The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall Of Fame (LIMEHOF) celebrated the 50th anniversary of hip-hop recently with a special concert and panel discussion at the venue’s home base in Stony Brook Village (97 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY). The event kicked off with the unveiling of a statue of LIMEHOF inductee LL COOL J and was followed by a celebration event which will feature legendary stars Son of Bazerk, A.J. Rock (of J.V.C. F.O.R.C.E.), DJ Jazzy Jay, MC Glamorous, DJ Johnny Juice and Producer Keith Schocklee (of Public Enemy), Dinco D (Leaders of the New School), and special guest Ralph McDaniels (of Video Music Box). Rapper Keith Murray made a special guest appearance.
The event started with a panel discussion moderated by Tom Needham, LIMEHOF Vice Chairman and longtime host of the “Sounds of Film Radio Show,” who was joined by Keith Schocklee, MC Glamorous, JVC Force’s A.J. Rock, Leaders of the New School’s Dinco D, DJ Johnny Juice and Ralph
McDaniels. That was followed by a series of live music performances with DJ Jazzy Jay, MC Glamorous, A.J. Rock, Dinco D, DJ Johnny Juice and Son of Bazerk.
“We are honored to pay tribute to the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop with a live concert performed by some of hip hop’s most influential artists, all from Long Island,” said Ernie Canadeo, LIMEHOF Chairman. “It is a testament to Long Island’s prominent and continuing role in hip-hop’s legacy.”
Through the years, LIMEHOF has paid tribute to the hip-hop community by inducting artists LL Cool J, Run-DMC, Public Enemy, Eric B. & Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Kurtis Blow, Whodini, Salt-N-Pepa, and EPMD.
It should also be noted that while popular in the Bronx, many major hip-hop block parties and DJs who started it all were also significant in Brooklyn and Queens. One of the most popular Queens hip hop artists of all time is LL COOL J who was honored at this event with the unveiling of a unique statute. His former right-hand man ELove was also there to celebrate.
LL COOL J (James Todd Smith) was originally from Bay Shore on Long Island and later moved to St. Albans, Queens. He was inducted into LIMEHOF in 2008 as an iconic figure who revolutionized hip hop music with his unique style, charismatic personality and influential lyrics.
The sustainable sonic monument, The G.O.A.T. Monument, Going Back to The Meadows, A Tribute to LL COOL J and Performance at FMCP, was created in 2021 by sculptor Sherwin Banfield. He was inspired to create the statute to honor LL COOL J as “a culture shifter and a legend of hip hop”. The statute depicts LL COOL J from the 1980’s era. It measures 8.5 feet tall by 3.5 feet wide by 3 feet in length and weighs 600 pounds. It is comprised of Bronze, Stainless Steel, Steel, Winterstone, Resin, Cement, Wood, Audio & Lighting, and contains a Solar Power System to play music. It was originally displayed in Flushing Meadows Corona Park for a year.
“I think it’s appropriate to have it displayed in a new location where fans, music lovers and art enthusiasts of that location will have an opportunity to see this sculpture of a living legend,” Banfield says “Not only is it a three dimensional visual representation of him but it also plays his music out of the sculpture so you get to experience a visual, tactile and audible experience with the monument. I think it’s great that it’s moving from its original location in Queens where LL Cool J honed his artistic craft to where he was born and raised in Long Island so it’s tracking his journey from one space to another.”
For more information about the LIMEHOF Hip-Hop 50th Anniversary Concert, please visit https://www.limusichalloffame.org/museum/
About the Author New York Trend is a weekly news publication that focuses on issues and lifestyles of the African & Caribbean American communities throughout the New York metropolitan area and Nassau and Suffolk Counties of Long Island. It is a respected and well recognized news publication that has been in existence since 1989. Owner, Publisher and Executive Director, Dr. Teresa Taylor Williams has been at the helm of this award-winning publication since its inception. New York Trend continues to be the only black woman-owned, metropolitan newspaper in New York and Long island. New York Trend is the largest black-owned newspaper throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. |