"The Rising" Hip-Hop Show Series Returns April 11 at Green Room

Since 2010, the series of tri-county concerts dubbed "The Rising" have been devoted to pushing forward music made by true hip-hop heads, for true hip-hop heads. For the first few months of its existence, the then-monthly event took over the late Transit Lounge in downtown Miami, before moving to other venues and now, north to Fort Lauderdale after some months off.

The move makes sense for the Rising, whose next event takes place April 11 at Green Room. Producer Jonathan "Numonics" Rosenfeld, one of the main organizers of the series, is himself a Broward resident, and the 954 and 561 have been making plenty of their own underground hip-hop noise as of late. Just see, for instance, Numonics' recent collaboration with Knowledge Medina, which saw him joining forces with an MC based in Hollywood.

The move also signals a perfect marriage between the Rising and Green Room, which has turned its Wednesday nights into "Brown-Bag Wednesdays." The weekly true-school hip-hop get-down proves that the venue isn't just for indie rock, but rather for independent music of all genres.

This lineup is, unsurprisingly, heavy on Numonics collaborators. Besides Knowledge Medina, other rappers on the bill include Saheed, Sene, and Reks. Sene hails from Brooklyn and Reks from Boston, but the latter, at least, has frequently laced Numonics tracks. Together, the two are releasing a joint album called REBELutionary, which will be out by the April 11 show.

"Reks is one of the best MCs in hip-hop today. To me, his style is the essence of the genre. His machine-gun flow and vivid storytelling are truly unique and his discography is filled with great songs," says Numonics. "I feel extremely privileged to work with him as I see him as the cream of the crop in today's music scene. Our album speaks on the ills of society as well as ways to triumph through them."

Check it out for yourself in person that night at Green Room -- where, not only do you get in for free, but you get to swill your fill of Colt 45 all night. Not a bad deal to support local hip-hop.

The Rising Meets Brown Bag Wednesdays. With Sene, Reks, Saheed, Knowledge Medina, and DJs Immortal, heron, and Element. The event is hosted by Dynas. 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 11 at Green Room, 109 SW 2nd Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Admission is free; age 21 and up. Click here.