Hamilton: BLEND Old School Hip-Hop Night & Carton Tap Takeover is happening at BLEND Bar & Bistro. Last year was a super fun night with a lot of great music, NJCB Members by the dozens and many beer reps and more! I asked Rick a few questions about his inspiration for this event.
Rick from BLEND Bar & Bistro said on Wednesday, January 31 from 08:00 pm to 02:00 am
Break out your Kangols and your shell-toed Adidas… everyone’s favorite event from last year is BACK! Enjoy a dozen of Carton’s freshest brews while you chill to a soundtrack of classic 80s and 90s hip-hop provided by the evening’s DJ Hung Fu Panda. Draft list is TBD so be sure to follow the facebook event for more details.
But before we get to the link, I asked Rick why is this happening?
I was always into hip-hop to some degree for as far back as I can remember, but shortly after my 10th birthday in ’93 when I heard “M.E.T.H.O.D. Man” for the first time it literally changed my life. I went and threw away all of my non-hip-hop cassette tapes as soon as that video was done playing. I have two ‘hobbies’ that are true passions of mine – beer and hip-hop. I’m lucky enough to be able to make a living around one of them, and it’s even better when I can incorporate the other. Plus I enjoy sharing my knowledge and love for both of those things, and this is the best outlet to do both on a large scale.
Joe from Carton has become a close personal friend of mine. He shares a similar passion for music and beer. We had tossed around a few different ideas to bring his DJ skills to the Blend platform, and we wanted to make sure that it was a unique idea that showed a bit of our personalities. We kinda mutually stumbled upon this idea for a beer & old-school hip-hop night. Good people, good music, and good beer seemed like a recipe for success.
Full disclosure, about 6 years ago, I (Mike/NJCB) met Joe at Carton, way before he was working there. We were talking about music and beer and sipping on a Boat sample. Joe mentioned he was a DJ to bring in some extra money. I went to see Joe DJ a few times with my wife and friends near Long Branch. Then Joe got a job a Carton. As he says, if you hang out there long enough, they eventually hire you.
To paraphrase one of Rick’s favorite lines from a Biggie songs
My goal is to make this event and all of the other events we put together hot like kettles.
Ohhhh also, Joe typically makes his mix public for future use but you have to be at the event to find out how to get it. More information can be found at at this link to the Facebook event. Dress the part too! Old School hip-hop clothing encouraged!
