This is a brief recap of Latin Rap Conference 2006, our fourth official meeting and congregation for the purpose of growing the Latin Urban, Hip-Hop and Reggaeton communities. We have had four successful events and we are proud to announce that our movement is stronger than ever.
This movement of artists, producers, magazines, labels, television networks, internet sites, clothing lines, dj's, public relations firms, management companies, marketing firms and radio stations all coming together for one cause is extremely powerful. And in 2006, it was stronger than ever before because we are gaining momentum with every conference, with every new radio station, with every new artist that gets signed and marketed and with every young child that listens to our music and decides to let his own voice be heard through the magic of songs.
The conference was kicked off by an amazing opening night showcase party at New York's hot spot S.O.B.'s. Crowd stopping performances by Sony BMG's Big Family and LRC alumni and Third World Entertainment's Code Blue Crew stole the show. The next day, seminar day at LRC, was equally amazing. Panel discussions included The Emergence of Reggeaton and Latino Hip-Hop in Radio, The Progress and Status of Media Ventures Designed to Service the New Generation Latino and The digital Revolution.
Some noted panelists in the radio discussions were Khool Aid from Pocos Pero Locos, Ebro Darden (PD of Hot 97 in NY), Sam Crespo of Atlantic Records, Rickie Ricardo of Clear Channel and JDubs of Latino 96.3 in LA. On the Media Panel we were pleased to have Renzo Devia from American Latino TV, Flavio Morales from Mun2, Edward Leon from Si TV and Ariel Gonzalez representing Bridgez Magazine. We also had a discussion on the digital age which included panelists Jessica Rodriguez from MiGente.com, Sal Rojas from BrownPride.com, Rodolfo Sandoval from AOL Latino and Itzik Cohen representing the innovative new site Abazab.com.
One of the most prestigious panels of the LRC in NY for 2006 was the President's Panel. We were honored to have Kevin Lawrie (Sony BMG), Gus Lopez (Machete Music), Steve Rifkind (SRC Records), Craig Kallman (Atlantic Records) and Lou Navarro (Coalition Music Group) to name a few. This was an unprecedented panel for any music convention and LRC was proud to be the host for this forum.
After the daylong panel sessions, we were ready to get the party started. LRC 2006 was happy to have a Happy Hour of performances by artists like Rigo Luna, Tres Coronas and Malverde. Malverde rocked the stage in his usual fashion and left no doubt that the west coast was definitely en la casa.
That night, to close the event, there were many more notable performances, including the always incredible NOTCH and Toby Love, Zion and Arcangel. LRC ended with a bang and another successful coalition get-together was accomplished. Our movement is getting stronger and stronger.
We recognize that this coordinated effort and organized group can and will, through its own growth and determination, inspire the entire culture of Latino people to stand up and take action for the betterment of our people. Solidarity is possible and we have proved it. The number of joint ventures and tours and collaborations that have spawned from these conferences is amazing. We are proud that we have created the forum for that kind of unity and progress for our culture and for our beloved musical genre.
Keep your eyes and ears open. Keep your mind open. Embrace the power we have created here for all of us to share. This is our own conference. This is our forum and our platform. Make a statement. Take a stand and be a part of history. Today and forever…this is our legacy.
With the help and dedication of companies like Fuerte Group, ASCAP, BMI, ABAZAB, WARNER MUSIC GROUP, COALITION MUSIC GROUP, Clear Picture, BROWNPRIDE.COM, MAYIMBA MUSIC GROUP, SESAC, SICKO RECORDS, SONY BMG and LINDERO ENTERTAINMENT, we are once again embarking on this journey towards complete unity, solidarity, empowerment, education and prosperity for the Latin Urban, Hip-Hop and Reggaeton industry.
Latin Rap Conference 2007 is here and it will be in Los Angeles on September 12-14, 2007. It is all going down at the Hyatt on Sunset and at legendary Sunset Strip nightspots like the world famous Key Club and The Whiskey.
