Third Annual Tha Blast ™ Urban Arts and Cultural Festival Announces Schedule and Lineup of Hip Hop Stars: Crazy Legs, Biz Markie, Little Brother and Scratch; Here Comes Tha Blast!

September 7, 2005 -– Tha Blast Urban ™ Arts & Cultural Festival Creator and Events Producer Robin Harrison announced today that Little Brother and Scratch from “The Roots” are the featured performers for this year’s festival September 30-October 10th at various venues in and around Cincinnati. Urban culture legends B’Boy Crazy Legs and rapper and celebrity DJ Biz Markie will both receive Tha Blast Community Awards from P-Funk legend Bootsy Collins, the 2003 recipient of the award. Harrison said that Crazy Legs and Biz Markie are being honored with Tha Blast Community Award for their many contributions to urban culture and Hip Hop.

Tha Blast is a high energy urban arts and cultural festival, hosting several activities, including an art exhibition, outdoor concert, college panel discussion, poetry & neo-soul showcase, master hip-hop dance class and film screenings followed by discussion. Tha Blast III is part of the Fourth Annual Enjoy the Arts 20/20 Festival. Scheduled for September 30 through October 19, 2005, 20/20 IV celebrates art in all forms, from poetry on the Metro to jazz in a coffee café.

The up and coming talents featured at this year’s outdoor concert are Scratch from “The Roots” and “Little Brother.” They will also be participating in a panel discussion along with Biz Markie and Crazy Legs at the “Afternoon College Spin” at the University of Cincinnati on September 30. The panel discussion will explore the elements of Hip Hop, along with various urban culture issues. Another highlight of the festival is the screening of “Afro Punk,” which explores race identity within the punk scene. The film’s director James Spooner will be in town to discuss the making of the documentary at the Contemporary Arts Center on October 10th.

The mission of Tha Blast is to create an ongoing social/cultural experience that explores the many facets of urban culture and the arts, while providing an educational outreach initiative to Cincinnati’s underserved communities. “From one generation to the next, Tha Blast celebrates urban culture by recognizing its artistic impact on art, music, film, dance, & spoken word,” said Robin Harrison, Tha Blast Creator and Event Producer. “Tha Blast annually showcases a diverse group of up and coming talents and pays tribute to urban culture legends that are honored and rewarded for their many past contributions to urban arts and culture.”

For the last two years, the festival activities have attracted over 7,000 people and included participation from nationally acclaimed artists such as turntable legend Grand Master Flash, poet Jessica Care Moore, DJ Hi-Tek and P-Funk legend Bootsy Collins. “We are hoping to get about 4,000 people this year,” said Harrison. “Tha Blast is eclectic. We get all kinds of people—young/old, black/white, rich/poor. It has something for everyone.”

“Popular culture is and will always be influenced by the diverse and unique aspects of urban culture and its art,” said Cedric Cox, Assistant Event Manager and Curator of the Art Show. “The urban underground and its ever changing pulse has a profound influence on what we see and hear in the mainstream before it becomes ‘the next big thing.’”

“We are thrilled to sponsor and host Tha Blast’s Afternoon College Spin panel discussion on urban culture and the Hip-Hop until YouDon’t Stop! Concert at the University of Cincinnati,” said Robert Tackett, Director of MainStreet Operations at Tangeman University Center. “The festival’s mission is right in line with our UC|21 Plan to develop meaningful community partnerships and create opportunities for our students to have a wide variety of cultural experiences.” Other partners and sponsors of Tha Blast™ 2005 are the Enjoy the Arts 20/20 Festival, ArtWorks, The Greenwich, The Contemporary Arts Center, the Rudi Johnson Foundation, New School Cincinnati, Ballet Tech Ohio, Bootsy Collins and a host of local artists and community leaders.

About This Year’s Co-winners of Tha Blast Community Award

Crazy Legs (born Richard Colón) is a graffiti artist and one of the pioneers of break dancing and an original member of the Rock Steady Crew. Growing up in the Bronx, Crazy Legs saw gang activity all around him, but got into break dancing and has since become the dominant face of break dance culture to the world. His first exposure was as a street dancer in the movie Flashdance, however since he has appeared in many movies including Beat Street, Wild Style, and Style Wars and he has appeared in many television programs, music videos, and commercials. He participated in the Peabody Award-winning documentary Dance in America: Everybody Dance Now, and co-produced and starred in the documentary The Freshest Kids: History of the B-Boy. Crazy Legs has toured extensively throughout the United States and the world, performing at such venues as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. President of Backspin Productions and the Rock Steady Crew, he is an award-winning choreographer and member of the Hip Hop hall of Fame.

Biz Markie, (born Marcel Hall) one of the early pioneers of beatboxing, has gone from being the “Clown Prince of Hip Hop” to platinum-selling rapper, to one of the most beloved and in-demand celebrity DJ’s in the world. He’s appeared in commercials, as celebrity guest on television and with Will Smith in Men In Black 2. He appeared on VH1’s weekly reality show Celebrity Fit Club. While a lot’s changed in hip hop since his fabled days with Marley’s Juice Crew, Biz’s adventurous beatmaking remains undaunted by his well-publicized involvement in a 1991 lawsuit regarding sampling which changed the sound of the rap industry. The release of his third album I Need a Haircut was hampered by the suit, which ruled that all sampling be pre-approved by the original artist before use. As a performer, the Biz is best known for humorous singles like his hit “Just A Friend” from The Biz Never Sleeps.

For more details about Tha Blast III, a complete schedule of events, photos, or interview, visit www.hipnoticconcepts.com or contact Robin Harrison at 513-607-0718.

(See attached photos.)

Media contact:
Robin Harrison
Tha Blast Coordinator
513-607-0718