First Place: Elev8
reverbnation.com/elev8ormusic
Second Place: Gritty City
Third Place: McKinley Dixon
The performance-focused hip-hop duo of Elev8 is made up of Me’Kel Williams and Marquis Davis, who’ve been making music since 2008, with the group starting four years later. The two perform live covers of hip-hop from the 1980s as well as originals. “We aren’t satisfied unless we see people having a good time,” Williams says. “We hope to change the way Richmond sees hip-hop by showing hip-hop is not all about drugs, sex and violence.” Accordingly, the pair got its start delivering an anti-drug and anti-gang violence message in public schools and it’s been using social media to spread the message and to garner votes.
