If something’s stirring in Jersey City’s hip-hop scene, there’s a good chance Junestar Mr. Blackman will be involved. The Chilltown OG has earned kudos as a singer, songwriter, musician and producer, but behind the scenes, he’s equally renowned as a community activist and mentor.
This weekend, he’ll perform in the city twice, first at a pop-up showcase at Ript Dispensary on Friday, May 3, and then on Saturday, May 4, at “We the People, Vol. I: Vox Populi,” a benefit for Moore’s Lounge at the Samuel R. Shelton VFW Post 2294, led by Commander Tony Gibson.
For the Friday show, Blackman will share the stage with a group of talented young performers at “The Pop-Up,” a special event at Ript Dispensary, 220 Broadway. The 21+ event kicks off at 6 p.m. and includes performances by Ki Bohiti, Stack Skrilla, Lord Cartel, Baejing, Action Figure 973, and Pootie, and will be hosted by podcaster Mina Mendoza.
“The Pop-Up” is sponsored by Astra MG, which hopes to become a force in the local music scene.
“At our essence, we’re a recording studio and built our culture through the lens of hip-hop,” owner Derek Bradford said. “Our business has grown into a record label and an events production company. This Friday, May 3, we partner with Breaking Ground, a woman-led initiative, and with Ript Dispensary to throw an Astra pop-up that will feature live music, an art exhibition, and food trucks.”
The event is free, 21 and over only, and attendees need to RSVP at this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-pop-up-at-ript-dispensary-astra-music-group-breaking-grounds-tickets-872096252367.
Blackman has a band for every occasion. On Friday, he’ll duet with Randy Hayes Harris (known professionally as Randy Haze) as the Pusher. Add a few more musicians and you’ve got June & the Pushas. Add even more and it’s the Garden State Warriors, a soul and R&B ensemble that often backs local rappers and will headline the “We the People, Vol. II” benefit on Saturday.
Blackman has been at the center of the campaign to raise funds to help beleaguered Jersey City landmark Moore’s Lounge, which faces foreclosure after serving the community since 1968 as a gathering place and home for jazz music.
“We’re just continuing our efforts to support this cause and I think a lot of times that comes with spreading awareness,” Blackman said. “I’m a veteran, and I was talking to one of my VA counselors saying that I wish we had more places to play that might want to get involved with this, and she suggested the VFW.”
Blackman reached out VFW Post 2294 Commander Gibson and received permission to use the 98 Oak St. hall for a benefit.
“We just been playing and putting it together,” Blackman said. “And hopefully this will be the first of many shows we’ll be able to do there.”
A GoFundMe campaign for Moore’s Lounge, meanwhile, has so far raised $10,000 of its $15,000 goal. (Find it at www.gofundme.com/f/saving-a-local-black-owned-business.)
The first part of the Saturday, May 4, show will be the “Power Hour” open mic from 7 to 8 p.m., which welcomes all artists and musicians who arrive early and sign up.
“That part of the show is going to be directed by Dynagraphics (a graphics company owned by Dya Carvajal) and also by the Pink & Diamonds Collective,” Blackman said. “Pink & Diamonds is the female part of our tribe. They’re usually in the background helping with graphics and administration, but they also have skills and needs and wants, so we try to balance out what we do and have a female presence. And there’ll also be a speaker as part of it.”
The lineup for the rest of the night is packed with young talent that Blackman mentored and helped find a voice.
“Blindman is a reggae, ska and dub band from South Jersey. We played with them before at 902 Brewery and thought, let’s bring them back,” Blackman noted. “Beautiful music, what we call ‘culture music.’ Then we got the young upstart Micah Write, he’s gonna do a rap where’s he’ll be able to deliver some new songs. Rashad (Wright) will probably be co-hosting, we’re gonna give him a lot of time. And then we’ll end the night with us, Garden State Warriors.”
The Garden State Warriors will provide the music as several of the scene’s up and coming rappers take the stage, including E11even, Crisis, and Nizz Sentine.
“It’s very competitive around here because of New York, but, of course, New York is the birthplace of hip-hop,” Blackman said. “But we here in Jersey City try to carry the essence of hip-hop, trying to say something positive. So, a lot of these kids that will play with me keep the (traditional) ethic of trying to keep some substance in the music. Not just the stuff about murder and drugs you hear in a lot of hip-hop, we’re not really on that. It’s a prerequisite of who I pick to deal with because we really want to spread a positive message. Use music to make life easier for people, or to help the people who are afraid of hip-hop because of the negative messages.”
Jim Testa is on Facebook at facebook.com/Constant-Listener-Jim-Testa-On-Hudson-Music-108591071738628. He can also be reached at jim@jerseybeat.com.
