2011 Ohio Hip-Hop Awards ReCap

A few weeks before this official kick-off I began scouting downtown Columbus for hotels and found a great deal at Knights Inn which was located on the same street as the Cosi Center exactly one mile away.  I arrived in Columbus at 4 pm and proceeded to check in and get myself situated before I headed to the meet n greet which was taking place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.  Upon entering the Crowne Plaza lobby I was greeted by the OHHA staff in a welcome manner as well as bumping into one of the co-founders of OHHA Mr. D. Lorand Jackson himself.  Everyone was in good spirits and the energy level was high.  I checked in, received my red carpet media access passes and then linked up with Slim Jim who was staying at the Crowne Plaza.  We embarked over to a Max & Erma's for dinner which was conveniently located next to the Crowne Plaza. We had some time to kill before the official pre-party was to begin.  After dinner we parted ways so that we could get cleaned up and prepared for the pre-party that would be taking place at Club Questions.

We linked back up en-route to Club Questions and arrived there at 8 pm.  Checked ourselves in and began to network.  The pre-party started off with RTV Media handing out awards for various artist's and companies throughout Ohio that have put there stamp on the music scene.  Along with some of the winners giving live performances the club began to fill up quick to where it was standing room only.  Slim Jim was slated to perform this night and had included his drummer Bubonic Beats from Cincinnati. As soon as Slim took the stage everyone got up out of there seats and I saw a drove of people with camera's who began taking video and pictures.  Slim set-off the stage with his high energy and lyrical skills.  Although at some parts the drummer was a little off due to sound restraints, Slim's set definitely set the mood for the rest of the night.  As the night went on I got to enjoy seeing more Ohio talent.  And though I am very critical an opinionated when it comes to Ohio music, the performer's for this pre-party did an outstanding job with there sets.  The night concluded with networking, drinks and an excitement in the air about the official awards ceremony that would be happening the following night!

I woke up early Saturday and wanted to take a tour of downtown Columbus.  I hadn't been here since I was in middle school for a field trip so I wanted to see what this town had to offer.  I took a trip over to the OSU campus to take a look at the famous Horseshoe stadium but to my surprise I couldn't get close to it due to the fact there was a Buckeye game that was starting at 3pm.  The streets and bars were filled with Buckeye fans all dressed in red tailgating and preparing for a game against Colorado.  Traffic was backed up everywhere but it didn't bother me cause it gave me a chance to scope out and see what some of the local businesses were.  High Street is where all the action happens.  Both sides of the street are filled with bars and shops and there was people everywhere.  I continued around town checking out some of the skyscrapers and local downtown buildings.  Columbus was alive and hopping.  I headed back to my room to prepare for the ceremony which was starting at 4pm.

I arrived at the Cosi Center and linked up with Slim Jim.  We entered Cosi and proceeded to head up to the second floor.  After getting checked in they began letting people in for the red carpet and seating.  Slim Jim was on the red carpet giving interviews and taking pictures.  I had the benefit of bumping into Krayzie bone and chopping it up for a few minutes before the show was to start.  Also linking up with our DJ, Jack Da Rippa and our dancer Billie Bad Azz.  We entered the room where the awards were going to take place and the set-up was amazing.  The entire room had a nice ambiance to it and the energy was high.  They had a standing room area, a general seating area and a v.i.p. area that was decked out.  It was set-up very professionally yet made you feel very relaxed.  Once we reached our seats it was a short time after that the ceremony began.  The show started out with the host giving away some awards.  To my disappointment though, more then half of the winners didn't show up to receive there awards.  To me this is a slap in the face to the fans who voted for you to win.  These winners had plenty of time to plan and be present to win there award.  Nonetheless the show continued on with live performance's from the winners of the showcases as well as a surprise performance from Ray Jr., MGK & Krayzie Bone who performed there remix of Sloppy which was recently released a few weeks before this event.  Other achievement awards went out to Cy Harp who is very involved with charities and the youth in the Cleveland area.  Cy Harp was very deserving of this award for the time and effort he puts into his music business.  You can find CY @ http://www.cyharp.com

Another surprise was an award given to MGK's manager Ashleigh VeVerka for her hard work and dedication in the music scene.  She definitely deserved this award.  The night went on with high energy and great live performance's.  Although Slim Jim, ShugaBooga & Billie Bad Azz didn't win, Jack Da Rippa won his category for best turntablist.  So a 1 for 4 night was a win for SMM.  As the ceremony was coming to a close you could definitely put this one in the books as the best OHHA show I've attended.  The process was smooth, the layout was on point and the show in general was 5 star excellent.

After the awards show I headed back to the hotel room to dress down and grab some food before the official after party was slated to start.  It was going to take place at a club called LongStreet Live which had 4 separate clubs built into one.  I arrived early to make sure v.i.p. sections were set and ready for certain artists and affiliates.  The club coordinator and security were more then happy to cater to our needs.  They had v.i.p. sections set-up and ready to go.  The club began to fill up fast.  It was an upscale, decked out with a proper dress feel.  There were various sections for people to sit and relax while having some drinks.  Krayzie Bone was the first to arrive and security properly guarded and guided him to where our v.i.p. section was.  A wonderful after party with great networking and music.  By the early hours of Sunday morning I was drained from networking and passing out business cards.  It was time to head back to the hotel room and catch some sleep.

Sunday I had to leave Columbus in the early morning to get back home for my kids so I was unable to attend the music conference taking place at the Mansion.  Slim Jim attended for SMM and furthered his networking. The conference had panelist's, a & r reps and label people from all over the country explaining what the music industry is and what it takes to be a part of it.  Very useful information for up and coming artist's who need to learn as they earn.  Plus there was an option to purchase time and sit with an actual a & r rep.

In conclusion I want to send a special thanks to Quincy Taylor, Majestic, Garbs and D. Lorand for having SMM a part of the OHHA for 3 years straight.  These guys put in a lot of time and dedication to make this event and the whole weekend successful and I must say they were spot on and did an excellent job!  This is by far the biggest music and networking event Ohio has to offer and if you weren't apart of it then you really missed out. Whether you were nominated or couldn't afford to attend, simply standing in the streets and passing out your Cd's would've been beneficial.  Some people like to say SMM is "FAR FROM STAR" yet we had 4 people nominated and networked with people who count in the industry.

We came, we networked, we took home an award!