The powerHouse Arena is pleased to partner with VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2007 for a jam packed lineup of hip-hop related artist talks, slide shows, and book signings taking place exclusively at the Arena in conjunction with Wild Style's 25th Anniversary Celebration and the opening of exhibitions by Jamel Shabazz and Leonard Freed.
Saturday, October 6 |
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Brooklyn Bodega presents Panel Talks The Birth of a Legend: A discussion of VH1 Hip Hop Honoree A Tribe Called Quest Saturday, October 6, 12:00 pm |
| A Tribe Called Quest is one of the few universally respected groups in the history of Hip-Hop. Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Phife (and sometimes Jarobi) crafted five outstanding albums over a 10 year period that defined what is know referred to as the Golden Era of Hip-Hop. Their music has influenced artists from Kanye West to T.I. to J Dilla and many more. Come join us as we discuss the group’s genesis, evolution and legacy. | |
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Brooklyn Bodega presents Panel Talks New Jack Swing: A discussion of VH1 Hip Hop Honorees Teddy Riley and Andre Harrell Saturday, October 6, 12:00 pm |
Personal appearance by Andre Harrell! Featuring Ian Steaman, blogger at “A Different Kitchen”; Alvin Blanco, editor at allhophop.com; Jake Perry, editorial director at Brooklyn Bodega. Moderated by Wes Jackson, Chair of the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival and President of The Room Service Group. A discussion about VH1 Hip-Hop Honoree Teddy Riley and the movement known as “New Jack Swing.” Panelists will discuss the impact of the late 80s to early 90s sound that influenced musical genres including hip hop, pop, and R&B. Discussion will cover the cultural influence of the New Jack Swing era and how it helped establish the careers of Pharell Williams, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Janet Jackson, and Bobby Brown among others. |
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Brian Coleman presents Check the Technique
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| Featuring Brian Coleman, author of Check the Technique; Ian Steaman, blogger at “A Different Kitchen”; Alvin Blanco, editor at allhophop.com; Jake Perry, editorial director at Brooklyn Bodega. Moderated by Wes Jackson, Chair of the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival and President of The Room Service Group. The evening will feature a discussion about VH1 Hip-Hop Honoree Teddy Riley and the movement known as “New Jack Swing.” Panelists will discuss the impact of the late 80s to early 90s sound that influenced musical genres including hip hop, pop, and R&B. Discussion will cover the cultural influence of the New Jack Swing era and how it helped establish the careers of Pharell Williams, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Janet Jackson, and Bobby Brown among others. | |
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Joe Conzo and GrandMaster Caz present Born in the Bronx Slide Show & Artists Talk Saturday, October 2:00 pm |
Conzo will be joined by Grandmaster Caz, born Curtis Brown in the Boogie Down Bronx, New York City, in 1960. A former b-boy and graf writer who graduated to the ranks of the DJ elite in 1974 under the name Casanova Fly with partner, Disco Wiz after witnessing a Kool Herc indoor jam, he later went on to form the Mighty Force featuring Whipper Whip & DotaRock, the original Salt & Pepper MCs. Casanova shortened his name to Caz and adopted the title Grandmaster after a lightening fast turntable exhibition at a Bronx hip hop spot. After Whip & Dot's departure, Caz regrouped to form the Mighty Force Five, then soon began to perform as the Notorious Two with original Mighty Force member JDL. Then joined the Cold Crush Brothers in 1979, after Caz penned Big Bank Hank's lyrics for “Rappers Delight” (inadvertently making Caz Hip Hop's first ghostwriter). Caz's innovative rhyme style and routine writing propelled the Brothers to legendary hip hop status as one of the most dynamic and imitated groups in hip hop history. The Cold Crush recorded three singles on the Tuff City label, including the hit, "Fresh, Wild, Fly & Bold." Caz enjoyed a solo career, recording the album "The Grandest of Them All" and in 1986 won The New Music Seminar's MC Battle for World Supremacy. |
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Janette Beckman presents The Breaks: Stylin’ and Profilin’ 1982–1990 Book Signing Saturday, October 6, 2:00 pm |
In the fall of 1982, celebrated photographer of the British music scene Janette Beckman moved to New York City, where she found hip hop on the edge of explosion. After a decade underground, the DJs, MCs, b-boys, fly girls, and graff writers were finally getting their due from the downtown crowd. While trains were covered in graffiti and boomboxes were blasting on the corners, DJs were up in the clubs while the dancers rocked the floor. Artists were getting signed and local legends were born. And while others called hip hop a fad, Beckman knew better. Her photographs, collected in The Breaks: Stylin’ and Profilin’ 1982–1990 transport us back to a time before music videos, marketing departments, and uber-stylists took control. The queen of the 80s album cover, Beckman shot the icons of the era: Africa Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Fearless Four, the World Famous Supreme Team, Lovebug Starsky, Salt’n’Pepa, Run-DMC, Stetsasonic, UTFO, Roxanne Shante, Sweet T, Jazzy Joyce, Slick Rick, Boogie Down Productions, Eric B. and Rakim, EPMD, NWA, Ice-T, 2 Live Crew, Tone Loc, Gang Starr, Ultramagnetic MCs, Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock, Special Ed, Leaders of the New School, Jungle Brothers, Beastie Boys, Rick Rubin, and countless others. The era was as original as it was innocent, and Beckman’s images remind us of a culture that brought forth The Message before it got Paid in Full. Get your copy here |
