"Rooftop Rhythms": A Major Success!

God is good! I sensed that momentum was building for Black on Black Rhyme Abu Dhabi's 1st open mic show but who knew that it would exceed expectations so well?! During the planning stages, I was content with 30-50 people showing up. I would have been happy with 10 because a small crowd is usually common place when trying to start any new event. My focus was more so on giving the patrons that did attend a quality experience that would make them want to spread the word.

As the word of mouth spread amongst the connected group of teachers, my final estimate was around 50-60 people. I was shocked to see a final count of 110 people in attendance. Although I have been a part of planning major special events, this was the largest crowd I've ever help bring to a regular open mic.

The night was beautiful to say the least. I arrived two hours early to do a sound check with DJ Black Wolf (also co-organizer of the event with Mays Bros. Entertainment). As soon as we arrived, there were already patrons trickling in to get a seat on Cafe Arabia's rooftop. By 7pm, an hour before the event, there were already approximately 50 people in the seats getting settled in. By show time, we were near capacity on the roof.

Poets and vocalists from New Zealand to Houston, Texas, were in the house to contribute to the vibes. We were commemorating the 15th anniversary of Notorious B.I.G.'s death, and DJ Black Wolf did a great job of keeping his theme going throughout the night. He gave out mixtape CDs of Biggie's music by getting crowd members to answer specific questions about one of the best rappers of all time's life and career. We also did a NCAA-styled bracket of his 24 best songs. To a Hip-Hop head's dismay, the commercial hit, "One More Chance" won.

The eclectic crowd was a racial, age, and social status mix. There were white women in their 50's from Arizona, Emirati nationals enjoying the arts scene, Blacks from both the UK and America, and more. It was a good feeling to know that a lot of the crowd was being introduced to Biggie's music for the first time. Poets got on the mic and spoke about a variation of issues that some people could relate to and others couldn't. At the end of the night, the mission was accomplished and that was to get people to challenge each other to think and to open each other's perspective. The most touching moment of the evening was when an older White woman approached me and said that she was initially uncomfortable with so many Black people. As the night progressed, she felt more open and welcome. I was honored to help facilitate this vibe tonight.

Already, the patrons that attended are demanding another show! We are currently planning to make the next one even better! Currently we are planning to do the show once per month, but the demand may make us do it bi-weekly. Special thanks DJ Black Wolf for helping me to plan and envision this event. Much love to Sunny Deis of the Al Ain "Slammin' On the Roof" crew for coming out and representing. Another special thanks to all of the open mic participants that did their "thang"! Also, much love to James, Theresa, and Alex for all of their assistance in helping from behind the scenes. We also could not have been successful without each patron that invited a friend and helped to spread the word. Finally, thanks to all of my friends and family that believed in this event and prayed for its success back in the states. I can't wait to see what the next show/s have in store as we spread spoken word around the world!