State Champ Radio Harlem Festival of Culture
The Harlem Festival of Culture was supposed to be a celebration of music and coming together, inspired by the Academy Award-winning documentary Summer of Soul directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson — but a recent lawsuit filed in New York paints a picture of an event plagued by in-fighting and mistrust between the event’s three founding members.
On Thursday (Sept. 8), two of the members of the Harlem Festival of Culture LLC — editor and activist Musa Jackson (who appeared in Summer of Soul) and culture and lifestyle entrepreneur Nikoa Evans filed suit against partner and co-founder Yvonne McNair, accusing her of mounting “a hostile takeover” of the festival, scheduled to take place July 28, 29 and 30 on Randall’s Island in New York.
McNair plans to fight the lawsuit, telling Billboard, “I have worked tirelessly over the past several years to bring the Harlem Festival of Culture to life. I am relying upon my legal team to guide this process and I will be in touch with factual updates in the future.”
The festival was to be hosted by MC Lyte and feature performances by Adam Blackstone, Eric Bellinger, Jozzy, MAJOR., Ma$e, Remy Ma, Ro James, Tink and Wyclef Jean — with a special concert series leading up to the festival to be held at Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater. The event was canceled hours before it was set to open on July 28 due to President Joe Biden’s heat advisory for the weekend, which was the first-ever national hazard alert for heat issued by the White House.
The lawsuit paints a picture of a festival in constant turmoil beginning in February of this year as McNair began courting sponsors for the event, booking talent and contracting production companies to produce it. Jackson and Evans accuse McNair of diverting festival funds to accounts McNair controlled while McNair accuses Jackson and Evans of misappropriating funds and claims that a charitable donation of $125,000 had gone unaccounted for.
Jackson and Evans eventually informed McNair that their combined votes gave them majority control, demanding McNair get their approval for any sponsorship or booking agreements she negotiated. On April 19, Jackson and Evans ordered McNair to postpone the launch of ticket sales for the Harlem Festival of Culture. With the event suspended, McNair allegedly attempted to rename the event “Uptown Fest” and move forward with the festival. Eventually, the NYC Parks Department, AMC and Ticketmaster staged an intervention and demanded the three partners resolve their disagreement, leading to a settlement on May 22.
The truce didn’t last long, and within a few days, disagreements over vendors, sponsors and how much artists were being paid to perform at the festival reignited the feud and led to new complaints from Jackson and Evans over how McNair was advising vendors to prepare for the event. The pair even criticized McNair for waiting too long to cancel the festival after learning of the heat advisory.
Jackson and Evans, through their lawyer Kenneth Sternberg of Sternberg Law, are suing McNair on 15 civil counts including breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. They are also seeking “a judgment declaring that McNair is solely responsible for any liability” linked to any transactions or contracts that Jackson or Evans didn’t personally approve of, “regardless of the name in which the contract was signed.” Sternberg is also asking that McNair be forced to pay $2 million for punitive and compensatory damage, plus interest.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: handout / HFC
This weekend’s highly anticipated Harlem Festival of Culture (HFC) in New York City has been canceled due to the heat advisory the city is currently under. The three-day festival was scheduled to kick off Friday July 28, but organizers made the decision to nix the event out of safety concerns and the advisement of public officials.
The HFC’s official statement cited President Joe Biden’s suggestion that citizens “listen to public officials and stay indoors” in light the dangerously excessive heat and poor air quality gripping parts of the nation.
“After strong consideration to this severe weather impacting New York City, it is with a heavy heart that we have made the tough decision to cancel this weekend’s Harlem Festival of Culture with public safety in mind,” reads part of the official statement announcing the cancelation. “Our primary concern for the Festival was to put on an enjoyable and safe experience for all, and with the current forecast, it does not support a safe festival experience for attendees, workers or partners. While this untimely announcement changes our planned activities, this decision could potentially save lives.”
Friday’s headliner was A$AP Ferg along with performers that included Bell Biv Devoe, Cam’ron and Doug E. Fresh. Saturday’s headliner was Teyana Taylor while Wyclef Jean was scheduled to hold down Sunday, with cite of the HFC being Randall’s Island. Hip-Hop icon DJ Red Alert was scheduled to be honored on Friday. Per Weather.com, the weekend forecast in New York City includes highs in 90’s and heat advisories that include “tot temperatures and high humidity [that] may cause heat illnesses to occur.”
Refunds will be issued and more information can be found at www.harlemfestivalofculture.com.
See the full statement below.
