Topic: She helps hip-hop happen
- Feb 3, 2006 05:31pm by JKR70 - [img:66e766d8cb]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v696/JKR70/LVSIGNATUREBANNER.jpg[/img:66e766d8cb]
WWW.HUMANCROPCIRCLES.NET
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/HUMANCROPCIRCLES
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/JKR70 Location: KcK
She helps hip-hop happen
By JENEÉ OSTERHELDT
The Kansas City Star
Ashley Rohr is one of the leading ladies of Kansas City hip-hop.
But she doesn’t rhyme or spin. Rohr is co-hostess of Hip-Hop & Hotwings at the Peanut downtown. Since starting eight months ago, it has been hip-hop’s go-to place on Sunday nights.
The idea came on a whim, says Rohr, 22. Her boyfriend, DJ and host of the night Allen Baity, known as AJ2, got tired of playing music in their apartment. He asked the owner of the Peanut about spinning there on Sunday nights, and the party soon began.
It started with Baity, Rohr and a few of their closest friends, but these days the Peanut gets so packed that it’s opening the room upstairs, where party man Miles Bonny will spin.
With regulars like AJ2, Beatbroker and Ataxic, plus a team of B-boys and B-girls, the buzz surrounding Hip-Hop & Hotwings continues to grow. Now Rohr is working on a special night for the ladies, Bembe night, at the Hangout, 3611 Broadway, on Feb. 11.
Q. What do you think Kansas City’s scene needs more of?
A. Hip-hop is here, but it’s not as dominant. It’s not like in Lawrence where you can walk down the street and hear it in the bars. It’s not as progressive as I would like it to be. But it’s moving in that direction. More people of our generation are starting to open bars and venues and feature hip-hop. Another thing the scene needs more of is female representation.
Q. Is that what ladies night at the Hangout is about?
A. It’s not like Lilith Fair. I want men to come out and join us. It’s just a way to give a voice to the women in hip-hop, a night where female DJs, artists, B-girls and emcees get to shine. We don’t want it to be like a meat market, but we want the men to come out and dance with the women. We want it to be a fun and comfortable vibe. If the response is good, we might do it every other month.
Q. What is the secret to the success of Hip-Hop & Hot-wings?
A. I think it’s the humility and passion behind it. A lot of the performers that come down don’t get paid. They do it because they want to. There’s no cover to get in. A lot of what goes on is out of passion for the scene. It’s about having a good time and bringing the people out to have a good time.
Q. How often do you eat the hot wings?
A. Oh — almost every single Sunday. Sometimes I even go there midweek. They are so good. And the French toast at the breakfast brunch is good, too.
Q. What is the first hip-hop song you remember?
A. KRS-ONE, “I Can’t Wake Up.†It made me feel good. I fell in love with it at 15. It was different from what you heard every day on the radio. I was so hype.
Q. How did you get involved in the local hip-hop scene?
A. I just kind of grew up in the scene. By going to parties and events I met people and got into it. I just love the music and the community feeling it brings.
Q. If you could be a rapper, DJ, B-girl or graffiti artist, which would you be? Why?
A. It would be dope to be a B-girl. Or a DJ. Honestly, I want to be it all. But a graffiti artist is something I could never possibly do. Maybe I could learn to be a DJ and take dance lessons, but graffiti can’t really be taught. Some of it can be learned, but a lot of it is natural talent. It’s just such a beautiful art form, the way they bring those characters out of a can. There’s such a sense of intrigue and liveliness.
