If you've been to the American Tobacco Campus, and you've seen folks spinning records, visited the Golden Belt for Black August in the Park, or even the Black Farmers Market in Southeast Raleigh or Durham, you probably know the work of Queen curator, Crystal Taylor.
I spoke to her as she prepared for the April 29th Beats n Bars festival; an event that she founded in the summer of 2015 with the goal of community building and amplifying hip-hop artists and creatives in the Triangle.
Disclosure: WUNC is a sponsor of the Beats n Bars festival. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
What is the purpose of an event like the Beats n Bars festival?
Beats n Bars is about community. It's about building. It's about supporting arts and humanities, it's about supporting the creatives that you're rubbing shoulders with, that don't get the looks that they probably deserve. And it's also about like, uplifting, positive vibe.
The creatives are people that are sitting at home, looking for [an] outlet to release, to be healed, to feel better, to just get something out. And as a music student, music helped save my life. So if I can be a good steward to creating something that people can come to, to get something from, or be able to put something out to, that's exactly what I will continue to do. You know what I mean? Because it's just, it's [a] dope vibe, like, it's fun, it's recess and music.
Speaking of the vibe for somebody that hears Beats n Bars and thinks maybe it's like a bar crawl, how would you describe the event? What can somebody expect? What would they feel, smell, and hear, once they walk in?
Well, they're gonna smell the fresh air of music, you know, great music. It’s definitely not a bar crawl, no shade to the bar crawls, because they're cool, too. But, you know, Beats n Bars is a vibe that is [full of] happy-go-lucky energy. It’s really like a moment for people to let loose and enjoy the music that [you] probably haven't heard in a long time. It's a chance to find new artists that you've never met before or seen before.
There's a lot of dancing going on with different dance groups. There [are] a lot of people that are there that are just trying to show you their art, whether it's visual, whether it's clothes. We have a fashion show that we started last year, that we got a lot of great feedback on. And so we're just amplifying that this year, which is really exciting. And you get a chance to support communities of color, that are not supported on a regular basis. That's really intentional for us. And we have some incredible partners that support that effort.
Going back to the vibe, could you be my guide and walk me through the festival?
So the first place you need to hit, [to] make sure you get some food, because we [have] Five Star and Boricua Soul as our partners, they're gonna be making sure people get served up and make sure you're nourished. And then the yard games, we’ve got cornhole branded Beats n Bars. And then you have to go over to the community conversations because we have to make sure people are invested in what's going on in our community and making sure [they know] how they can support [the] community. And it's not stressful, it's not, you know, taking your notebook out or anything, it's just literally like, hearing what's going on, and staying [aware]. Then the HBCU Trivia is gonna be happening, everyone loves trivia. And then the main area where the water tower is, [there] is going to be a beautiful[ly] laid out runaway for the fashion show.
Before the fashion show, we're gonna have a dance battle. All-styles dance battles happening.
All-styles dance battle, what does that mean?
So, Raleigh Rockers is a [dance] crew in Raleigh and we've been in a partnership since like 2017. They are a group of guys and girls that just do incredible B-boying like, crazy. They're gonna do it on the runway. So bring your popcorn for that. Okay. And so after that, we're gonna go right into some sets of live dope music.
But before the headliner comes, what local musicians can we look forward to seeing? Any favorites that you have?
So I'm not all the way finished with the lineup because I think I want to add a little bit more flavor to it. Right now, we have Heave. She's not a known artist, but she's absolutely incredible. [She’s] a singer that I found through my project coordinator, [with] an incredible voice. She actually sang the Black national anthem last year, so I'm gonna have her come back. And then Watty Z is another dope artist, he's been coming to every Beats n Bars. He ended up being my social media intern, and now he's my social media coordinator. He has been developing his artistry, like time over and time over and I'm super impressed and proud of him. So he's going to have a spot on there. And so I'm working on looking to other people to put out there just to fill it up a little bit before headliner blows everybody away.
You're killing me, man. What type of vibe are the artists bringing in? I know, you said you didn't want too much hard hip-hop.
It's a good vibe. It's a good mix. You know, it's like, you know, got a good singer. You know, doing some covers, you know what I mean? And then you have Watty and he's just like a very soulful, smooth glide over the stage. And he's an MC, so… it's a good bob-your-head-like energy. And then the other two artists will complement that as well. There's no need to beat people over the head with you know, hard lyrics. You know, artists are so creative now, with like a neo-soul type, hip-hop-ish vibe, where the lyrics are on point, the beat is good. It's very wholesome. It's hip-hop. You know, it takes us back to the essence of just being able to have a dope time. Like, ‘Did you hear what he just said?’ ‘That Beat is dope’, like, ‘Yes, I love this’. You know, it's a constant flow of like high happy, good energy.
That's the one thing I really admire about Beats n Bars, and just you as a queen curator is your ability to uplift to amplify voices. You know, this is not just a space to showcase, but also to help grow. Can you talk to me a little bit about why that is important to you?
Oh, my gosh because I had the experience of not being able to get the job that I wanted, [so] I created it for myself. And then I thought about other people, [they] probably wanted the same opportunities too. And so, you know, when I put out, you know, needing interns and things of that nature, like the interns that I have had, now [they] work for the company. And so they enjoy it, and this is what they want to do, and it’s helping them be able to do things [through] their creative lens, whether it's curating or creating. And that's what I feel like community is, you know, especially in the sense of like entrepreneurship, Yeah, I mean, I'm trying to be a blessing, not a prayer request.
Listen to the full interview on WUNC music or online. For more information about Beats n Bars visit: beatsnbarsfestival.com
