In celebration of the Kennedy Center’s 50th anniversary, Issa Rae’s company Hoorae and her audio everywhere company Raedio put on a four-day event that featured artists who Raedio’s president Benoni Tagoe described as “people they fuck with.” The list included the likes of Mereba, Flo Milli, Keke Palmer and The Read cast Kid Fury and Crissle.
According to Issa, a black representative from the Kennedy Center reached out to her team to take over a day and Hoorae turned it into a four-day event.
“I’m really, really honored and appreciative that the Kennedy Center reached out to us. This is a very unique time within the company with us coming out in a new way,” said Issa.
Issa shared that many people don’t know what Hoorae as a company is as far as Raedio, which was started as a place to uplift black talent.
Tagoe stated that Raedio wants to exist wherever music is, whether it’s a podcast, music on shows, i.e., Love & Hip Hop, Power and Wu-Tang. The goal is to provide music for everybody.
It was a weekend of mixed emotions, music, black excellence and laughter. The weekend kicked off with Issa’s third Pieces series, which Jazmine Sullivan hosted in the past. This year, Alabama artist Mereba took to the stage to perform songs from her first project, The Jungle is the Only Way Out and her latest single, Rider, from her recent EP AZEB.
Mereba was introduced by Issa Rae, who shared the first time she discovered Mereba. “I was looking for a very specific song for Insecure open titles and I came across Black Truck and I was like who is this? Where did she come from and why don’t I know her? She’s an extraordinary storyteller. There’s something so magical about her voice,” Issa stated.
Mereba shared the backstories behind each song before she performed it live with her background guitarist, pianist, and a personal guitar.
The following day kicked off short film Saturday that featured the filmmakers Jahbrielle, Khadijah and Brittney, who created a piece called “If These Locs Could Talk.” The short film shines light on what it means to break the rules through dreadlocks.
According to Khadija, “We are standing for economic, social, and political rights and healing pains associated with our complexion and our hair.” California artist D Smoke and his brother Sir and their father had a cameo in the short film.
The second documentary presented told the story of The Read’s Kid Fury and his battle with depression. The comedian took the viewers on a ride into the past with pictures of him as a kid, showcasing his devious and humorous personality that allowed everyone to see where’s the Kid Fury he is today. He gave an intimate view, showing his relationship with his parents and the behind-the-scene thoughts he battles with after and before each performance. Fury partnered with Michael Troll, who is like a brother to Fury, to gather the footage needed to complete the documentary.
While Kid Fury was only on stage for a few minutes on Saturday, he took over the stage Sunday as The Read did a preview of their comedy album. The energy in the building was like no other. D.C and fans from all over packed out the theatre in The Read merch in anticipation of the two hosts hitting the stage.
Fury and Crissle walked out to Nicki Minaj and Coi Leray’s hit single Blick Blick, strutting the entire stage before taking their seats. Crissle stated, “Look at this rich muthafucka” as Fury rocked a Gucci jacket with a matching hat. They decided to do something different from their typical show, where they begin conversations surrounding pop culture, politics and life advice. Instead, they focused on a time before social media, when niggas had to watch TV to know what’s going on.” They covered past topics from the 90s, including the OJ Simpson case, Left Eye burning down Andre Rison’s mansion, Mike Tyson’s fight against Evander Holyfield and The Fresh Prince switch of Aunt Viv.
Following The Read’s show, Flo Milli hit the stage to perform three of her hit songs. According to Tagoe, it was only fitting to include Flo Milli in the lineup since she will have one of the lead singles from The Read’s upcoming comedy album.
The evening ended with A Sip With Issa Rae with special guest Keke Palmer. Issa asked the actress, singer and songwriter many questions. Some included personal questions, while some pertained to the entertainment industry and how Keke has navigated as a child star. Very candid and authentic, Palmer answered every question, dropping gems to the crowd while telling her truth.
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