HipHopWired Radio
Our staff has picked their favorite stations, take a listen…
As extreme heat continues to bear down on New York City, Harlem Festival of Culture has canceled their event this weekend in the interest of public safety. “On Thursday, July 27th, President Biden called on Americans to ‘listen to public officials and stay indoors’ due to the excessive heat advisory and poor air quality,” the […]
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. has been appointed co-chair of the Music Advisory Board for the Harlem Festival of Culture (HFC). Launching the weekend of July 28-30, the inaugural HFC is a reimagining of 1969’s historic Harlem Cultural Festival, which inspired the Academy Award-winning concert documentary Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised).
Mason will be working in tandem with fellow Music Advisory Board co-chair and Grammy Award-winning artist Wyclef Jean. HFC’s executive team also includes Jordan Brand chairman Larry Miller as strategic advisor and artist/business entrepreneur Michael L. Bivins as creative director.
In the HFC press release announcing his appointment, Mason commented, “I am incredibly honored to join as co-chair of the Music Advisory Board. Not just a music festival, I see this as a movement and an opportunity for the music community to get behind an event that authentically celebrates Black music and that builds on the rich legacy of Black innovation and artistic brilliance. I look forward to working alongside Wyclef and the entire HFC team to help develop something extraordinary and impactful.”
“We are thrilled to have Harvey on board as co-chair as he is an incredible asset and resource,” said HFC co-founder and technical & talent producer Yvonne McNair. “In addition to his role at the Recording Academy, he is an award-winning songwriter/producer and was literally rooted and grown in music. It’s at the core of his DNA. We couldn’t ask for a better thought partner for the festival and for such a respected figure in the entertainment industry who can also help us galvanize support for it. We are grateful to Harvey for committing his time to this labor of love and look forward to working with him as we move full speed ahead to the festival launch.”
Added Jean, “I’m really happy that Harvey is joining the board. With what we are trying to achieve with this festival, his perspective and expertise in this space are extremely valuable. His appointment really shows the genuine approach that HFC is taking to artist relations. I have never seen a festival seek to have this level of engagement with artists and to have them be such a big part of the journey. The main goal is to create a true partner relationship with artists that will help us to produce a more holistic festival experience for all.”
Mainstage events for the first annual Harlem Festival of Culture will take place on Randall’s Island in New York. Additional activations and events will be staged at the Apollo Theater and throughout Harlem. For more information, visit harlemfestivalofculture.com
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Shahar Azran / Getty
The Harlem Festival of Culture has released the details of their highly anticipated kickoff concert at the Apollo Theater with Lil Kim as the headliner.
On Thursday (Jan. 19), the festival board announced the details for “The Jump-Off With Lil Kim and Friends” concert. The show is slated to take place at the world-famous Apollo Theater Thursday, Jan. 26 coinciding with the legendary institution’s 89th anniversary. The event (named after one of her hit singles) will be Lil Kim’s first time as a headliner at The Apollo.
The bill will also feature Grammy Award-winning artist Ashanti, along with Remy Ma and Fivio Foreign, with more guests set to be announced later. “It’s going to be a night to remember to help kick off the Harlem Festival of Culture’s road to the Festival with some of my special friends,” the “Magic Stick” rapper said in the press release. “Apollo was like my backyard and I played there so much and every time it was always love. The crowd is always amazing!”
The concert is also the first event to launch HFC’s partnership with The Apollo in advance of the venue hosting Festival events this coming July. “We are thrilled to be in support of the Harlem Festival of Culture, this is a moment that will not only celebrate our Culture but provide a time to engage our beloved Harlem Community and all that it has provided to Global Culture,” said Kamilah Forbes, Executive Producer at The Apollo in the press release.
INFINITI was also announced as a presenter of the concert. “INFINITI is proud to celebrate the commencement of the Harlem Festival of Culture at the Apollo during what is sure to be a memorable evening,” Group Vice President at INFINITI Americas, Craig Keeys said. The Harlem Festival of Culture was created in April 2022 to capture the vibrant spirit of Harlem, and to build upon the energy and creativity that was expressed in the iconic Harlem Cultural Festival that took place in 1969.
That festival, regarded as a landmark moment in Black History, was reintroduced through the Academy-Award-winning documentary Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not be Televised) produced by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of The Roots. Since its inception, the Harlem Festival of Culture has welcomed partners such as AMC Networks and ALL ARTS, and seminal artists such as New Edition’s Michael Bivins and Wyclef Jean on its boards.
-
Pages
