A Viral Songwriting Challenge Shines a Spotlight on the Tradition of Hip Hop in West Virginia

Leeshia Lee of Black By God: The West Virginian launched the Dear West V. challenge, inviting artists statewide to write hip-hop verses over a single beat produced by Myles Satterfield, drawing over 100 submissions from towns across the state.

Contributors including Spike Yee of Morgantown and CoCo Nicole of Huntington used the challenge to address identity, loss, environmental issues and incarceration alongside straightforward hometown pride.

Lee says the project aims to spotlight West Virginia's hip-hop talent and reframe how the state's Black communities are represented in wider media.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.