Photo Credit: Hard Rock NYC/Jouvir
On Thursday (September 7th), rapper/actor Jeffrey “Ja Rule” Atkins was the latest musician to be inducted into the Hard Rock Hotel’s memorabilia collection. Hard Rock Hotel’s Times Square location in partnership with Chase Republic hosted ceremony commemorating the induction as well as celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop. Special guest in attendance included Ja Rule, Chase Republic founder Harold Wilkerson, Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion of LVMH, N.A Corey Smith, Hard Rock Vice President of Entertainment & Nightlife, Joseph ‘Mongo’ Mongeluzzi, Vice President of Memorabilia and Design Giovanni Taliaferro. Media Personality Angela Yee, Rapper Bang of Junior M.A.F.I.A, Rapper Chi Ali, Bronx Councilman Kevin Riley, Hip-Hop Activist Mysonne Linen, Media Personality Rocsi Diaz, Actress Tationna Bosier and a host of other industry tastemakers were also in attendance.
Ja Rule gifted a custom Off-White suit by the late Virgil Abloh worn during the BET Award ’23 Awards Hip-Hop tribute performance to the Hard Rock Hotel. “”Hip-Hop is not just about the music, it’s an art form, there’s elements to Hip-Hop. It’s about the way we walk, the way, we talk, the fashion and I’m glad we had this 50 year anniversary honoring the impact so we can celebrate all of the elements!”, Ja Rule said during the ceremony.
Corey Smith spoke specifically about working with Abloh who designed Ja Rule’s suit that was on display, “”Virgil was arguably was one of the most impactful designers of this era, I had the opportunity to work with him before his untimely passing, his attention to detail and the way he incorporated music into fashion through design was a testament to how genius, he changed the culture!”
Photo Credit: Hard Rock NYC/Jouvir
During the star-studded ceremony, Chase Republic founder Harold Wilkerson surprised Ja Rule with the Inaugural Essential Hustler of Hip-Hop Award. Wilkerson spoke about his long connection with Ja Rule from the first time they met on a movie set in Canada. Wilkerson also noted that his own daughter served as inspiration for Chase Republic.
Photo Credit: Hard Rock NYC/Jouvir
