Oklahoma rapper Jabee was one of the last acts signed to play the second Norman Music Festival.

But the musician, one of Oklahoma’s most promising hip hop artists, said just being invited to play is validation of the hard work he’s been putting into the Oklahoma music scene.

“I’m glad hip hop is on the bill this year,” he said. “I think hip hop has been neglected for a long time in Oklahoma. A lot of it is just because people either don’t know about it, or what they’ve heard or seen about it is just wack.”

Despite the uneven attention paid to local hip hop, Jabee is no stranger to Norman, having performed at both the Deli and Opolis on several occasions. He said he’s confident that the crowd on Saturday will receive him just as well as they would any other artist.

“Good music is good music,” Jabee said. “Whether it’s the indie market or of Montreal or whatever, it’s the same college-kid crowd for the most part, and I think it’ll be alright. I’m just glad that people finally notice that I’m part of the music scene, too, thinking ‘OK, this guy works hard, he makes cool music and he can pull a crowd.’”

In addition to his regular audience, Jabee said he hopes to bring in some newcomers to his performance.

Getting recognized locally is a good feeling, Jabee said, and playing the Norman Music Festival puts it all into perspective.

“I remember last year trying to hit someone up [about the Norman Music Festival] and not getting a response and thinking ‘Why is there no hip hop?’” he said. “I’m just happy that it’s all coming together now.”