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On The Scene: A Toast to The Ruler

by Nishat Baig
written by Nishat Baig

Friends and legends gathered to honor Slick Rick receiving the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the iconic Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles. Powered by Google Pixel and Hip Hop 50, the event was hosted by MC Lyte with music by Dj Cassidy. 

Celebrities who walked the carpet included Slick Rick himself, MC Lyte, Russel Simmons, Evan Ross, DMC, DJ Cassidy, Cleotrapa, J. Ivy, Jermaine Dupri, and other special guests included Nas, Swiss Beats, Young Guru, Joey BoadA$$, Busta Rhymes. Following the carpet MC Lyte, Russel Simmons and wife and manager Mandy Aragones said a few words before previewing some of Rick’s upcoming music and toasting his Grammy Honor. After the toast guests enjoyed light bites and complimentary cocktails. 

MC Lyte said, “I just want us to in this moment salute this gentleman and my God if he is not a brick within the Hip Hop structure I don’t know who would be, we have come today as we will for the rest of this year to celebrate the folks in Hip Hop who have laid the foundation and it brings me great pleasure and great honor to be in his existence.”

Russel Simmons said, “This 50 year anniversary is a moment in time, I won’t be here for 100 and even as Hip Hop is turning 50 I’ll soon be turning 40 (laughs) let me say this, it’s a great moment to celebrate the masterminds behind Hip Hop, the people who laid the ground work, many of whom don’t have compensational credit, I’m very proud and happy to be here at this moment celebrating the Ruler. There is probably no grater story teller in the history of Hip Hop than Slick Rick and for Def Jam for sure he laid the bricks to help us get where we got.”

Mandy Rick’s wife and manager said “I know we’re here for the Lifetime Achievement Award, but Slick Rick has an album coming in April in partnership with Mass Appeal”

We caught up with a few guests on the carpet to see what Slick Rick means to them.

Evan Ross: He’s everything, there’s no question. I grew up wit his music I’ve been a fan of his my whole life. That’s somebody we should always celebrate. 

Dj Cassidy: I’m truly honored to be here today, anytime Rick calls me I jump and I’m honored to call Rick a friend, because growing up Rick was my hero and still is my hero today. At an early age I learned from Rick that you needed to treat your credit with the utmost showmanship  in order to create a persona and star power when you are on stage so for the moment my parents bought me turntables for my 10th birthday I knew that I not only wanted to express myself musically, but visually I wanted to look like some. 

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On The Scene: Showtime & Mass Appeal Present HIPHOP50 Pop-Up Exhibit

by Taylor Oliphant
written by Taylor Oliphant

On Thursday, December 2nd, 2021 Mass Appeal and Showtime presented a private viewing of the HIPHOP50 pop-up experience. Located in Tribeca, this exhibit pays homage to late photographer Ricky Powell, Video Music Box, and Showtime documentary Rolling Like Thunder. Any fans of that classic New York or 90s era of hip-hop should definitely visit the exhibit. The exhibit is open to the public December 3rd- December 19th, 2021. 

The first installation mimics scenes similar to Washington Square Park. There is a Frozade stand, several park benches and classic memorabilia and merchandise from the 1990s. Visitors have a section where they can watch break dancers and fully immerse themselves in a blast from the past. This installation was a beautiful tribute to the inspiration and influences of Ricky Powell. All lovers of photography will definitely resonate with this exhibit!

The second installation is a VIP section backstage at a hip-hop concert. The attention to detail is completely breathtaking! The VIP section contains old-school televisions, and a cardboard figure of Video Music Box host Ralph McDaniels. The Video Music Box station is very immersive and you can even use the microphone to create your own “shoutouts” similar to those that artists did back in the day! All avid fans of hip-hop concerts from the 90’s should particularly take a liking to this exhibit.

The third and final installation pays tribute to showtime documentary Rolling Like Thunder. This room allows guests to have an up-close and personal view of the railyards. It contains gravel, graffiti and train tracks. There is a beautiful gallery of notable freight train graffiti artists that was curated by director Roger Gastman. This installation is interactive as well and you can tag the wall with your own form of graffiti so others can see your own personal creations! If you love art and graffiti, you will definitely appreciate this viewing!

The exhibit encompasses all things that helped develop the creation of Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop is more than just a genre, it is a culture. Created in New York, this exhibit helps older hip-hop fans remember the era when hip-hop was at what some consider its peak, and newer hip-hop fans to appreciate the history and richness of its culture. The HIPHOP50 pop-up experience is interactive and fun to walk through. Anyone who considers themselves a lover of hip-hop should definitely come visit the exhibit before December 19th! The address is 381 Broadway New York, NY 10013 open from 3pm-7pm EST.

 

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MusicThe Latest

NYC AdWeek Panel: Is your Brand Prepared for a Hip Hop Future?

by Annabel Iwegbue
written by Annabel Iwegbue

Last Monday, as a part of NYC Advertising Week the Universal Music Group & Brands and Mass Appeal presented a panel in Times Square called “Is your Brand Prepared for a Hip Hop Future?” The panel focused on the growing influence of hip hop culture in advertising, and included some major names in the music industry to share their thoughts during the panel.

Moderated by Andre Torres, the VP of Urban Music at Universal Enterprises, the panel hosted Ethiopia Habtemariam (President of Motown Records), Sacha Jenkins (Chief Creative Officer at Mass Appeal), Tuma Basa (Global Head of Hip Hop at Spotify), and Shana Barry (Experimental Manager of Music & Entertainment at Anheuser-Busch). The conversation focused a lot on the influence certain hip hop artists have over many trends today. “There’s an education process thats happening” said Habtemariam. “I’ve seen certain hip hop artists that wouldn’t get clothes from high end fashion designers were like, ‘You know what, I’m going to buy all these clothes and you’re going to see all my paparazzi shots and my fashion shoots, and you’ll eventually see why I’m worthy of pulling from your fashion houses.’ For Cardi B specifically, she had to teach them. She had to buy the cloths for a long period of time to get them to understand her value. Look at where she is now.”

“The success of hip hop, it’s undeniable,” said Sasha Jenkins, “You don’t want a rapper wearing your stuff? They’re going to buy it anyway. They’re going to make it cool anyway […] The success of hip hop proves to me that whether you want us or not, we are going to take what you have and appreciate it artistically and aesthetically. Many brands are savvy enough to understand ‘wow these folks have a lot of power because they have influence in ways other genres certainly don’t have.’”

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