The 7th annual Ohio Hip-Hop awards once again had another successful event. This year brought a new location and new festivities for artists and music people alike to get involved with. A quick look at the schedule will give you an idea of what was taking place and is pretty much self explanatory. For our sake were going to get right into the awards ceremony with comments and pictures.
8p - 2am: "Welcome to Columbus" party @ Lounge 62
The location for the awards this year was the the Aladdin Shrine Auditorium in northeastern Columbus. Tucked away in a huge retail location called Easton Plaza. I arrived about 4:15 pm and had noticed there was already a lot of people who had arrived. Artists were checking in and passing out promo material as well as cd's immediately. The check in process was smooth and painless. My fiancee was my date for the night and we had reservations for v.i.p. We got our tickets and wristbands and proceeded into the auditorium. I've been coming to these awards for a couple of years now so I wanted to make sure we located our seats before I even began taking pictures or networking. The layout was very classy. I felt like I was in a palace. It had a middle eastern/hip-hop flare. The tables were decked out with matching colors, the stage was insanely huge and there were vendors lined up all around the outside walls of the room. We found our seats and I began my rounds for networking and gathering media.
The ceremony began shortly after 6pm with a performance from a high school rock band called Audio Engine. Then they were followed by some pre-awards before the hosts got introduced. Mixed with performances and awards, all in all it was a good show. Being a very opinionated guy I am going to say that I wasn't to impressed with the host's. Some of the artists that performed didn't seem to have a good stage presence either. At times, certain people who performed used vulgarity, even after being warned by the hosts. I hold the artists responsible for that action. One major disappointment I also saw was that a lot of people who were nominated or won an award didn't even show up. Or if they did show up and didn't win their category, left right after the announcement. I can understand if your doing real big things with your music career, but most of these artists aren't on tour in Europe like MGK. At least MGK's manager showed up!
Friday 9/21
3p - 7pm: Welcome Reception @ Embassy Suites
Free breakfast, free parking, & free drinks for all hotel guests everyday (21+) All rooms are suites!
Use code "ESP" when booking to get our discounted rate
8p - 2am: "Welcome to Columbus" party @ Lounge 62
Saturday /22
Noon - 5pm: "Learn to Earn" Music, Film, & Technology Conference @ Embassy Suites
( Def Jam, Interscope, Epic, Atlantic, Warner Brothers, AllHipHop.com, Reverbnation, Radio One, & more)
*Industry Showcase judged by the label execs featuring BIG prizes; And newly added R&B Showcase*
10pm - 3am: The official OHHA pre-party @ Longstreet Live nightclub
Sunday 9/23
4pm - 9pm: The 2012 Ohio Hip Hop Awards Show! @ The Aladdin Shrine Auditorium
Doors open & Red Carpet Reception 4-6pm; Show 6-9pm
10pm - 2:30am: The ONE & ONLY OFFICIAL OHHA Afterparty @ KDB's
I arrived in Columbus shortly before 1pm just in time to catch lunch and the Browns game at the local BW3 which just happen to be only 3 miles away from the venue. I have to admit I'm a die-hard loyal Cleveland Browns fan so the fact that the game started at 1pm and the red carpet for the awards didn't start until 4pm, I would have plenty of time to watch my team lose plus pre-game for the awards itself.
The location for the awards this year was the the Aladdin Shrine Auditorium in northeastern Columbus. Tucked away in a huge retail location called Easton Plaza. I arrived about 4:15 pm and had noticed there was already a lot of people who had arrived. Artists were checking in and passing out promo material as well as cd's immediately. The check in process was smooth and painless. My fiancee was my date for the night and we had reservations for v.i.p. We got our tickets and wristbands and proceeded into the auditorium. I've been coming to these awards for a couple of years now so I wanted to make sure we located our seats before I even began taking pictures or networking. The layout was very classy. I felt like I was in a palace. It had a middle eastern/hip-hop flare. The tables were decked out with matching colors, the stage was insanely huge and there were vendors lined up all around the outside walls of the room. We found our seats and I began my rounds for networking and gathering media.
I headed back out to the lobby where the red carpet was located and noticed it was alive and buzzing with people taking pictures and giving interviews. A line had formed all the way outside and was growing by the minute. You could feel a good vibe in the air. This was going to be a good night. The first artist I ran into was Referee who was nominated for most improved artist. Always good to see an artist who truly invests in them self and take their career seriously, and Referee definitely falls into that category. As the night began I ran into numerous individuals who I've known in the music industry for years. I also ran into a lot of facebook friends who I've only known through facebook but made it a point to introduce myself and get to know them. I think facebook has taken a lot of fun out of the music industry and face to face interaction is what people need to get back too. I networked, got lots of cd's from artists and took pictures for the blog. It was nice to see IPhonic along with their manager Troy attending the awards this year. The ceremony was going to start soon and it was time to eat and get some drinks.
The food spread they had this year was amazing. Pork, fish, veggies, mashed potatoes and fresh salad. It tasted amazing and looked amazing. Along with the food we were given 2 free drinks plus some free Crav drink tickets for a vodka that was sponsoring the event. The staff and service was exceptional and the cooks did an excellent job with the food.
The ceremony began shortly after 6pm with a performance from a high school rock band called Audio Engine. Then they were followed by some pre-awards before the hosts got introduced. Mixed with performances and awards, all in all it was a good show. Being a very opinionated guy I am going to say that I wasn't to impressed with the host's. Some of the artists that performed didn't seem to have a good stage presence either. At times, certain people who performed used vulgarity, even after being warned by the hosts. I hold the artists responsible for that action. One major disappointment I also saw was that a lot of people who were nominated or won an award didn't even show up. Or if they did show up and didn't win their category, left right after the announcement. I can understand if your doing real big things with your music career, but most of these artists aren't on tour in Europe like MGK. At least MGK's manager showed up!
In conclusion I think I've realized there's a huge problem with respect when it comes to artists. You hear all these guys on facebook talking this and that but when the biggest event to hit Ohio comes around they are nowhere to be found. This is an event that has people come from almost every city and surrounding states for a night of music and networking. Since i'm from Cleveland, I think I saw only 3 artists from that city that didn't even come in for the ceremony but were outside the doors passing out cd's and promo flyers to every person that walked in or out. Then you see the typical facebook artist complaining on facebook about why they didn't win an award. The kind of facebook artist whether nominated or not that actually showed up. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to put on such an event. All the founders of the OHHA's are doing is giving artists the opportunity to take their career to the next level. I didn't get much video footage of the event because I felt it wasn't necessary. There were a million camera men getting plenty of footage. I just wanted to give my personal opinion. I'm already looking forward to next year and have the ultimate respect for the founders of the OHHA.
-If there wasn't an event like this, where exactly would you be going?
Johnny Mixxxx
-If there wasn't an event like this, where exactly would you be going?
Johnny Mixxxx
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