Features

The Ru Report #145

Mighty Real
Legendary R&B singer Sylvester lives on.

This weekend, the late disco icon will be celebrated in a very big way at New York University (NYU) during a two-day conference titled "Sylvester: The Life and Work of a Musical Icon." Presented by The Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality and The Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, the conference promises to bring together academics, journalists, filmmakers, musicians and others to illuminate the legacy of the legendary entertainer.

"Sylvester has always seemed to me to be one of the most important artists in the history of popular music and certainly one of the most under-recognized for his contributions," Jason King said in an interview with "The Ru Report." Mr. King, who is the Associate Chair and Assistant Professor at NYU, is a renowned cultural critic, playwright, director, performer, songwriter, and vocal arranger.

"I've always been fascinated by the way he embodied so many intersections in his life and career - he was African American, openly gay, flamboyant and flirted with drag - and managed to have so many mainstream top 40 hits."

A few of those hits include dance floor classics such as "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)," "Dance (Disco Heat)" and "Just Us" featuring Two Tons Of Fun, who were later known as The Weather Girls.

Sylvester (born Sylvester James in 1944) was the predecessor to mainstream drag performers such as Boy George in the 1980s and RuPaul in the 1990s, respectively. Famous for his soaring falsetto and flamboyant imagery, the Los Angeles native stormed the charts in 1978 with a string of club hits. He died in 1988, but his fan base continues to grow and his songs have been covered by artists like spunky comedienne Sandra Bernhard, British rock singer Jimmy Sommerville and former Ten City front-man Byron Stingily.

"Sylvester also happened to be a true, authentic musician and a tremendously courageous individual," Mr. King continued. "And to be blunt, musicianship and courage are compromised values in today's society."

Highlights of the conference include a screening of Tim Smyth's "Mighty Real," an 11-minute work-in-progress film documentary, featuring interviews with Patti LaBelle, John Waters and others; screenings of rare and never-before-seen performance footage of Sylvester, including his infamous 1987 appearance on "The Tonight Show" with Joan Rivers and a live performance at The Sands; and panel discussions of Sylvester's cultural and musical impact--which are free to the public. "We're encouraging people to come out to the conference so they can learn as much as possible about this incredible icon who, in some ways, for any number of reasons, has become shadowed by his own music," added Mr. King."

The conference ends with "You are My Friend: A Benefit Concert Tribute to Sylvester" starring Sylvester's frequent collaborating partner Martha Wash, Billboard magazine chart-topper and flamboyant cross-dressing performance artist Kevin Aviance and the incomparable Billy Porter (who is set to play Sylvester in a long-awaited bio-pic), along with other special guests. Proceeds will go to POCC (People of Color in Crisis), an AIDS organization in Brooklyn.

"It's been an incredible amount of planning," Mr. King concluded. "We want to make the conference relevant for people and students who don't know much at all about Sylvester, and we also want to treat Sylvester fans…. People will be totally blown away by the events."

Mr. King says that he has designs on doing a similar tribute to the late, great R&B songbird Minnie Ripperton in the near future.

Pure musical genius.

For more information on these festivities, log onto: nyu.edu/ticketcentral or call: 212 992-9540.

Can't Stop, Won't Stop
Is MTV's sister station VH1 fading to black? Well it appears that way. At least for the time being. All this week, the more mature, mainstream basic cable music channel, has been celebrating hip-hop culture with its five-part series "And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop," which kicked off on Monday night. New York-based Perry Films produced the series for VH1. Dana Heinz Perry is its producer and director while hip-hop historian and one of the architects of hip-hop publicity Bill Adler serves as producer and writer for the series. "We figured if Ken Burns and PBS could devote 11 hours to the Civil War, we were pretty sure we could fill up five hours with the history of hip-hop," Mr. Adler quipped.

