Hip-hop artist Nur-d to kick off the 30th season of Down by the Riverside
The 30th season of the Think Bank Down by the Riverside free concert series begins Sunday, July 10 with a Twin Cities hip-hop performer who brings with him a style, energy, and approach to songwriting all of his own.
Nur-D, who broke onto the Minnesota music scene in 2018 and has been making waves since, will take the stage at Mayo Park for a show beginning at 7 p.m. Rochester-based rapper Jae Havok will be the opening act.
The Current, which is sponsoring the show, has called Nur-D “one of the most popular artists in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.” And it is no surprise why. With an eccentric and exuberant energy, Nur-D is all about spreading joy through his songwriting and lively performances.
The artist, whose real name is Matt Allen, credits his effervescence to his love of pop culture — from cartoons to comic books to professional wrestling — and "honestly, just being a weird dude,” he told us.
"OK, it’s like this: In the city of hip-hop, I am that arcade that is still up and running, but it donates to local charities, and is like sneaking along with all of these retro games and nostalgic feelings,” said Allen.
To date, Nur-D has released five full-length projects, including two in 2020 that challenged him to go further to find the sense of hope and spirit that has defined his musical career. That year, he released 38th and Chicago Avenue, as a way of telling the story of his first-hand experiences being on the ground for the 2020 uprising that followed the murder of George Floyd.
In some of the more poignant songs, such as “Still Alive” off of the Chicago Avenue album, Allen said he “didn’t want sugarcoat what's happened and the scars that have been inflected upon people in the movement and the communities.” But, he added, the goal was still to remind listeners that “as long we are still here, there is still music, it means we are still alive. It means we have hope; we have something to look forward to."
"Every time I make a project, I hope when I press play I can take you on a journey from end to end where you are transformed by the end of it,” Allen said in an interview. “You either think about things in a different way, or you got in touch with an emotion you weren't sure of or weren't sure you could express, or you didn't feel safe to feel.”
When he comes to Rochester, Nur-D will be backed up Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider Band. With horns, keyboards, guitars, background singers and plenty of enthusiasm, Allen described the group as some of the most fun, loud, goofy people out there. "We are dancing, we are singing, we are moving around — it will be a party,” he added.
— If you go —
The show starts at 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 10 at Mayo Park (located behind the Mayo Civic Center and Rochester Art Center).
Admission to all DBTR shows is free and open to the public.
Blankets, lawn chairs, and coolers are welcome.
There will be four local vendors on hand: Little Thistle Brewing, Old Abe Coffee Co., The Compadres, and Carroll's Corn
For a full summer concert lineup, visit Rochester Civic Music’s website.