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Teri Woods presents True to the Game
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| “Changing the game, one book at a time.” True to the Game is the story that started it all. It’s the best-selling urban-lit classic by Teri Woods that ignited a new kind of game. While working as a legal secretary for a law firm and juggling motherhood in Philadelphia, PA, Woods completed her first novel, True to the Game. She submitted her story over a period of six years to more that 20 different publishers, all of who rejected it. Instead of giving up, Woods printed, bound, self-published and began selling hand-to-hand in 1998. She credits her overwhelming success to being a “hustler.” Woods often slept in her car and on the couches of acquaintances, as she spent countless hours selling her books on the streets of New York. Moving thousands of books primarily from the trunk of her car she was determined to have her story read. Her grassroots efforts paid off; Woods became a self-made millionaire in just three years selling her novel, True to the Game. Woods will talk about her experiences as an author, publisher, and hustler, as well as divulge details from her hotly anticipated sequel, True to the Game II, set for November release. | |
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Martha Camarillo presents Fletcher Street Book Signing Saturday, October 6, 5:00 pm |
Deep in the heart of Philadelphia, past row houses and vacant lots, run-down playgrounds and dilapidated schools, is a little place called Fletcher Street. It has everything one would expect to find down an alley in the ghetto, with one addition: horses. The men and boys of Fletcher Street have used their passion for riding and bonds with their rides to build their community’s and their own sense of worth. They describe their passion for horses as having kept them from the temptations of street life. Fletcher Street by Martha Camarillo documents the lives of these men and the boys they mentor, who board their horses in abandoned houses or makeshift stables and ride them through the streets of Philly. Camarillo’s work is valuable not only because it illuminates a fascinating new aspect of culture, but also because it challenges those who see it. Her photographs force viewers to confront their own preconceptions of sport as representative of social status, and race as a demarcation of class. The power of Camarillo’s exploration of this underrepresented community is based on the strength of the men themselves: urban horsemen who have ridden away from the ’hood lifestyle and toward a better future. Get your copy here |
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Terrence Jennings presents Hidden Glances: Beyond the Unseen Slide Show Sunday, October 7 11:00 am |
Hidden Glances is the photographic concept of spaces, places, faces and situations that are oftentimes overlooked in the industrialized domain. This project is about those missed intimate movements of time captured by my lens. The images before you span the scope of time, history, and various continents and lends recognition to the unseen. From hip-hop performances, to stoic stills of the urban settings, to images of nature and our connectedness to the concept of creativity, Hidden Glance represents a leap towards photographic expression informed by the political and environmental surroundings and endeavors. |
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Lauri Lyons presents 'Hoods, Flavelas, and Hip-Hop Slide Show and Book Signing for Flag Sunday, October 7 1:00 pm |
The fundamental focus of my photography is to document the migration and transformation of African culture throughout the modern world. The slide presentation will showcase my editorial and reportage work in Harlem, Africa and Brasil. The images will illustrate the cross migration of global black style, music, and iconography in photography. |
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Martha Cooper and Rokafella present We B*Girlz Artist Talk and Book Signing Sunday, October 7, 3:00 pm |
“The saying ‘dancers come a dime a dozen’ does not apply to B-Girling because the women who enter this realm are self-appointed warriors,” explains Rokafella. “To be a B-Girl you have mastered (or are mastering cuz I haven’t finished my journey) a dance style created in the urban setting. This dance never brought me glamour or material possessions or commercial fame. Rather it is a channel thru which aggression, freedom, and confidence are expressed. The movements are asexual and become testament to the power of the individual holding the floor. Just like the women who do Capoeira, I surrender to the music and take my place on that long line of souljahs who embrace the possibility of pain, scrapes, bruises and the humiliation of a serious injury—the risk of miscalculating a move of falling from grace on your face. Breaking is how I deal with violence, injustice and impact in my life. What I get in return is personal triumph over my own weakness of character.” We B*Girlz, the first handbook for accomplished or aspiring B-Girlz and the boys who admire them, showcases the dynamic style and nonstop energy of B-Girlz in action, in practice, and on stage. Providing inspiring insight into a previously little-known subculture that has swept the world, We B*Girlz includes chapters on Getting Down, Herstory, Lady Legendz, We B*Girlz, Crewz, Floor Warz, We B*Stylin’, Ride the Beat (other forms of urban dance), Work It! (B-Girl careers), and We B-Family, and a list of websites on breaking, Hip Hop, gear, events, competitions, and classes. Get your copy here |
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Felicia Pride presents The Message: 100 Life Lessons
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| The Message: 100 Life Lessons from Hip-Hop’s Greatest Songs is a compendium of real wisdom that has been distilled from the all-time greatest hip-hop songs. Author Felicia Pride examines a wide range of hip-hop songs and artists, interpreting life through their lenses. Growing up with hip-hop, Pride realized the way it shaped how she thought, wrote, and reacted to the world. By incorporating her own experiences and reflections with the rappers’ messages, Pride focuses on the positive, motivational influence hip-hop has had on its audience. With each life lesson aptly titled after a hip-hop song, such as Kanye West’s “Jesus Walks,” EPMD’s “Please Listen to My Demo,” or Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” The Message explores spirituality, success, love, business, and more through hip-hop and includes indie artists (like Akrobatik), the usual suspects (like Biggie, Jay-Z, and Nas), hip-hop architects (like Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, and Slick Rick), and the forgotten (like Souls of Mischief) to make the book a well-rounded literary mixtape. | |
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Charlie Ahearn presents Wild Style The Sampler Slide Show and Book Signing Sunday, October 7, 5:00 pm |
| *Wild Style, Celebrating it's 25th Anniversary, is a 2007 VH1 Hip Hop Honoree! In 1982, Charlie Ahearn wrote, directed, and produced a small, independent movie that released a year later, taking the world by storm as it screened in Cannes, Tokyo, and Times Square. Wild Style, the first film to unite the underground urban art forms of nascent hip hop culture—DJing, MCing, b-boying, and graff writing—was filmed on location in the South Bronx without permits or pretensions. Some twenty-five years after its release, Wild Style is truly a classic, having inspired countless artists, musicians, and writers with unforgettable scenes starring the era’s most memorable personalities. To celebrate the film’s silver anniversary, Wild Style The Sampler provides an inside look at the making of the film, its release, and the reverberations it caused around the world. Curated by Ahearn, this exhibition and accompanying book of the same name introduces us to a cast of characters and outrageous adventures through a collection of photographs, original artwork, production stills, and archival materials and includes the work of Ahearn, Martha Cooper, and Cathy Campbell, as well as animators Zephyr and Dr. Revolt. Featuring iconic images of legends and pioneers including the Chief Rocker Busy Bee, Lee Quinones, Fab 5 Freddy, Dondi White, Zephyr, Smiley 149, DJ AJ, Grandmaster Caz, GrandMaster Flash and the Furious Five, Melle Mel, the Fantastic Five, The Funky Four, Sha Rock, Double Trouble, Rammellzee, Debbie Harry, Patti Astor, and Frosty Freeze, among others. Get your copy here | |
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David Yellen presents Hair Wars
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Remote controlled hairy-copters, an eight-foot wide hawk, a birthday cake spouting confetti, a working barbeque grill, a Bible made of hair—these are just a few creations featured in Hair Wars, David Yellen’s jaw-dropping collection of portraits taken at the touring American showcase of the same name. Combining advanced styling techniques, countless pounds of human hair extensions, and irrepressible imagination, these proudly outrageous coiffures take the time-honored tradition and culture of African American hairstyling out of the beauty parlor and onto the runway. Founded by David Humphries, a.k.a. “Hump the Grinder,” in the nightclubs of Detroit during the mid-80s, the “hair off” events started out as “Wednesday Night Hair Connection,” a weekly party. By 1994, the event had grown into a national showcase that toured the country, visiting cities including New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, as well as hometown Detroit. At these “hair entertainment” events, professional stylists battle each other with wildly innovative designs. Just as colorful as their creations, the stylists sport eccentric signature looks and eclectic stage names. Hair Wars stylists push themselves to create bigger, bolder, and more bodacious ‘dos at every show. But this is not a competition—it is a showcase of some of the most incredible talent and design this country has ever seen. Get your copy here |
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On Exhibition, October 6–November 11
Seconds Of My Life by Jamel Shabazz Having worked as a corrections officer in New York City for twenty years, Shabazz has witnessed the worst in humanity, yet he remains a humanist dedicated to preserving the legacy of our time, shooting with an eye for the future while preserving the present as a document of our collective past. Seconds of My Life delves deeply into the artist’s archives, going back over 25 years and spanning the globe in its representation of human life. Whether in the hills of Jamaica or the shantytowns of Brazil, among the immigrants in France or the Buddhist monks of Bangkok, Shabazz seeks out strong personalities from all races, ethnicities, nationalities, genders, sexualities, and class backgrounds. Shabazz appreciates the poise and confidence of people in all their luminous variety. Jamel Shabazz’s work has appeared in publications such as The Source, Vibe, Trace, British Elle, Jalouse, Dune, GQ, and French Vogue. In addition, his photographs have been exhibited in Hip-Hop Nation: Roots, Rhymes, and Rage at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, at Xhibiton Transition in Chicago, and at Trace Magazine: True Signs in Paris. Shabazz is a Teaching Artist with Rush Arts Foundation, where he mentors at-risk youth. He is a philanthropist who supports organizations like The Harlem Art Project, The Queens Council on the Arts, and Project Hope. He has published four books with powerHouse: the forthcoming October 2007 release Seconds of My Life, as well as Back in the Days, A Time Before Crack, and Last Sunday in June (2001, 2005, and 2003). Shabazz was born in Red Hook, Brooklyn, in 1960. |
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Black In White America by Leonard Freed One of America's great photojournalists, Leonard Freed was born in 1929 in Brooklyn, NY. As a young man he studied painting and graphic design. Although he originally intended on becoming a painter, he became interested in photography after studying with the influential art director Alexey Brodovitch. One of his first bodies of photographs was a study of Hasidic Jews living in Brooklyn in 1954. He showed the work to Life Magazine who introduced him to Cornell Capa, and Capa, in turn, introduced him to Magnum. Freed moved to Europe in 1956 and began working on assignments for publications including Paris-Match, GEO, London Sunday Times Magazine, and Der Stern. In 1962 Freed went to Berlin upon hearing that a wall was being erected to divide the city. He made a now famous photograph of a an African American soldier standing alone in front of the wall and the irony struck him, African Americans at home were marching and protesting for civil rights and there in Germany was an African American soldier ready to defend his country. Freed and his family left Europe for the U.S. shortly afterwards and began making photographs in Harlem, Washington, DC, and eventually throughout the South. This body of work documented the plight of the African American and was published in 1968. The name of the book was Black in White America and it sold over 60,000 copies. Over the years Freed published 11 more books and has displayed his work in several national and international group exhibitions as well as 25 solo exhibitions. His work can be found in public collections such as the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, the International Center of Photography in New York, the Metropolitan Museum in New York, and the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. Freed is a member of Magnum and continues to photograph today. |
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| The International Photography Awards’ three-fold mission is to salute the achievements of the world’s finest photographers, to discover emerging talent and to promote the appreciation of photography. The photography communities from countries around the globe pay tribute to the year’s most outstanding photographic achievements at the Annual Lucie Awards ceremony. Presented by Pilsner-Urquell, the Lucies recognize men and women whose life’s work in photography merits the highest acclaim by their peers. The winners of IPA Photographer of the Year and the Discovery of the Year are announced at the Lucies and are awarded cash prizes and statues. The Lucie Awards is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable foundation. | |
| The Brooklyn Bodega was started by a group of Hip Hop heads and creative cats in BKNY. They are the producers of the Annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival and a number of events around the country. The Brooklyn Bodega crew serves it up daily on their blog, our features section and their other weekly antics. They also collaborate with a number of creative collectives to produce events, unique content, and all-around good stuff. The Brooklyn Bodega is a subsidiary of The Room Service Group. Join the Bodega to get updates about events, enter weekly trivia contests, and find out why the latest and greatest all started here in Brooklyn. | |
| halcyon the shop is the music store/design boutique/street art gallery operated by the team behind the world famous halcyon cafe on Smith St. Just as the original halcyon led the way for the explosive development of Smith St. in '99, the shop, opened in '04, has been blazing the trail for Brooklyn's next hot hood, Dumbo. Nestled on a corner facing the majestic Manhattan Bridge anchorage, the shop's interior makes an immediate impression with it's 14' vaulted brick ceilings and unique "outside-in" design, a mixture of faux grass and bark treatments, edge lit green acrylic accents, custom fixtures of re-purposed heart pine and pools of loose river rocks on the floor. Dedicated to supporting the underground music, art and fashion that shapes our urban experience, the shop offers an obsessively curated selection of underground, imported and independently released music, focusing on DJ-friendly new and used vinyl, as well as CDs and DVDs. A friendly and knowledgable staff and open listening policy encourage customers to explore the unfamiliar and expand their musical boundaries. On the design side, the shop features a constantly changing array of hand screened T-shirts and fashion accessories, art and design books, periodicals and self published 'zines, posters and prints. A gallery space mounts monthly shows spotlighting local, national and international talent in the graf and street art realm. halcyon also produces, co-promotes and provides DJ talent and music programming for a busy calendar of events ranging from local community block parties to underground dance parties in NYC's top club and lounge venues. 2007 will see the long anticipated launch of Ransom Note, a label joint venture with Brooklyn based DJ/Producer Adultnapper. | |