NO SLEEP ’TIL BROOKLYN: A POWERHOUSE HIP HOP RETROSPECTIVE
The Inaugural Exhibition and Event Series at The powerHouse Arena
to Celebrate VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2006
Benefit Fundraiser for VH1 Save the Music Foundation
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Press Preview: 6:00–7:00 pm
Opening Reception: 7:00–10:00 pm
Featuring Power 105.1’s
Kool DJ Red Alert
on the 1’s and 2’s
Additional music by DJ Just Blaze
The powerHouse Arena
37 Main Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201
Tickets are $25. To purchase please contact 212-604-9074 x100
A portion of the ticket sales will benefit the VH1 Save The Music Foundation’s
work to restore instrumental music programs in NYC public schools.
Drinks courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery and FIJI Water
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 2006, a week-long celebration of hip hop’s legends and visionaries held throughout New York City.
“Hip hop music was born right here in New York City and 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."
Hip Hop Honors Week will kick off 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, emcees, and djs to the photographers, writers, personalities, and fans who have made hip hop the greatest single force in pop culture. 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.
The No Sleep ’til Brooklyn exhibition will feature photographs and art from:
- Bob Adelman, author of Gentleman of Leisure: A Year in the Life of a Pimp
- 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, old school graffiti legend
- 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, photojournalist and author of We Skate Hardcore
- CLAW Money, female 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, new school graffiti writer
- 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
- Delphine Fawundu-Buford, young portrait photographer
- ELLIS G., former graffiti writer turned street artist
- Carol Friedman, former creative director of Elektra Entertainment and Motown Records
- Hamburger Eyes, the best photography magazine on earth
- Ruediger “RUEDIONE” Glatz, CEO of Montana Germany
- William “NIC ONE” Green, co-producer of Video Graf and a 2004 VH1 Hip Hop Honors honoree
- 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,” author of Public Access, 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
- Joseph Rodríguez, author of East Side Stores: Gang Life in East L.A.
- Thomas Roma, two-time Guggenheim Fellow, director of the Photography at Columbia University
- 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
- Michael Wong, photographer of the 2006 VH1 Hip Hop Honors advertising campaign
- David Yellen, author of Too Fast for Love
In addition, The powerHouse Arena will host an event series that will run while the exhibition is up in October and November. It will feature film screenings, artists’ talks, and panel discussions including:
- Friday, October 13, starting at 6pm: Hip Hop: By All Means Necessary by Brenda Kenneally; panel discussion with MMO members Big Trigg, Sha, Skinny Minnie, and Foogie to follow.
- Saturday, October 14, starting at 6pm: The FUN’s Not Over Yet! Panel discussion moderated by Patti Astor, and featuring Diego Cortez, Lee Quinones, and Fab 5 Freddy; followed by screening of Wild Style by Charlie Ahearn.
- Sunday, October 15, starting at 4pm: An Afternoon with Jamel Shabazz and Joe Conzo. Hosted by Waxpoetics
- Monday October 16, starting at 4pm: Women in Hip Hop in conjunction with Black Girls Rock (featuring Beverly Bond, Joan Morgan, Violet, LADY PINK, TOOFLY, Martha Cooper, Janette Beckman, and Delphine Fawundu-Buford); screening of Redder than Red by Martha Cooper & Nika Kramer. Hosted by Brooklyn Bodega. Drinks courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery.
And, because we all need a little retail therapy, The powerHouse Arena has carefully cultivated a selection of products by the artists featured in the show and their associates, including:
- Apparel by CLAW Money and BLADE.
- Jewelry by KEL 1ST
- Select books, magazines, CDs, and DVDs
As the Brooklyn hub of Hip Hop Honors Week, The powerHouse Arena is proud to host VH1 programming for television and Internet broadcast during Hip Hop Honors Week.
“Hip hop music defines entire generations,” said VH1 General Manager Tom Calderone. “VH1 believes in the power of the genre, and Hip Hop Honors is our homage to those seminal artists that have defined this cultural phenomenon.”
VH1 Hip Hop Honors will honor Wu-Tang Clan, Afrika Bambaataa, Russell Simmons, MC Lyte, Rakim, Beastie Boys, and Eazy-E. The week of events kick off Thursday, October 12 and will run through Tuesday, October 17 at 9pm ET/PT, when viewers can tune in to VH1 and see Ice-T host the broadcast of the 3rd Annual Hip Hop Honors.
For more information, please contact Sara Rosen, Publicity Director
powerHouse Books, 37 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Tel: 212-604-9074 x105, Fax: 212-366-5247, email: sara@powerHouseBooks.com