Musical Creatives Shine @ Hidden Treasures
Joseph Watkins Da Watcha
Post-Pandemic; March 26th, 2022.
I had the privilege of attending Media City, famed art studio located in Lyndhurst, NJ. Last time I was there, music, alcohol, and partying intertwined with hip-hop, poetry, soul, and art, to create a psychedelic experience I would never forget. I was entranced by the colors, the melodies, and drinks that resembled green meteorites, which lead my consciousness into a hypnotic state. The colors man…the colors…..
Isaac Williams, curator of the event, led a journey into thee psychosis which made myself, and many others, realize what it’s like for the subconscious to leave the body through impressive and colorful visuals. Think Dr. Strange and the multiverse, you get the idea…and yet, here he is again…leading us through another realm.
In collaboration with JazItUp Events, Hidden Treasures revealed an art and music showcase fueled by infused meals, vendors and indie music artists. Held at Media City Studio (shout out Felix Natal Jr.), Isaac once again demonstrates that creativity can be manifested in many forms.
The Atmosphere
Entering the creative chasm, the environment seemed to have changed as the art, Funko, and KAWS merch permeated the room’s bar like area. This wall, “SUPREME-like” and filled with the past, present and future of various television shows, manga, anime, and sports characters is always leaving you breathless. As the wall is filled with some holy grails, I would love to hear how he was able to collect some of these rarities.
The Vendors.
Vendors were in full form as they showcased their wares to the patrons. My first encounter involved an artist whose work stemmed from Ghana. As told by me, the vendor worked in collaboration with the artist in Ghana to showcase his artistic vision of his home and country. Laced throughout the table were illustrations of the Ghanaian countryside, with an underlying theme of a calmer, more relaxed time.
Opposite the Ghanaian artwork was the Jibbeez plug, known as Jessy Jibbeez. For the unfamiliar, let’s start with the CROCS. CROCS are those foam shoes that started to turn into a fad among the high school and middle school population as they became the go to shoe during “the pandemic”. Jibbeez, are those multi-pluggable shoe charms that fit in the holes.
Honestly, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all, or so I thought. At this booth, I managed to see some very inspiring products in the guise of Black positivity, HBCUs, Black Greek Life, and some comedic Black plugs. Ranging from BAPS-the movie, the Proud Family and the Wu-Tang clan, these accessories were marvelous. One Jibbeez I found amazing was the Black Barbie. Representation mattered, and here it was in full form as an accessible pop culture item.
The Food.
The food choices are always amazing as I had the privilege of interacting with the food company, EatmyPott. An eclectic blend of Latin cuisine, infused with the “plant of happiness”, I was able to sample their signature product, the infused empanada. Well-seasoned beef saturated with the foliage, followed by a light flaky crust? I saved my sustenance for later as I went to see the main events of the evening.
Shout out to the company for the good cuisine. I ate it late with a 1-minute heat up.
Meet the Creator: Part 1.
Isaac Williams
On my way to the main stage, I had the opportunity to meet with Isaac to speak about his ideas behind this momentous occasion:
Joseph Watkins (JW): Amazing Setup!! What was the story behind this one?
Isaac (I): Wow!! Thank You!!! We really wanted to capitalize what we had in July, last year, with Hidden Treasures. So, what I wanted to actually do was a sequel, but in July. This is the start of a series of events leading up to Hidden Treasures II.
JW: Looks like this event is getting bigger than the spot that you’re in?
I: Yeah (2x). We added some people into the fray (laughter) to help us out. We were able to get a marketer and good friend, Ralph Andre, who is the Co-Founder and Head of Design for the street art app, CANVS. He’s been very supportive. We sat down and we talked about what worked, and what didn’t from the last event, and we capitalized today. We also started sharing the responsibilities with other members.
I: We have an amazing host, Rasheed Wright. An amazing guy, he’ll be hosting for us tonight. He has a lot of character, a lot of charisma, and he’s really doing his thing. Big shoutout to him.
The Main Stage
Looking at the main stage, an aura overpowered me. A musical showcase filled with up-and-coming legends. Reggaetón, Soul, R&B, Rap, Poetry and ART, the game has improved. An eclectic display of light, virtual smoke and a fine array of liquid hydration, premium vodka maker La French provided libations of their noble spirits. Infused with cognac and french wheat, a good beverage at a reasonable price is always worthy. Famous cocktail maker, Spicy Rose also kept us in love as her multicolored infusions matched the ambiance of the ecosystem.
