WILLIAMSBURG — The words “hip-hop” and “Williamsburg” don’t often pair together in the minds of aspiring musicians. Some might brush over all of Virginia, in fact, and picture finding success only in big cities such as Atlanta, Los Angeles or New York.
This weekend, a free educational and networking event hosted by the William & Mary Hip Hop Collection aims to record a different mental soundtrack.
“Cherish Your Legacy: Celebrating Hip Hop in Virginia,” set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at William & Mary’s Swem Library, will bring together high-profile representatives from across the music industry to showcase local resources and talent and offer production, branding and marketing insights.
“It’s important for people to understand the value of what have right here in our backyard,” said Cymandye Russell, the event’s curator and owner of Art Riche, a design and branding business on South Henry Street. “Hip-hop is one of the most popular genres in all of music right now, and Virginia has contributed a lot to that culture over its 50 years.”
The program is geared toward music enthusiasts of all ages. Along with attending panels, participants can learn more about W&M’s growing collection, which launched in 2013 and showcases Virginia’s hip-hop culture from the 1980s to the present.
Resources include oral histories from artists, music recordings, photographs, magazines, record covers, flyers, posters, T-shirts and documentation of the genre’s impact on college campuses across the state. Kevin Kosanovich, a past American studies Ph.D. candidate at W&M, gathered much of the items in partnership with Swem Library’s Special Collections team.
Russell, also a radio host, music journalist and regular industry panelist, runs Something for the Creatives, a regional series that supports established and would-be entrepreneurs in music, fine arts, fashion, film and media relations.
Before returning to her native Williamsburg last year, Russell worked as senior graphic designer at Patchwerk Recording Studios in Atlanta, where she still does freelance work. She combed her Rolodex to recruit speakers for Saturday’s program.
“We’ve got some people who have worked with real heavy hitters in music,” she noted. “Really top tier people who have so much knowledge to give.”
To name just three: Grammy-nominated producer Nottz, who has worked with Busta Rhymes, Kanye West and Snoop Dogg; Fam-Lay, an artist and media executive who hosts a podcast with Pharrell Williams and Scott Vener, a music curator who has often worked in television; and June Jones, mid-Atlantic director of urban promotions for Atlantic Records.
While famous names such as Williams, Missy Elliott and Timbaland have dominated headlines from Hampton Roads over the years, the region is home to plenty of less-visible talents to include producers and recording engineers, Russell said. And the internet has boosted the odds of musicians getting attention in any location.
That’s Russell’s message to people who haven’t given up on their creative dreams — even if they’ve been toiling away at other jobs for years.
“We’re still writing music and hip-hop history here in Virginia,” she said. “This gathering is for anyone who wants to be a part of that.”
Want to go?
For more information on Saturday’s event, including a schedule of educational panels from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and a required RSVP link for a noon lunch session, visit this site or go to libraries.wm.edu and click on the “Cherish Your Legacy” window in the Spotlight section. Panels, food and parking at William & Mary are all free.
Alison Johnson, ajohnsondp@yahoo.com
