Juelz and Maino Come to Asbury Park
On Sunday September 19, The Charity Kings held the “Increase the Peace and Unity in the Community” concert at Asbury Park High School.
Over the recent months the city of Asbury Park, New Jersey has experienced countless amounts of tragedies in the community. From narcotics, gang violence, and even murder it is safe to say that the majority of the citizens of the one square mile city feel that enough is enough. Coincidently “enough is enough” was the slogan and overall concept of the event. Unfortunately, the last three murder cases that had taken place in the high potential yet distressed area took the lives of 16-year-olds. It was at this point when Charity King founders Darryl Hammery, brother Teko Hammary and Remond Palmar decided to organize the concert. President of Charity Kings Darryl Hammary is also the president of S.O.S. Entertainment and CL Entertainment, which were both companies that sponsored the event. Teko Hammary is the vice president for Asbury Park Pop Warner and the assistant coach of the three times defending state champs Asbury Park High School football team, while the third member of the organization Remond Palmar is the former President of the Asbury Park Board of Education. These three men have built strong relationships with the youth of Asbury Park and after seeing the trials and tribulations that they are dealing with as a result of the crime rate in the community; they felt like it was imperative to form an organization that would act as a covenant for the future of America that resides in Asbury Park.
However, reaching out to the young minds is not a task that comes easy. While taking that under consideration, the founders of the Charity Kings thought that having a concert would be an innovative way to capture the attention of not only the people of Asbury Park, but surrounding areas as well. “Kids love Hip Hop and R&B” said Teko Hammary. That concept caused Platinum Hip Hop recording artists Maino and Juelz Santana to be beckoned to grace the stage for their young fans on Sunday. Both artists have huge singles that are on the top 100 Billboard list, such as Juelz Santana’s feature appearance on Def Jam Recording artist Lloyd Banks’s “Beamer, Benz, or Bentley”. While Maino’s songs such as “Hi Hater” and “All the above” continue to be popular records that are played on the radio waves; all of which were songs that were performed by the artists. In addition to Santana and Maino performing, Hot 97’s own world renowned DJ Funkmaster Flex warmed up the crowd by spinning the hottest records of the summer.
Just when the crowd started to become disenfranchised and impatient waiting for Maino and Juelz, Maino surrounded by his entourage, made his way through the same tunnel that players for the school travel through before their games. An outburst of cheers filled the air as Maino ran to the stage and began his performance. Maino who recently appeared on an episode of new MTV show The World of Jenk’s got up close and shook the hands of spectators as he performed the first song of his set. He then stopped the music and ordered every person in attendance to place one finger in the air. As the young star struck fans followed Maino’s directions, he told the crowd that he came from poverty, hardship, and incarceration and despite the fact that he was faced with all of those difficulties he was able to successfully become an artist that fans are happy to see. “It makes me feel good to come from ground zero and be here, it’s a blessing” said Maino. Maino is a rapper who came from the streets of Brooklyn, New York and he is no stranger to the negativity that his fans may have to encounter. His presence acted as a means to show the kids that one should not let their environment dictate how their life will come out. “I wanted to be an inspiration and let the kids know to believe in yourself and uplift yourself” said an exhausted Maino after finishing his performance. Maino is currently working on a mix tape project with DJ Drama and his album “The Day After Tomorrow” under Hustle Hard/Atlantic Records.
After the crowd began to settle from the energetic performance of Maino, Juelz Santana hit the stage. As an artist hailing from the fast paced streets of Harlem, New York; Juelz is another artist that can relate to the youth. In fact, the Charity Kings specifically chose Maino and Santana to be performers, because they were confident that because of their backgrounds they would have common ground with the crowd. “Sub and stance” which is common tactic utilized by politicians to cajole voters, was also applied by the Charity Kings in order for them to receive the results they are demanding. Santana performed classic records that he built his name off of which solidified him as a force to be reckoned with in the industry. From “S.A.N.T.A.N.A.” to “Home Run” which is a big song from his “Born to Lose, Built to Win” Def Jam album which features platinum artist Lil’ Wayne. His performance proved to be a chilling experience as well, as fans were face to face with an artist who was once only an intangible image on their television or YouTube viewing. “It’s important letting the kids know to believe in themselves. You need to see somebody to get encouragement, the kids are our future we got to make sure their good” said Juelz Santana. Santana is currently working on a mix tape entitled “Regan Error” which tackles the same ideas that the concert was formulated off of and should be released on Halloween.
As the crowd made their way to the exits the members of the Charity Kings looked at history, the concert was the first one ever to take place at the Asbury Park High School stadium. Although the performances kept the crowd intrigued, the Charity Kings are confident that they made an impact that day and are staunch on doing more. “We plan to do more concerts and field trips, our concept is whether it’s your kids or mines, I feel it” said Teko. The concert marked the beginning of many that will be hosted by the newly created organization. “The feeling is great, now that they see the movement is real the next one will be better” said president Hammary. Due to the issues that have been spawning in the area, the founders feel that the time has come for those who care about the future of the community and its inhabitants, to stand up and work diligently to positively progress through time. “An idea whose time has come cannot be stopped”, said Palmar. The young audience members made their way to the parking lot to bid their role models a final good-bye. As their luxurious vehicles began to pull away the fans begun to cheer and follow the cars driven by the stars and their entourage. Yet, it was not the expensive vehicles that the fans became infatuated with during those final moments, instead it was the individuals inside those cars who came from the same type of environment as their fans; exemplifying that dreams do come true and that no matter how bad your situation is, it should not deter you from missing not one beat when striving to become a success.
By: Shah Al-Amin
