The last time to visit the Contact High Exhibit was this past weekend, so it encouraged me to pay homage for this unique experience and write about it again. I could spend a 3rd day there if I could, just so I can take my time and read in detail about all of the pictures. A few weeks ago, I went with my cousin Jordan (JP) and his daughter, Rocky. Jordan genuinely expressed his love for hip-hop music on Instagram and how much of a role and influence the music and culture has had on his life…He was living in NYC for almost 10 years and is now back in LA and raising a family with everyone that is close to him. Jordan is one of my closest cousins and influenced me to “piggyback” with what he wrote on hip-hop and living in New York City….

One of my favorite memories with Jordan was in September, 2012. At the time, I was a traveling recruiter for Roadtrip Nation and was part of the East Coast RV team, and NYC was part of our itinerary. With a few days to spare in the city, I stayed with Jordan and Geleen at their apartment in Brooklyn Heights. That Saturday, there was a free hip-hop event sponsored by Bud Light that featured artists like Swizz Beatz, Araabmuzik, and Jermaine Dupri. Not only was the show free, they were also giving out free Bud Light beers, so there were times when I was holding 3-4 beers for myself at one time: Don’t judge me. Not only were the performances dope, the people’s vibes were cool and it was located at Beekman Beer Garden, which overlooked Brooklyn Bridge.

Roadtrip Nation RV- Manhattanville, New York City.

Everywhere you turn, there is some influence of hip-hop in the city. Going down to the subways, you could hear live music playing and sometimes see a few MC’s freestyling. I would then turn the corner and see a few kids breakdancing to old school funk music. When you go out at night, DJ’s would be spinning tracks from artists I have never heard of before. I’ve only visited NYC 3 times in my life, but I can agree that hip-hop is definitely present all around….Anyways, just wanted to share this moment with you.

Going back to the exhibit in LA…Jordan showed me a link to purchase the Contact High book online, the same exact book that they were selling at the exhibit but at half the price…of course I had to jump on that. The book includes a description of the most famous and influential pictures ever taken by a photographer that represented R&B, hip-hop, and rap culture- which was basically everything that I wanted to read about at the exhibit. I also haven’t purchased a book in a long time, so I was really happy when I decided to invest in buying one for myself. Thanks, Jordan!

Hope you enjoyed this week’s blog- I’ll see you next week!

Inside the Contact High Exhibit- Los Angeles, CA.