As the lights came down, spotlights turned to their central focus, the emcee for the evening, a legend of his time, Mr. Rasheed Wright (IG: Write_raw). If you haven’t seen him, you need to as he hosted this event filled with hungry young artists. The energy. The ENERGY. This dude had the 90s energy of Puff Daddy, wait, P.Diddy…..Diddy? Love?
He’s an Eternal; Mr. Wright. Homo immortalis.
For the unfamiliar, the Eternals are these humanistic characters gifted with amazing powers and abilities to look after the human race throughout the ages. Now take that statement, remove human race and replace with microphone…..He’s that good. He controlled the crowd as he kept us entertained throughout the night while his stamina did most of the heavy lifting…..once again, that energy.
Over 9000 power level.
He made us laugh and show love for these future legends where one criticism from the streets could mean career over. This was 8 Mile, but more professional, with more love energy. He managed to turn a group of strangers into brothers and sisters and extended family members as we followed his mantra throughout the night….
“Day by Day, We getting BETTER”
That’s not a promise, it’s a pledge. You had to be there.
This pledge was the motivational constant that helped us, and the talent be better than we were the next second, minute, and hour. This is how love works and it was necessary. For example, there was a situation where one artist became nervous, yet the love energy saved him. Showcases are real here at Media City. If you’re ready we got you. That’s what Rasheed Wright did that night. Once again, THAT ENERGY.
As he introduced the artists, the main stage took on a different form. It now became an arena. The mic versus the artists. Every artist gave their soul, and ours in return for their success. It was a beautiful moment. The diversity; from Reggaetón, to soulful ballads, to hip-hop, to weed rap, to poetry, each participant had a chance to shine and rock the mic for bragging rights.
The music, real time; the energy, authentic.
Shout out to the DJ and the participants who blessed the mic and gave it their all.
Desire - Erick Lobo - Soldout - B.P.M. (Isabel) - Cash Rae - Trunky - Sir General - J-Melo - Chiptheplug - Rae Renegade - President Popout - Freeze Wavi - Mansa - Gah Nel dee - Divino - Banner - Wheredough? - Eli Poetry - Cloud Ray - Whova - Frankie Crutches
As each artist came to the stage, I started to think about tonight, this venue, and its inhabitants. It’s getting bigger. There was something here that wasn’t present last time, the fluidness of the experience, the more professional quality that each person donated to this one-of-a-kind event. The door check, excellent; food service, A+ marks, and the entertainment, stellar.
Meet the Creator: Part 2
As I left the main stage, I happened to run across the other half of the event’s success, J-Melo; fresh off the stage from her musical collaboration with Frankie Crutches and Rae Renegade.
Joseph Watkins (JW): How are you doing today?
Jazmine (J-Melo): I feel Blessed, Blessed by the best.
J-Melo
JW: Amen, Amen. What made you perform tonight?
J-Melo: Well, I have to say, as an event planner, and being here at Media City Studios, you can’t help but feel inspired, and over the last 2 years, I was blessed enough to bring talented artists and creatives of all kinds here together under one roof. …The energy was just so magnetizing….
J-Melo; writing music since the age of 14, allowed herself to live her childhood dream. Not only did she contribute to this growing dynamic of future legends by planning, and coordinating the event, she also contributed to its battle over the mic by donating her vocals as well.
Infused Liquor, empanadas on waiting, and good vibes once again hit Media City as strangers turned family, food turned into fan favorites, and artists became legends. As I walked in to give props to some of the talent by the main stage, I managed to glimpse a piece of art on the opposing wall.
Mindscapes….. I love it here.
It stood above me, Hyphen-one. Print on canvas, this psychedelic memoir of the famed artist, Hyphen1artist is an artist by day, neurosurgeon by trade. The mind, his canvas; the symbols, his life in pictures. The eye gets me. I look deeper, his soul perhaps, the artistic consciousness followed by his love of neurology even? A possible labyrinth of the artist’s mind? There doesn’t seem to be any road maps here. I try not to get lost…..
Isaac’s Hidden Treasures once again led many to a one-of a kind experience that took you out of the normalcy of life and placed you into a musical wonderland filled with libations, revelry and color. His psychedelic approach to engaging viewers is once again bringing the masses into a fashionable wonderland filled with art, music, life and entertainment. I love it here…
Day by Day, Gettin Better.
