on Sunday Afterparty are available for $20 here.
Both will stretch from 10:30 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday and feature a lineup of R&B performers, DJs and more.
Hi Fi Annex: 1043 Virginia Ave., Suite 4
White Rabbit Cabaret: 1116 Prospect St.
Square Cat Vinyl: 1054 Virginia Ave.
Wildfyre Tap: 1106 Prospect St.
Atomic Bowl: 1105 Prospect St.
