the 2x2 story

2x2Fest was built from a shared vision.

In 2015, Cole Baker, Justin Withrow, James Alexander, and Josh Miller each had the same idea: Columbus needed a festival that truly celebrated hip-hop in its entirety.

At the time, Josh had been organizing monthly hip-hop events on campus, intentionally bringing multiple elements together under one roof. Through various shows and community events around the city, he connected with Cole and Justin, and it quickly became clear that they were all thinking the same thing.

Why not build something bigger?

Bringing the Elements Together

In Columbus, like many cities, the core elements of hip-hop often operate in their own lanes. MCs and DJs naturally share stages, but graffiti writers tend to paint on their own, and the breaking scene gathers in studios, practice spaces, and record shops.

The culture was thriving, but it was fragmented.

The opportunity was obvious. Bring all four elements together. Create one space where they could exist side by side, feed off one another, and be experienced as a unified culture.

Built by the Community

With support from local hip-hop community members like DJ J. Rawls, Bobby Silver, Columbus Rick, DJ Bombay, and many others, the idea became a reality.

As the vision grew, so did the team.

Additional partners Danielle Miller, Steve Horvath and Mischon Harper joined the effort, along with Grant Gatsby, whose support helped push the event forward year after year.

What started as a simple idea quickly became a true community effort fueled by friends, family members, artists, and countless volunteers who believed in the vision and showed up to make it happen.