California Bay Area Celebrates Hip Hop and Honors The Late Jam Master Jay, Friday APRIL 2nd, 2004

Thursday, March 25, 2004
By: brooklyniteOne

Bay Area groups come together to honor Run-DMC DJ and Hip Hop pioneer; all proceeds to benefit The Jam Master Jay Foundation for Music, NextAid and IS 192, the middle school attended by Jay Mizell in Hollis, Queens.

Project Pangea, NextAid, Hip Hop Film Fest & friends announced today that they would be working together to produce a tribute benefit to the late RUN-DMC luminary, Jam Master Jay.

In order to raise funds for effort, the groups will be hosting a fundraiser on Friday, April 2nd from 7pm – 2am (21+), in conjunction with Mezzanine (444 Jessie St. @ Mint), San Francisco’s hottest nightclub and gallery space.

The benefit will showcase all elements of Hip Hop culture, including music, dance, art, poetry and fashion.

Scheduled performances include:

• A video produced by Chuck D (Public Enemy)
• A Hip Hop Film Fest curated and moderated by Kevin Epps (Straight Outta Hunters Point)
• DJ set by GrandWizzard Theodore (Inventor of the Scratch)
• Event MC Radio Active (Michael Franti & Spearhead)
• Beatbox demonstration by Felonious
• Live set by blacKMahal Soundset, an Indian Bhangra/Hip Hop fusion act featuring a DJ, live sax and a percussion ensemble led by the “Godfather of Dhol” Lal Singh Bhatti
• DJ Polywog (MTV, Lollapalooza, Groove) with keyboardist Kevin Choice (Goapele) and bassist Keenan Wayne
• DJ Toph One (XLR8R, RedWine) with MC L*Roneous, spoken word poets from DeepDickollective and live art battlers Abe & Coro
• Scratch DJ Exhibition (sponsored by norcal DJ & Music Production Academy) featuring Pam the Funkstress (the Coup), Relm, Jay Slim and Pone
• Coed bboy (breakdancing) presentation choreographed by Flavor Group
• Knowledge Lounge presented by One Mic
• Live participatory art by Precita Eyes
• Silent auction featuring photos by industry legend Henry Chalfant (Style Wars)
• Graffiti and Urban Art exhibit curated by various emerging artists
• Voter Registration coordinated by the National Hip Hop Political Convention
• Live Video Art by VJ Pioneer Stefan G and Dax Presents
• Urban Fashion by Blue Marlin

"What better tribute could we offer Jam Master Jay than to pay homage to the legacy of music, education and artistic collaboration that he left us all?" said Project Pangea Executive Director, Darian Heyman.

Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, was a Hip Hop pioneer and the DJ of legendary Run DMC. He was shot and killed in Queens on October 30, 2002, while in a music studio. He was 37 and is survived by his wife, three sons, mother, brother and sister.

Project Pangea (www.projectpangea.org) organizes fundraisers around cultural themes, all aimed at providing a creative outlet for underprivileged youth, while stimulating cultural awareness and connecting the arts community in the San Francisco Bay Area. Their last series of two events, which featured an Indian theme, raised over $33,000 to create and permanently maintain music programs in public schools in Gujarat, India. They also recently helped to produce the DJ lineup for Michael Franti & Spearhead’s annual 911 Power to the Peaceful festival, which drew over 30,000 to Golden Gate Park.

The Jam Master Jay Foundation for Music (www.jmjmusicfoundation.org) was created in the memory of Jason Mizell (a.k.a. Jam Master Jay) by Jay’s widow. The Foundation’s goal is to enrich the lives of inner city school students by contributing resources that will enable, create and/or improve in-school or after school music education programs.

Hip Hop Film Fest (www.hiphopfilmfest.com) is a traveling screening series organized by the non-profit Center for Hip-Hop Education, a collective of artists, poets, writers, musicians, dancers, filmmakers & spirited volunteers. Featuring many unique and hard to find films, the Fest offers tales that embody & document the wide-ranging creativity of the Hip Hop movement.

NextAid (www.nextaid.org) is a charitable public interest group, a California non-profit corporation that coordinates music events to benefit children affected by AIDS in Africa. Partnering with organizations that have demonstrated effective strategies, NextAid generates the funding and increased awareness necessary to provide both basic needs and long-term aid to these children.

Tickets are $10 online (www.acteva.com/go/pangea) and $15 at the door.

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