The LBC Park Jam Stage will be hosted by Medusa, widely known as the queen of LA\u2019s underground hip-hop, with sounds spanning multiple genres and generations curated by LBC Park Jam, Long Beach\u2019s longest-running day party since 2003.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond the music, the event reflects a broader vision that Tenisha Anderson, Kelvin\u2019s daughter and the founder of the VIP Family Foundation, has been building toward. \u201cWe\u2019ve always wanted to keep this energy of urban music going,\u201d she said. \u201cThe goal is to have activation based on gospel, reggae, blues, hip-hop, and R&B,\u201d with hopes of unifying the different Long Beach communities, \u201cwe want one Long Beach sound.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In another attempt to unify Long Beach\u2019s Black community, VIP Records coordinated with the separate Juneteenth celebration at Martin Luther King Jr. Park<\/a>. Tenisha has been working on the organizing committee for the MLK Park event as well as producing their own, to avoid competing and encourage cooperation. Long Beach will also be offering a complimentary shuttle service between the two venues throughout the day for those interested in attending both events.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Supporting local Black-owned businesses is also a key part of the celebration. The Juneteenth Black Business Shuttle Tour<\/a>, organized by the CRayProject, DIG Life, and Urban Society Long Beach, will run from 1 to 5 p.m., offering rides to Black-owned businesses through Downtown Long Beach with pickups at the Edison Theatre.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf I have any opportunity to pour into other small businesses, I want to do that,\u201d Tenisha said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kelvin, who watched the Black-owned businesses that surrounded VIP when it opened in 1978 slowly disappear over the decades, finds significance in this support. \u201cI\u2019ve watched over the last 40 to 50 years the deterioration of Black-owned businesses, and it\u2019s been a sad situation both economically and socially.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n VIP Records itself has had to evolve over the years, downsizing and even moving from its iconic location on Pacific Coast Highway, where artists like Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Warren G got their start. The store\u2019s iconic sign,\u00a0featured in Snoop\u2019s \u201cWho Am I? (What\u2019s My Name)\u201d\u00a0video<\/a>, remains in storage while the city prepares a\u00a0small park for its display<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n VIP\u2019s current location, around the corner from the original spot, remains a global destination for fans, and Kelvin hopes to eventually transform the business into a museum<\/a> of Black music and hip-hop culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saturday\u2019s celebration will also include an interactive hip-hop exhibition with DJ Battlecat on the Art of DJing, hosted by Good Luck Vinyl at the nearby Edison Theatre. More features include a free Polaroid portrait and mixed-media art workshop presented by Getty, and family games experiences with lessons in Spades, Bid Whist, Tunk, and Dominoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n VIP also has plans to host a series of block parties throughout the year, each with themes featuring different genres taking place in different parts of Long Beach. \u201cThis is about the sound of Long Beach,\u201d Tenisha said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/10143221\/1003-COMPLEXCON-2-1024x691.jpg\")