Let's give it to Funkmaster Flex and the 12,000 attendees for making the first Celebrity Car Show the Empire Tri-State car event of the season! Held at the Meadowlands' New Jersey Exposition Center, this show busted out of the blocks in serious fashion. It was real, so for anyone who couldn't make it, you missed out! A prescient and bold move for the Franchise Family, the event focused on pure entertainment, as enthusiasts and fans alike rolled up clean, shiny and kitted down. A shoutout to Jorge Ortega and his Megaseries expo team!
Funkmaster Flex of Hot 97 flexing his turntable skills.
Ralph McDaniels, Busta Rhymes, and Will & Remy of Unique Autosports.
Hot Boys' PT Cruiser stretch limo. Mansion on wheels. Jazzy Joyce of Hot 97 putting a proper spin on the event. Ruff Riders. Girls turning the tables on the camera and the photographer. Hot rides of all kinds sporting wares and art.
Unique Autosport showcased one hell of a Hall of Fame. The Unique team took he time to haul out and shine down some of the most exotic celebrity rides. We're talkin' Busta Rhymes' factory metallic orange Lamborghini with Flipmode logos, custom stitched leather seats, and floor mats in hot orange and black. Method Man's money-green clean Mercedes-Benz was on display, as well as several other sexy-ass celebrity rides such as Wyclef's G500 Benzo and Rockwilder's Yukon (from the cover of our July and September issues, respectively). Supermodel, Tyson Beckford, held court with his stable of whips and ships. The courtesans were cheering and leering when he finally got past his own velvet ropes, marveling that those very rides were really Tyson's own! This supermodel is not just posing with cars though, he is concerned enough about installs that he was careful to chose the ride he felt had the cleanest install when we stepped into snapshots! We are staying tuned on Tyson, he has a brand new Escalade he intends to boom out.
The Megaseries girls got flash bulbs going as well, but the Jcor Entertainment Ladies had the finest struts in the house, promoting Masta Ace's new record release. Masta Ace has always been onto the ride world and has ten years spitting about cars, since "Born to Roll," circa 1992. The Jcor ladies are really The Sexxxy Street Team, 18 ladies in all, working car shows and music promotions alike. Michelle, Kamelah and Brandi were hanging tough and posing graciously for photos. These women don't just promote product, they help write business!
DJ Jazzy Joyce kept the pace uptempo with hot mixes and voiceovers for about 12 hours! It was proper that Jazzy Joyce of Hot 97 was in the auto sport setting, as she was one of the first DJ's to hook up true school audiophile aesthetics in the ride. I think I was still skating to Red Alert at the Skate Key, the old one that is, in the BX. (Bronx-Ed.) when Joyce had the first goose-neck (Clarion Joyce?) controls on her Jeep audio system before anyone I knew!
Maxx Myrick from XM Satellite Radio was at the show, way ahead of the game. I did not check anyone else from the SatRad cliques. Maxx is about the "Real" music - jazz, that is - and as a matter of fact the name of his program is "Real Jazz." Check for it people! We can't wait to get the official Car Audio hook up. Let us know, Maxx.
On the mobile electronics tip, Panasonic represented -- Rob Lopez was early to the street checking things out and talking shop. Stay tuned for hot concepts from Panasonic in the days to come. Speaking of them there is a real nice stealth Panasonic setup in Angie Martinez's sexy ride. Angie is a savvy businesswoman/artist with a recently released CD who also is a deejay on Hot 97 here in New York.
Then there's Fat Joe who made a righteous appearance (he was on the marquee for the show later) with his new '02 Escalade that had all the right A/V equip (at least from the outside view -- we didn't get inside), and wearing what looked like 23's without a ruler, shiny like a mirror. I heard a rumor the entertainment inside is tight, tight with installs by Audio Designs of Fort Lee (going 20 years strong on creative audio install). I'm waiting on the confirm from Joe's camp and maybe even a story on his love for rides, so stay tuned. After all, Joe is one of the original people in hip-hop to really represent love for audio installs on the street; he is known for setting this trend proper. Rumor has it that he's got a spit new 600, too. Something more to look for in a later issue, maybe my editor will give me the green light!
The crowd-pleaser car club seemed to be The Cash Money Records C.C., featuring Baby's favorites. Cash Money crew must have the long funds; most of their entries were stretch customs: Lexus stretch, Expedition Limo stretch, and the PT stretch. The real eye popper was a purple-dusted, wet-looking PT Cruiser in a long body, doing double duty as a working limo and eye candy. I heard on Flex's show that Baby and the CMR C.C. have their own shows down in the South that are off the chain! I think Car Audio needs a heads up about those. Who's handling PR? Let a fan know!
The wild wheels of the show were Davin!!! That's the spinning wheels -- drive up to a stop and the wheels continuously spin on the inside. Distributed by gang of believers, including Sprewell Racing, these are going to hit the streets hard. The only problem is no one could tell me who was representing Davin in New York and, like the rest of the show, details and information were hard to come by. Either way, if you are hearing me, call me at Car Audio, we need to do a special with you all! This kind of product is both the future of hip-hop and auto enthusiasts' way of life.
I heard about, but did not see, Funkmaster Flex's stable of muscle and classics ranging from 60's-70's. I need to hear from you Flex. A Delta Ninety-Eight? Trick and cherry and detailed down, I heard, Dayton's or Vogues... We need some stats, photos, specs, let me know! Funkmaster Flex with a classic and worked-out audio installs that can handle hip-hop EQ's!?! I feel a full feature story in the making. How about it R-O (a.k.a. my boss)?
An unexpected curiosity was a '94 Tahoe with a '02 Lac [Cadillac-Ed.] grill from the team at Auto Exclusive out in Ardsley, New York. The truck sports a sexy moon-glow-blue-purple-haze that completely belies the audio smack in your face. I did notice a Panasonic DVD and A/V install in this and other contestants, but wait....the real smack is the skull theme throughout, with what I think was a real skull used in the install! [Asia jokes-Ed.]
We're mad that we missed a lot of the imports downstairs (hey, how about a program next time?). That place was spread out like L.A. and the action was hot, hot, hot upstairs; so it was hard to tear away to give all the competitors justice. Next time, grab me if you see me in my Car Audio shirt. We heard there was a wild import with a deejay turntable set up and kitted into the back of the car. We need to see that, too! Our apologies to that car audio enthusiast/turntablist. If you read this please send us photos. I think you're onto something. If it's creative then we want it in the mag. (For everyone I've called out contact me at the following number: 212-642-8028.)
There were several imports, classics and lowrides that I know must have won prizes at other car shows. At times the OG car show true schoolers were overshadowed by all the hip-hop glamour and excess, but since I got into the love from the classic rides, I have to pay homage to all the love and care that went into ALL the cars.
Plenty of chrome under the hood, hydros, paint art, imports and car clubs in the true sense were also present. Keep it strong, people! Later on in the evening, Cash Money Crew, Fat Joe, and Ja Rule hit the stage decks, topping off the show. The party threw down until 2 AM. All in all a bangin' show! We are looking forward to what this year may bring to the city in Round 2; and you know Car Audio will represent again!