Thanks

Well it has been a week since the Festival and I am just coming up from air long enough to write my formal thank you to all of you.

First off, everyone who came out in the rain are my motherfunkers for life! Y’all are the troopers as Kane so eloquently put it that ‘keep Hip-Hop alive.’ Your spirit is why we all do this. From Kane to Rhymefest to Strange Fruit to the volunteer who stood out in the rain giving directions.

Thanks to the State Police and NYPD for being cool the whole day. Even though y’all booed them at the end of the day. Lol. Thanks to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and Empire Fulton Ferry State Park. And of course the RSG and Brooklyn Bodega team.

Thanks to Big Daddy Kane, Scoop, CL, Craig G, Lupe, Uncle Ralph, Cap Cee, Eclipse, Rik, Sucio, Strange Fruit, The Procussions, Maya, and Panacea (please tell me I didn’t forget anyone).

The Festival was perhaps the most rewarding experience in my professional career.
I love that it was/is free. I love that it features our Hip-Hop elders as well as the future. I love that I looked into the crowd and saw women, men, young, old, Black, white, Asian. I saw Philly, Fort Greene, Soundview, Toronto, Bed Stuy, and Atlanta. I love that my man Greg’s mom was in the front row for 6 hours.
My pops was in the house. Miles Boogie was in the house. My brother was in the house. And I met Uncle Ralph. That is what it is all about.

And the best part is that when CL went into “T.R.O.Y.” I had my son in my arms.

Life is good y’all and Hip-Hop is good. Make sure you enjoy both.

Thanks for coming out and I’ll see you next year.