After weeks of intense head–to–head competition between Brooklyn indie rockers Midnight Spin and Chicago hip–hop act Konsept, the winner of the June round of the ESPN “Main Event” Competition has been decided. Konsept, the Chicago-bred emcee nabbed the Grand Prize: a placement of his song “Hero” on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights. He’ll return in August to battle against the other “Main Event” winners for the chance to be featured on Friday Night Fights’ “Images of the Year.”
It seems like only yesterday we were announcing the Grand Prize Winner of the May “Main Event” match-up, but now it’s time to turn your eyes to June. Adrian Boykin (formerly Konsept) and Midnight Spin are ready for the ring and primed to vie for your votes. Head over to our Facebook page to weigh in on your favorite by June 30. The winning act will score a feature on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights in July, and a shot to duke it out for a feature in FNF’s “Images of the Year” in August. Round 1, Fight!
Nestled somewhere deep beneath a sea of dreads are the thoughts of Adrian Boykin (a.k.a. rapper Konsep), thoughts that provide the fuel for some of the most diverse and infectious hip hop on the site today. Surfacing on the scene in Northern Dallas via Chicago’s South Side, Konsep’s EP Enovative Inglish immediately recalls fellow Chicago stalwarts—the unyielding dogma of Kanye West (evident in “Real Hip Hop”), the instrumentally lush creations of Lupe Fiasco (heard in narratives like “Hero”) and the home-brewed underground realism of Common (most audible in “Rearview”). And if you think these comparisons are way out of reach, think again. Konsep is incredibly well- connected. 
As stated in his bio, his rhymes have traversed the industry’s hip hop web from the hands of Russell Simmons to Cash Money, and according to a line in Real Hip Hop, he even runs with the Dead Prez crew. If you need photographic proof of these ties, just check his profile for a Kodak moment he shared with a certain doggy dog.
So what about his music? Real Hip Hop casts Boykin’s larger-than-life persona against a heroic backdrop—his rampant ego rattling eardrums over a brazen and cinematic soundscape setting the stage for a supernatural showdown: “The man above it all/ yes I am his son.” His arguably unwarranted arrogance may initially leave a sour taste however Konsep goes on to prove his depth through social observations later in the track, sagaciously spelling out: “Life is a routine/ he rap she sing/ look back, damn we all chasin’ the same dream/ I’m here to educate/ aw watch them hesitate/ if crack was a class then we’d all fuckin’ gradate.”
