Good Morning!
Today we take a look at another angle of the beer industry. Here is an interview with the founder of a beer festival that caters to African Americans, courtesy of The Beer Advocate.
Lenox Mercedes was raised in New York City during hip-hop’s golden era. Years later, he’s tapping kegs of Victory while Atlantans dance to classic beats at one of the beer festivals hosted by his company, High-Gravity Hip-Hop. Starting with a typical beer festival format, HGHH layers on beer education, a more luxurious atmosphere and special guests, all set to DJs, live hip-hop and R&B legends like Jadakiss and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Hip-hop isn’t a theme, says Mercedes. It’s a culture—like craft brewing. And that’s just where the similarities start.
How did you decide to launch a hip-hop beer festival?
A co-worker [at Atlanta’s Morehouse College] introduced me to craft beer. After attending several beer festivals, I decided that there existed a lane for an “intercultural experiences” agency. …The day I got the logo back from the designer, I knew that we had a real shot at making something substantial.
What do hip-hop and beer have in common?
From a producer’s perspective, the paths have similar trajectories. First, the artist (brewmaster, music producer, songwriter) has to decide that he or she is ready to take the path of entrepreneurship. They must come up with a recipe (brew, music, song) that is beyond reproach. They typically shun the big corporations and opt to put out their product independently. … Craft breweries are to Big Beer what indie record labels are to the music industry. Surely, differences exist, but I look at them more as semantics and minor details.
What’s your experience been like as a person of color working in the beer industry?
It has been interesting. I have been told that black people do not drink beer (mostly by black people) and I have also been called a genius who is ahead of his time (mostly by craft beer industry people). I believe that the people of color in the industry, just as the industry at large, have a strong sense of community. There are groups such as Brothas and Craft Beer that help educate people of color about craft beer, beer trading and enjoying craft. People like Ale Sharpton who continue to lead the charge in spreading the craft beer gospel. And then once you do a little research, you learn about many others making tremendous contributions to the industry, like Garrett Oliver and Annie Johnson. There are certainly differences in different markets, but the love is always authentic and electric.
In our interview with Kevin Blodger from Union Craft Brewing (Last Call, issue #87), he attributed the lack of diversity in the industry to a lack of a concerted effort to reach out to communities of color.
I agree. It is the very last thought I had before I started this brand. I wanted to be the go-to agency to help breweries expand their marketing efforts in an authentic manner. This is where brands need to be very cognizant of the fact that hip-hop can be a very powerful tool in reaching new markets—you can hear it in mainstream advertising all day long. …
Our goal is to provide an atmosphere where people of all colors can enjoy each other, great beer and great music. There are too many crazy things happening in this world. Police brutality, election woes, wars, poverty, politics. I say let’s just have a beer and talk it out while we listen to some classic hip-hop. There aren’t too many problems that can stand up to craft beer and hip-hop.