In case you didn't notice, Scribble Jam 2006 kicked off last night at TopCats in Corryville. Yours truly (in the Donovan McNabb jersey - no disrespect to my beloved Bengals!) was in the house to take in all the action, which was in a word, great.

A listening party for Catch as Catch Can, the new album by Glue (which includes former Cincinnatian Dan "djdq" Hargraves) kicked things off with Cincinnati's own DanglerFam (DFI) taking the stage first. And for their first time on stage at an event like Scribble Jam, they definitely did their thing. Minnesota's Ernie Rhodes offered up an energetic set as did California's OkWeRdz, a.k.a. "The guy who loses in the first round of the MC Battle at Scribble Jam every year" (his words, not mine!) and Immaculate.

2005 MC Battle finalist (and in my opinion, the one who should have won) Iron Solomon represented for New York. My friends liked the beats laid down by Chicago's Vyle (I wasn't a fan) and Toki Wright showed that a white guy with a mohawk and a black guy with dreadlocks can equal a great hip-hop duo. And Kaze (pronouned Kah-Zee) showed that there's more to North Carolina than just college basketball as he delivered an intense set with several heartfelt, socially conscious rhymes.

Of course, as the pictures above might reveal, Cincinnati's own Tanya Morgan (joined by Jermiside - he's in the Reds shirt) showed everyone why they deserved the cover of this week's issue. From the opening "We Bad" to the crowd-moving "Take the L (Get It)" and MTVU-approved grand finale "We Be," it was a great night of hip-hop anyone who's a fan of the culture would have appreciated.

Stay tuned for Day 2 tonight!