The open mic format has always given musicians the chance to show their stuff, create new fans, and, perhaps most importantly, to interact with other musicians and make connections.
For the last few years, a Cleveland rapper who broke through nationally and now lives and works in Los Angeles has been returning home to open doors for others, with a new twist on the classic open mic events with what he calls Pass the Aux.
Pass the Aux is a take on the open mic that asks rappers to play, not perform their tracks for a room of other artists and fans while getting feedback and new opportunities.
The rapper and actor, Charles Worth, better known by the stage name Chip tha Ripper, formerly King Chip, was born in East Cleveland and made his name as a musician while still living in Northeast Ohio, releasing his first tracks in 2006.
Since then, he's steadily released music, including some big hits and critically acclaimed collaborations, as well as branching out into other media.
"Whenever you have a Cleveland fan, no matter if it's a fan of sports, a fan of music, you know, they're going to ride for you," said Worth. "They're going to make sure that you're doing what you're supposed to do."
One of Chip's main collaborators is fellow Cleveland rap icon Kid Cudi, with whom he's released multiple tracks and will soon star with in a feature film they wrote together.
Coming Home
Worth still returns frequently to his old stomping grounds, but not just to visit family and old friends. He also organizes Pass the Aux events, most recently in March at Filter in Downtown Cleveland.
With Pass the Aux, Chip tha Ripper is making a nostalgic reference for those born in Generation X or later. It's a phrase people used when they wanted to plug a sound system into a different device to change the music.
"Sometimes when you're in the car with friends on a road trip, the car's got the aux, which is the auxiliary cord 鈥� our phones can play music," said Worth. "When someone else wants to turn to play music, they say, 'Hey, pass the aux.'"
Instead of a traditional open mic, where a performer is somewhat separated from the audience and interactions have to wait until after the show because they are performing, Pass The Aux instead allows performers and audiences to focus on the music and lyrics.
Since the musicians aren't actually performing their music, but rather fronting it, spontaneous connections can happen mid-song.
"There's a playlist table, and they submit their song, and it goes into the DJ's playlist," said Worth. "When he plays the music, the artist steps forth and just kind of lets theyself be known and shown."
Musicians from all over Ohio bring their tracks to Pass the Aux to get feedback from industry vets like Worth, his wife, Narde, a rapper and musician herself, and his longtime collaborator, DJ Fate. They also meet, compete and collaborate with other musicians.
"I thought of it as like a cipher, how people would get in a circle and display how good they can rap, but I feel like in 2025 we need to display how good our music is, how it's executed... and ready for market," said Worth.
A traditional cipher, is a group performance where rappers take turns rapping verses often in a circle. The rapper is performing their lyrics to a generic beat from a DJ, leaving their musical production and polish behind.
With Pass the Aux, Chip tha Ripper has created an environment where all aspects of a rapper's music can be shared and enjoyed.
"People love it. People that come down, there's no politics, there's no gatekeeping," said Worth. "A lot of times we only hear the people that had the relationship, but what about the person that just has the good music?"
Network to get work
LoJak Noon is a rapper out of Cincinnati who currently lives in Columbus. He's come to multiple Pass the Aux events and left people impressed. For him, meeting other artists is the most valuable part.
"The networking at these kind of events is so important," said Noon. "All the producers I work with 鈥� pretty much everybody I make music with 鈥� has come from events like this."
In the changing world of music revenue, it's easier than ever to make and market music, but harder than ever to monetize it.
"You got to have a sustainable strategy," said Worth. "Things are constantly evolving."
That's why finding collaborators and new avenues into new markets is more important for artists than ever, he said.
So is setting yourself apart from the crowd.
LoJak Noon does it by quietly and unassumingly showing up as himself and impressing the crowd with his lyrics.
Mr. Take a F7ick grabs attention in a more novel way. He's a musician and a professional puppeteer who brings a felt feature artist on stage when he shows off his tracks.
Love both ways
The positive response to Pass the Aux from musicians and fans has given Worth a vision of a bright future for the endeavor.
Right now, there are no new events planned as Worth works on the upcoming release of his new album, "Polygyny," set to be released later this year. But the series will return, with Chip and his team expecting to expand.
"It's been getting a lot of love from the city, I just see it growing," said Narde. "It's bigger than us, and we understand that."
Chip tha Ripper thinks events like Pass the Aux can help make Cleveland a destination for its music scene. Performers like LoJak Noon are grateful for the chance to get their name out there.
"For them to come back and do events for upcoming artists in Ohio, that's huge," said Noon. "Honestly, I don't know anyone else that's doing it."
