Fusia Fest Returns OCT 21st at Off Broadway

Under the theme of “Give the DJ their Flowers: Tribute to DJ Grandmaster Flowers,” the 2^nd annual music festival will take attendees on a journey through five decades of Hip-Hip – headlined by DJ G.Wiz – Saturday, October 21 at Off Broadway

Fusia Fest returns for its second year on Saturday, October 21 to celebrate 50 years of Hip-Hop and the legacy of DJ Grandmaster Flowers – who many credit as the father of the “mobile DJ as a movement,” which inspired Hip-Hop legends like Grandmaster Flash (borrowing the moniker “grandmaster”) and DJ Kool Herc.

The festival, (Doors: 3:00PM) 4:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. at Off Broadway (3509 Lemp Ave.), will feature six DJs, taking attendees on a journey through five decades of Hip-Hop, including Boom Bap, West Coast, Midwest/STL, Crunk/Down South and Miami/Booty Bass. Legendary St. Louis-based DJ, G.Wiz (creator of the video mix), will close out the festival, showcasing his impact in Hip-Hop and “time traveling” through the 1’s and 2’s to give a taste of Grandmaster Flowers’s brilliance and legacy.

Created by Larry ‘Fallout’ Morris in 2022, Fusia Fest celebrates the “fusion” of various sounds with and within Hip-Hop. It acknowledges the multiple sub-genres, mash-ups, hybrid acts, and unorthodox sounds often overlooked in Hip-Hop music.

“Fusia Fest is all about telling the often-untold stories of Hip-Hop,” said Larry Morris, creator of Fusia Fest. “Grandmaster Flowers is the DJ who inspired other DJs across New York, some of whom would later be instrumental in the creation of Hip-Hop. Having G. Wiz headline Fusia Fest is special, as he’s served a similar role here in St. Louis. Not only is he the originator of the video mix, but he has likely mentored your favorite local DJ, or their mentor. He’s been in the game for years, and his knowledge of music, DJing, STL history and life is vast! He is living music history and still burning it up. At Fusia Fest, G.Wiz will time travel us back to the New York block party, pre-Hip-Hop, to give a glimpse of what the genre’s pioneers first saw when the legend Grandmaster Flowers was rocking the crowd.”

Festival Line-Up (North Patio Stage and Indoor Main Stage)

DJ Reminisce: Boom Bap (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) – North Patio

DJ Mahf: West Coast (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) – North Patio

DJ Smitty: Midwest/STL (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) – North Patio

DJ Nico Marie: Crunk/Down South (7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) – North Patio

DJ Sinamin: Miami/Booty Bass (8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) – North Patio

The Time Traveler, DJ G.Wiz: DJ Grandmaster Flowers Tribute (9:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.) – Main

Fusia Fest will feature food from Press Pizza and Chef Cujo & The Hussle Campaign, with drinks by Urban Chestnut, 4Hands, Yellowstone Cocktail and 1220 Spirits with support from STL Barkeep.

Tickets are available at www.OffBroadwaySTL.com. GA tickets are $15 in advance ($20 day of). Admission+ tickets, which include a drink ticket, are $20. There are also a limited number of $75 VIP tickets, which include four drink tickets, access to a special outdoor area, an indoor luxury box (during the headline set), a taco station, tickets to a select show at The Sheldon Concert Hall, a Fusia Fest t-shirt and SWAG from Heil Sound and Captain MoGreen.

Fusia Fest is sponsored by Off Broadway, The Sheldon Concert Hall, Yellowstone Bourbon, 1220 Spirits, STL Barkeep, Luxco, Urban Chestnut, 4Hands, Rhashadism, Mid Coast Media, ByJack, Heil Sound and Captain MoGreen

About Grandmaster Flowers:

As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop in 2023, Fusia Fest aims to delve deeper into the origins and inspirations of Hip-Hop’s forefathers. Among the names that surfaced, one stood out: DJ Grandmaster Flowers.

Grandmaster Flowers, born Jonathon Cameron Flowers, was a DJ from Brooklyn, New York. He is hailed as “The Father of the Mobile DJ Movement” and a trailblazing hip-hop pioneer of the 1960s. His influential mobile DJ career showcased a powerful sound system and a distinctive mixing style, incorporating diverse genres such as rock, disco, funk, R&B, and jazz. He’s one of the earliest DJs to mix records together in sequence. Flowers performed at various venues, including hotels, community centers, and roller skating rinks, engaging in spirited battles with fellow DJs to showcase their music and sound systems. Flowers had a formative influence on Hip-Hop DJs such as Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa in the mid-1970s.

About Fusia Fest:

Follow Fusia Fest at www.instagram.com/fusiafest and www.facebook.com/fusiafest.

*Submitted by DELUX Contributor