With never-before-seen footage, the expansive documentary traces the history of the art form from "back in the day" to the meteoric rise and success of Russell Simmons' Def Jam label, to the gangsta rap wars, and how hip hop and Eminem conquered America. The five-part documentary concludes with the new moguls who have come to define "bling bling." Exclusive new interviews with such figures as Ice-T, OutKast, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Rick Rubin, Chuck D, the Reverend Run, Sylvia Robinson, Jimmy Iovine, Lyor Cohen, the Neptunes, the Roots, Mary J. Blige, and MC Lyte are also included.

And on October 12, VH1 will air "Hip Hop Honors" hosted by vivacious actress Vivica A. Fox and rap legend MC Lyte. Filmed at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom this past Sunday, the show honors DJ Kool Herc, DJ Hollywood, KRS-One, Public Enemy, Rock Steady Crew, Run DMC, Sugarhill Gang, Tupac Shakur and The Graffiti Movement.

P. Diddy, Doctor Dre & Ed Lover, Ice T, Salt-n-Pepa, Roselyn Sanchez, Taye Diggs, Reverend Al Sharpton and Debbie Harry were also on hand to pay tribute to these architects of hip-hop. Performers included Nas, Kid Rock, Beastie Boys and Fat Joe & The Terror Squad.

Just For The "Health" Of It
Hundreds of New York City school students, between the ages 8 and 18 are expected to come together this weekend at Harlem's Police Athletic League for the inaugural Health and Fitness Expo For Children. Created by Body Sculpts' CEO and Founder Vincent Ferguson, author of "Six Weeks To A Six Pack," the event will consist of a health fair, which will screen for asthma, diabetes, HIV and dental hygiene. A neighborhood street festival, including demonstrations and information on nutrition and dieting, will also be included. The youth will partake in a fitness challenge where attending students will have a chance to participate in their choice of up to 25 sports clinics, too.

"Everyone knows that I am very committed to community service, especially since I am Vice President of the Kappa Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., whose motto is Greater Service, Greater Progress," said Cynthia Horner, legendary editrix of Right On! magazine. She serves on the Board of Directors for this worthwhile event. "Over the years, I have participated in many, many projects targeted toward young people from various walks of life. Vincent's events mirror the same demographics that Right On! reaches and it is truly an honor to participate in this event which is so important for young people."

According to a spokesperson for the event, an outdoor concert will also occur featuring performances by Grammy Award nominated neo-soul crooner Glenn Lewis, family reggae group Morgan Heritage and special guest appearances by the pop/R&B trio 3LW, stars of Disney Channel movie "The Cheetah Girls."

Ms. Horner, who has reigned for more than 25 years at the premier urban teen fan magazine, was instrumental in bringing the celebrity talent to the event. "The participation by celebrities invariably draws a crowd, which brings excitement to our event," she added. "New York City is a melting pot and I felt that it was important to include a pool of talent that not only children but adults would enjoy."

At press time, on the rise actor Storm P, who made his acting debut as the star of Queen Latifah's summer comedy, The Cookout, was just confirmed as a keynote speaker for the event. He will also offer mentorship activities for the youth.

"I hope that this first Expo will be a beacon of light and will serve as incentive for young people to start taking care of their bodies," concluded Ms. Horner.

Around Town
One of my favorite people, the Reverend Al Sharpton celebrated his 50th birthday in high style on Sunday with a star-studded event at the world's famous Apollo Theater. An after-hours celebration took place at New York hotspot Milieu, hosted by Martell Cognac and Gotham magazine. There, New York notables such as Spike Lee, Wyclef Jean, Pepa, Foxy Brown, Stacie J. from "The Apprentice" and acclaimed actress Lynn Whitfield partook in the festivities. Most of the beautiful people in attendance did take the dress code ("Your Sunday's Best") seriously. Others looked like they were ready to work the brothel. Needless to say, like Billie Holiday sang: Ain't Nobody's Business if they do. That's the Grand Apple. The Rev., who has a new reality show on Spike TV premiering next month, was in the best of spirits and even danced up a storm with BET's newswoman Jackie Reed.

"If I were you, I would hate me too."

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Message Karu F Daniels or email him directly at therureport@aol.com