‘Off the Dome’ celebrates a decade of Dunedin hip-hop on Wednesday

When Jon "Ditty" Diddier went out to establish a freestyle hip-hop hive in his hometown, he ended up with only a storage room and a lousy PA system. At the time, the recent University of Central Florida grad wanted to improve his own improvisational rap skills. He had just earned a degree as a visual artist and wanted to enter the world of hip-hop.

But Dunedin, Florida, the place he had grown up in, had no rap scene. It was a quiet coastal town where Diddier watched as establishments removed the entire genre of hip-hop from their TouchTunes jukeboxes to please patrons.

It shouldn't have been the place to birth a freestyle open mic night. But Diddier made it work, and Off the Dome freestyle open mic night was born.

Off the Dome got its start in 2012 in the unseen parts of a Dunedin House of Beer storage room. Originally called the Dunedin Lyricist Society, the event has operated out of several spaces before moving to Blur Nightclub. The event has run almost weekly since its inception, now hosted from 9 p.m.-midnight every Wednesday at Blur in downtown Dunedin.

July marks a decade of freestyle in the town that was once hip-hop-free, and to celebrate, Diddier will host a ten-year anniversary party next month. Off the Dome's 10year anniversary party is set to take place Wednesday, July 27 from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. and is free to attend. Entry is 21 and up only.

Early days of Off the Dome were filled with improv rap games, like "Word Surprise" and "Alliterated Alphabet," where emcees had to contort artful words and phrases to fit the theme or genre provided. Local artists created art on Blur's patio while emcees performed. It was a culmination of passionate performers and creatives coming together in one space that didn't exist previously.

The freestyle night was founded by Diddier but was initially made possible by a rotating cast of hosts and DJs including Foundation, Medek, Robbie Rob and Evan B. of Variety Workshop, DJ Hurley and Eric Harlow, known as Harlow Gold. "Looking back on it, it was hard in the moment of it happening to recognize how special it was," Diddier said.

As an ode to the start of Off the Dome, the anniversary party will have both the rap and freestyle components as well as live art.

To this day, Diddier reminds his emcees it's not just their night—they're participating in something bigger. He's fostered a community-oriented atmosphere where guests have an opportunity to grow as rappers and freestylists in a place free of judgment. Before each event, he tells his emcees and audience to be respectful and mindful of those onstage and in the crowd.

"I do find, and I think other people find, that a lot of hip-hop events don't necessarily feel inclusive," he said. "And I do try to make sure this event is as inclusive as possible."

Riding the high of a decade of Dunedin hip-hop, Diddier is looking toward the future growth of Off the Dome. He sees the milestone as a chance to increase awareness about the event, and hopefully entice future emcees to join the community he's built out of nothing.