After the Earth shattered in Haiti, the outcry – from black people in particular – was a resounding “What can I do?”
Radio personality Dwight Stone offered an answer for the hip-hop community in St. Louis with a special show taking place this Saturday night at the Venue.
“I was watching the news like everybody else and I got a phone call from one of my friends – who is from Haiti – and he couldn’t find his family,” Stone said. “I said, ‘We need to do something more.’ So I got with Taylor J., Jessie Taylor, KiKi and all of the people from The Beat and we started making phone calls.”
The former staff of the now defunct hip-hop station 100.3 The Beat used their connections in the hip-hop community to help Haiti.
“It all started with a call from Dwight last week,” Taylor J., former 100.3 program director, said. “He was like, ‘We need to do something.’”
And so they did.
When the show takes place, it will be the first time that many of the hosts will have been seen since the station went off the air last October. Stone hopes that fact will inspire people to do more for earthquake victims.
“When the Beat went away, I lost my job. Guess what, a lot of us are out of work right now – and that’s no excuse,” Stone said.
“And as bad as it is to be unemployed in America, I’m still much better off than any of those people in Haiti. A lot of the victims didn’t have anything to begin with – and they lost that.”
According to Stone, every call was followed by a “yes” – from artists, promoters and the venue.
“Everybody wanted to help,” Stone said with pride in his voice. “I still haven’t heard a ‘no’ yet.”
The show grew to include anybody’s wish list of St. Louis performers on the hip-hop and R&B scene – the best in talent for an even better cause.
Jibbs, Ebony Eyez, Tydis, Bradd Young, Aloha, Nikko Smith, Bos, Joka, Yung Ro, Juanita Place, P-Dub, Flirt, Nite Owl, Stevie Stone, T-Baby, Spiffy, J. R., Eazzy Money, Skiddalz, and Yung Will – along with DJ Needles and DJ Tab on the ones and twos – are just some of the scheduled performers for the show that will go from 9 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, Jan. 23.
R&B performers will go on first.
“St. Louis has so much talent, some of the best R&B artists in the country – like Bradd Young and Aloha,” Stone said.
“They haven’t been exposed nationally, but they can sing circles around people that have record deals.”
Young said he “felt honored that they would reach out to me.”
“Anything I can do to contribute I would do – it’s the least I can do to help,” he said
“I’m just gonna give it my all. I want people to have a good time, and I don’t want it to be so heavy – but what we basically want to do is build awareness.”
Aloha Mischeaux also is ready to take the stage to share her gift and ultimately give back to Haiti.
“I just feel like I’m doing my job,” Mischeaux said. “I’m extremely honored that he asked me. I’m just ready …and that’s it.”
Reggae band Mo Fire will have the downstairs on lock while the R&B and hip-hop performers take the stage upstairs.
“There’s no way we could do a concert for Haiti and not implement some kind of reggae or island music,” Stone said.
STL For Haiti will take place on Saturday, January 23 at 9 p.m. at The Venue, 5960 Martin Luther King Dr. Event attendees will be asked to make a $20 donation that will go to assist in disaster relief aid in Haiti. Those attending the STL for Haiti concert are asked to not wear ball caps, plain t-shirts or hoodies. For more information, visit www.notifiradio.com.
