Tampa Beat Weekend: Monae Marleau w/Knux & Friends/Jotta & Bauxmonk/Sounds Anon/Daron Gem$/Xzstnce Saturday, Aug. 23 & Friday, Aug. 29. Multiple venues. $24092 & up Credit: Photo c/o Gat$
For a glimpse into the future of hip-hop look no further than Hmtwn (stylized in all-caps). The Tampa producer has always been on the bleeding edge of the beatsmith scene, and his annual summit brings together emergent talent from across the country.

For Tampa Beat Weekend 2025, he elevates West Tampa’s own Monae Marleau whose latest (“Goliath”) features work by Florida’s own Whoa! This weekend’s festivities (kicking off Saturday, Aug. 23) are just a warm up, too, with an even bigger lineup—featuring a rare set from Tampa songwriter Adia, plus a homecoming for expat Roc Nation Tampa rapper Gat$—going down on Aug. 29.

Gat$ moved out of town in 2023, signed with Roc Nation, and last week released one of the strongest Tampa adjacent albums in years.

Randy Ojeda, a Tampa music lawyer said Life On Film stopped him in his tracks.

“Track after track, it felt bigger than anything I’d expect to hear from a ‘local’ release. This is the kind of project that belongs on year-end lists everywhere,” Ojeda wrote on social media. “Honestly, I think it might be the best release from a Tampa artist this year.”

Tickets for Tampa Beat Weekend happening on Aug. 23 & Aug. 29 are still available start at $24.92.

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Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief...