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No Sleep ’til Brooklyn
The powerHouse Arena Inaugural Weekend
Celebrating VH1 Hip Hop Honors Week 2006
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Thursday, October 12, 2006
The powerHouse Arena, Brooklyn
Music by Kool DJ Red Alert
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September 5, 2006, Brooklyn, NY – No Sleep ’til Brooklyn,the inaugural exhibition and event series at The powerHouse Arena’s new location at 37 Main Street, Brooklyn, is the Brooklyn hub for VH1 Hip Hop Honors Week 2006, a week-long celebration of hip hop’s legends and visionaries held throughout New York City.
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“Hip hop music was born right here in our city,” stated Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “During our first-ever Hip Hop Honors Week, New Yorkers will have exciting new opportunities to celebrate an art that has influenced generations and reached the farthest corners of the world. For the past two years, VH1 has paid tribute to hip hop’s original pioneers through ‘Hip Hop Honors.’ They’ve chosen New York City as a host and a partner in that tribute and we’re proud to welcome them back.”
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“We are proud to host the first-ever Hip Hop Honors Week which will celebrate the revolutionary impact and influence of hip hop music,” said NYC Big Events President & CEO Maureen J. Reidy. “For one week, New Yorkers will have exciting new opportunities to celebrate an art that has influenced generations and reached the farthest corners of the world as the City and VH1 partner with retailers, sports teams, and other cultural institutions in all five boroughs.”
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Hip Hop Honors Week will kick off in Brooklyn on October 12, 2006. That evening, The powerHouse Arena will launch No Sleep ’til Brooklyn, a 30-year retrospective of hip hop culture documenting its humble beginnings in the South Bronx through its glorious rise to global domination. The group exhibition represents every element of hip hop—from the breakers, graffiti writers, MCs, and DJs to the photographers, writers, personalities, and fans who have made hip hop the greatest single force in pop culture.
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But this is by no means a story of celebrity, fame, and mass-market names. As KRS-One said, “Rap is something you do, hip hop is something you live.” And so we dedicate No Sleep ’til Brooklyn to the people and to the streets, paying tribute to the founders, the innovators, and the next generation.
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The exhibition, which runs through November 19, 2006, features work by artists:
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Cey Adams, Creative Director of Def Jam
Charlie Ahearn, director of Wild Style
Janette Beckman, photographer of seminal hip hop album covers from 1983 to 1992
Peter Beste, up-and-coming photojournalist documenting Houston hip hop culture
Le Bijoutier, contemporary street art and graffiti documentarian
BLADE, king of graff; only living artist other than Warhol to be on cover of Sotheby’s catalogue
Boogie, hot young urban photojournalist and author of It’s All Good
Martha Camarillo, photojournalist and author of Fletcher Street
Henry Chalfant, co-author of Subway Art, author of Spray Can Art, co-producer of Style Wars
Vincent Cianni, fine art documentary photographer and author of We Skate Hardcore
CLAW Money, graffiti writer, fashion designer, and author of Bombshell
Joe Conzo, old-school photographer of the Cold Crush Brothers
Martha Cooper, co-author of Subway Art, author of Hip Hop Files: 1979–1984 and We B*Girlz
CYCLE, graffiti artist, graphic designer, painter, and illustrator
DAZE aka Chris Ellis, old school graffiti legend and artist
Martin Dixon, author of Brooklyn Kings: New York City’s Black Bikers
DR.REVOLT, old school graffiti writer and creator of the Yo! MTV Raps and Wild Style logos
©ELLIS G., former graffiti writer turned street artist
Delphine Fawundu-Buford, young portrait photographer
Carol Friedman, former creative director of Elektra Entertainment and Motown Records
Hamburger Eyes, the best photography magazine on earth
William “NIC ONE” Green, co-producer of Video Graf and a 2004 VH1 Hip Hop Honors honoree
JAMES TOP, old school graffiti artist and television producer
Lisa Kahane, photojournalist working in the South Bronx in the 70s and 80s
Brenda Kenneally, acclaimed photojournalist
Brian Kenny, young visual artist
Seth Kushner, photographer and co-author of the upcoming book The Brooklynites
LADY PINK, old school graffiti legend and artist
Maripol, famed fashion designer, stylist, and author of Maripolarama
Slava Mogutin, Russian political dissident, sometime porn star, and author of Lost Boys
NATO, new school graffiti writer and artist
Charles Peterson, author of Touch Me I’m Sick
Mark Peterson, acclaimed photojournalist and author of Acts of Charity
Ricky Powell, “the Fourth Beastie Boy,” star of Rappin’ with the Rickster
QUIK, old school graffiti legend and artist
Lee Quinones, old-school graffiti legend and artist
Carlos “MARE 139” Rodriguez, former graffiti artist, sculptor, and 2006 Webby Award Winner
Randy “KEL 1st” Rodriguez, old school graffiti writer and jewelry designer
Thomas Roma, two-time Guggenheim Fellow, director of the Photography at Columbia University
RUEDIONE, CEO of Montana German
Q. Sakamaki, contemporary photojournalist
Jamel Shabazz, author of Back in the Days and A Time Before Crack
STAY HIGH 149, one of the original graffiti writers from the early 70s
Peter Sutherland, author of Autograf: New York City’s Graffiti Writers
TEAM, aka Keene Nelson Carse, old school graffiti writer and artist
TOOFLY, young urban muralist
Craig Wetherby, photography editor of Frank151 magazine
Dondi White, old school graffiti legend
Michael Wong, photographer of the 2006 VH1 Hip Hop Honors advertising campaign
David Yellen, author of Too Fast for Love
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Events:
No Sleep ’til Brooklyn also featured six events held over five days:
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No Sleep ’til Brooklyn: A powerHouse Hip Hop Retrospective
Thursday, October 12, 2006, 6:00–10:00 pm
Music by Kool DJ Red Alert
Tech equipment courtesy of Pioneer
Drinks courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery and FIJI Water
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Hip Hop: By Any Means Necessary
Friday, October 13, 2006, 6:00–10:00 pm
Hosted by Mass Appeal
Music DJ Big Rich (Sophist Productions)
Tech equipment courtesy of Pioneer
Drinks courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery and FIJI Water
New York premier screening of the first documentary film by acclaimed photojournalist Brenda Kenneally.
Film Screening: Hip Hop: By Any Means Necessary
The film is a graphic and gripping journey inside the rap game. Featuring the members of the MMO clique based in Brooklyn, including Big Trigg, Sha, Skinny Minnie, and Foogie, the film travels around the city and across the country to explore how young black youth are hustling hop hop as a way to make something of their lives. But this is by no means a sugar-coated story; the film opens with a young man killed by the police; it takes you on stage with Ol’ Dirty Bastard at one of his final performances; it shows life in the projects as they are lived. Hip Hop: By All Means Necessary includes appearances by Brooklyn’s own MMO clique; Bushwick Bill (Geto Boys), Kurupt (Tha Row), Ol’ Dirty Bastard (Wu Tang Clan), LA Confidential, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Funkmaser Flex, and Kanye West, among many others. Live performance by MMO clique members to follow.
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Cookin’ Up Customs!
Saturday, October 14, 2006, 1:00–4:00 pm
Hosted by femalesneakerfiend.com
Tech equipment courtesy of Pioneer
Join us for an all-girl sneaker customizing party giving females the chance to show off their skills or learn new ones at our Custom Clinic and Custom Competition. The party includes free Nikes for the first 25 customizers, free paints, DJ Nomadik from Boston’s Sole Kore, b-girl performances, award-winning sneaker displays and more… (Bring Your Own Kicks in case you miss the free ones!). The entrance fee is $5 at the door. Femalesneakerfiend.com is the online community for women and girls who are passionate about their sneakers. This interactive site includes interviews, articles, sneaker art, surveys and photos, as well as forums with over 3000 members. Femalesneakerfiend.com has repped for the ladies on MTV-Canada, weeklydrop (podcast), Boston Globe, the Phoenix, Sneaker Freaker, Kicksclusive, Lace (Germany), hypebeast, highsnobiety, kixandthecity, ladykickz, coolhunting, and exhibitions such as Sneaker Pimps, International Sneaker Battles and Sole Collector/Niketown.
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The Fun’s Not Over Yet!
Saturday, October 14, 2006, 6:00–10:00 pm
Hosted by V Magazine online
Music by DJ Synapse (Beautiful/Decay, Good Peoples)
Tech equipment courtesy of Pioneer
Drinks courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery and FIJI Water.
Film Screening: Trailer for the upcoming documentary film Patti Astor’s FUN Gallery (RobertsDavid Films)
The world famous FUN Gallery was the epicenter of the early-80s East Village cultural explosion. The first gallery in that then-tenement neighborhood was founded in 1981 by underground film star Patti Astor and Bill Stelling. It showcased the works of artists such as Jean Michel Basquiat, Lee Quinones, Keith Haring, Dondi White, ZEPHYR, Kenny Sharf, FUTURA 2000, A ONE, FAB 5 Freddy, and DR.REVOLT. The gallery provided many artists with their first solo shows and introduced countless others to the established art world for the first time. In 1983 then–Citibank art advisor Jeffery Deitch stated in People magazine that the Fun Gallery was “one of the hottest galleries in the city.”
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FUN! The True Story of Patti Astor, her first book, relates her escapades at that pioneering storefront space along with the unique FUN Gallery crew of graffiti artists, rock, rap, and movie stars, uptown collectors, scheming SoHo dealers, and neighborhood kids and hipsters. The FUN Gallery panel will be moderated by Patti Astor and features some of the influential and original members of the FUN Crew:
- FAB 5 Freddy on the landmark coming together of uptown and downtown for which he was the chief ambassador.
- Diego Cortez, who curated the first “outlaw” art shows, Batman, Grutzi Elvis, and the groundbreaking New York New Wave on bringing this art to a larger audience.
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Film Screening: Wild Style
For those craving the true roots of rap, Wild Style captured the hardcore South Bronx scene at its birth. The stars of Wild Style form the pantheon of hip hop’s pioneers: DJ’s Grand Master Flash, Grand Wizard Theodore, D.St.; rappers Grand Master Caz and The Cold Crush Bros, The Chief Rocker Busy Bee, Double Trouble, Fantastic Freaks and Rammelzee, and b-boy champions The Rock Steady Crew. Beat Music by legendary Blondie guitarist Chris Stein and Fred Brathwaite. Wild Style stars the legendary subway artist LEE Quinones and the queen of the graffiti scene, Sandra PINK Fabara. Graffiti Masters DONDI, ZEPHYR, and DAZE also bombed for the movie. Patti Astor stars as Virgiina, the downtown reporter who comes uptown to dig the scene. Fab 5 Freddy, who along with writer/producer/director Charlie Ahearn, helped create Wild Style, shines as the smooth hip hop impressario Phade. Wild Style follows the outlaw artists through the train yards to the rap/breakin’ clubs. The movie culminates at a massive outdoor jam, definitely the most famous hip hop party in history!
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An Afternoon with Jamel Shabazz and Joe Conzo
Sunday, October 15, 2006, 4:00–8:00pm
Hosted by Wax Poetics
Music by Jamel Shabazz and Joe Conzo
Tech equipment courtesy of Pioneer
Drinks courtesy of FIJI Water
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Since the 2001 publication of his first monograph Back in the Days, hip hop culture’s premier street photographer and documentarian Jamel Shabazz has inspired a new generation to learn their history and celebrate their heritage. Possessing a vibrant record of thirty years of urban culture, Shabazz is devoted to teaching documentary photography to the youth in various communities both here and abroad. Complementing his work is that of photographer Joe Conzo, who intimately captured the birth of hip-hop as it came up on the streets of the South Bronx. Conzo became the The Cold Crush Brother’s exclusive photographer, and also shot legendary groups including Treacherous 3, Fearless 4, and Fantastic 5 in famed venues such as The T-Connection, Harlem World, Ecstasy Garage and The Roxy. Committed to preserving the community and uplifting the people, Shabazz and Conzo will host an afternoon talk featuring a selection of the music that inspired their work, a slide show and lecture exploring their vast archives, host a Q&A session, and screen a trailer from the forthcoming documentary film 1 Love, on Shabazz, Conzo, and photographer Ernie Pannicoli.
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Film Screening: From Mambo to Hip Hop
From Mambo to Hip Hop: A South Bronx Story, is an hour long documentary produced by City Lore, Inc. and directed by Henry Chalfant. The film presents a panoramic view of the music that blossomed in the latin community of the South Bronx from the late 1940’s when mambo burst onto the New York cultural scene through the birth of hip hop in the 1970s. The film chronicles two generations who grew up literally on the same streets, and both used rhythm as their forms of rebellion—for the older generation it was the pulsating rhythms of Cuba; for their children it was the rhythms of rap. The film, designed for public television and possibly theatrical release, aims to bring attention to the Bronx neighborhoods and communities who, with few resources, transformed the world’s pop culture. From Mambo to Hip Hop features: Ray Barretto, Benny Bonilla, Orlando Marin, Manny Oquendo, Willie Colon, Africa Bambaata, Charlie Chase, Fabel, Luis Chaluisan (El Extreme), Kid Freeze, Track II, Trace, Bom 5, Sandra Maria Esteves, Bobby Sanabria and more.
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Women in Hip Hop
Monday, October 16, 2006, 4:00–7:00pm
Held in conjunction with Black Girls Rock
Hosted by Brooklyn Bodega
Music by DJ Synapse (Beautiful/Decay, Good Peoples)
Tech equipment courtesy of Pioneer
Drinks courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery and FIJI Water
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All too often, women are overlooked, marginalized, or just flat out insulted in hip hop culture. This event is designed to give women their due while creating a forum for critical discussion and pro-active and positive approached to problem solving. Featuring a panel discussion with acclaimed female artists and writers, Women in Hip Hop will discuss the challenges they have faced as women setting out to make their mark in a traditionally male-dominated culture, providing both inspiration to young women and girls, as well as offering insight of their struggles with the men and boys with whom they work, love, and live. The event will also feature a performance from local Brooklyn songstress Maya Azucena, who most recently performed at the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, as well as a PSA from Black Girls Rock, and a multi-media presentation for We B*Girlz, the first book of female breakers around the world today by Martha Cooper and Nika Kramer.
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The Women in Hip Hop Panel discussion will be moderated by powerHouse Book Publicity Director and No Sleep ‘til Brooklyn curator Miss Rosen and will feature a broad range of women whose work has influenced hip hop for the past three decades including:
- Patti Astor, co-founder of FUN Gallery
- Maya Azucena, Brooklyn-based songstress
- Janette Beckman, photographer of some of the most iconic album covers of the 80s
- Beverly Bond, Founder and President of Black Girls Rock
- Martha Cooper, legendary hip hop documentarian
- Delphine Fawundu-Buford, street photographer and portraitist
- LADY PINK, legendary graffiti writer and artist
- Joan Morgan, author of When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost
- TOOFLY, hot young urban muralist
- Violet, old-school b-girl and founder of KR3Ts
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Short Film Screening: Redder than Red
Celebrated photographer Martha Cooper and writer Nika Kramer make their directorial debut with the story of Hanifa “Queen” Hudson, aka Bubbles, the pioneering female breakdancer who rose to fame in the early 80s with breakdance crew The B-Boys, via appearances on TV and in early hip hop films Electro Rock and Bombin. Widely acknowledged as the first female breaker to compete with men in the almost exclusively male, emerging hip hop culture, Bubbles remains an inspiration to b-girls all over the world. Bubbles became famous through a line in Electro Rock when the host says: “Check out the one in red—it’s a girl!” Combining vintage and recent footage, the film explores the life history of a talented, now-37-year-old, Jamaican-British girl who got caught up in the excitement of hip hop in the early 80s, attained a measure of fame, was virtually forgotten, but has recently re-entered the scene. In the intervening years, Bubbles married, had a son, divorced, and converted to Islam, changing her name to Hanifa. The film captures the excitement of the early days of hip hop as it arrived fresh from the Bronx to England in the 80s. The film’s highlight is a reunion of Bubbles’ crew, the B-Boys, in the local community center, where they dance together for the first time in nearly 20 years.
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Partnerships:
Black Girls Rock, Brooklyn Bodega, Brooklyn Brewery, Female Sneaker Fiend, Fiji Water, Montana, Pioneer, and Power 105.
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Miss Rosen’s Contribution:
Exhibition Curator, Installation, Brand Partnership, Event Planning, Publicity, and Advertising.
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Coordinated international publicity campaign including coverage in
Artnet, EI8HT, ELLE, Flavorpill,, Hot 97, New York Amsterdam News, Marie Claire Italia,
New York Daily News, New York Press, Time Out New York, VH1, Village Voice, and Wallpaper, among others.
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Art Directed and Coordinated Advertising Campaign in:
Anthem, Death + Taxes, Free, Mass Appeal, Photo District News,
Photograph, Planet, Theme, Wax Poetics, and YRB.
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Magazine cover courtesy of powerHouse Books
Photographs ©Joe Conzo and ©Martha Cooper