Victory is Mine!

What a weekend.

How many blog entries have started with that phrase, I wonder? It may not be an incredibly original preface to today’s update, but I feel entirely justified in the use of that phrase, because believe you me; this weekend was definitely a memorable time.

As some of you may have noticed, I may have subtly alluded to a certain hip hop benefit show that I was involved with this weekend. The Second Annual Hip Hop for Hope Benefit Show (worthy of capitalization when you say it like that) took place on Sunday, July 31st at the Winspear Center right here in Edmonton. Now, for various reasons, involved parties were experiencing a certain amount of anxiety about the show. Holding it at the Winspear was a big risk—very expensive venue, and lots of seats to sell. As well, without seeming too bitter, there were some *ahem* organizational discrepancies, shall we say, between some of the producers. Lots of last minute stuff that just added to the stress, and could have easily been avoided with a little common sense and good planning. Needless to say, the whole weekend up till Sunday involved me running around trying to make sure everything was taken care of. The morning of the show found me out of bed early, trying to organize my six different outfits for the show, followed by a brief but nasty fight between a couple of my shirts and the iron (no clear winner, but I maintain that I came out on top). I got to the Winspear a little before one o’clock, and started organizing. I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that there were TONS of things to stress out about, not the least of which included Jon Jon and I practicing our own acts. I zipped home to grab the folks, came back, pulled on my tux, took a deep breath, and walked out into the lobby…

Incredible. Line-ups going out the door for tickets and seats. People from all walks of life, from real dedicated heads to families with little kids who had never experienced hip hop culture before. Tons of friends and family in from all over to support both myself and the charities. Before I knew it, seven o’clock rolled around and we were starting the show. As I stood in the wings while the opening music for the intro dance number were cued, I looked out into a house that was almost entirely sold out. We were hoping to get a thousand people out, if we were lucky. Imagine our surprise to see close to 1500 people packing the house (Winspear holds about 1600 at maximum capacity). The intro finished to wild applause, and Jon and I ran out on stage…what an incredible crowd. They were totally responsive, tons of energy, willing to get involved and show their love for the performers. The whole show went awesome, right down to an easy fix for the few minor problems in the show (ie running too late and one change of order for performances). Jon Jon and I were given tons of love and support, people went crazy for some of the different acts we did. And at the end of the night, 150-some performers out on stage dancing and singing together, the crowd is giving a standing ovation, Jon and I grab the mics… “I am Rob, I am Jon Jon, we’ve been your hosts for evening, thanks for coming and good-night”.




Some highlights include:
-my little bro painting an incredible canvas that was auctioned off for charity, it went for $240!! And he also has interest for a Mayoral commission for the City of Edmonton
-line dancing to cowboy-hip hop
-singing a sweet R’n’B medley to a cheering crowd
-finishing the show and basking in the love of all my friends and family who came out and supported

So there you have it…truly a memorable weekend. My absolute love and thanks to everyone who came out—without you guys, the victory isn't as sweet. Here’s to proving that hip hop really IS a positive force for change, it’s about self-expression and community and breaking down barriers. And if you don’t believe me, wait till the DVD of the show comes out in a little while. See for yourself…what an incredible weekend…