I-Light Media
Tony Austin: Celebrating A New Hip Hop Don Hammerjack's Baltimore, MD
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- Mark Davis' Behind The Grind appears twice a month.
Behind the Grind - Tony Austin
Mark Davis, I-Light Media
If you were looking for celebrities in Baltimore this past weekend, you would have found many of them at Hammerjack's Nite Club celebrating Tony Austin's birthday. It was a star studded event, as a number of entertainment and sports figures came out to support the newly appointed president of the Russell Simmons Music Group.
And what would a party for his namesake's company chief be like without the godfather of hip-hop culture himself, Mr. Russell Simmons making an appearance. Russell said of Tony, "Y'all watched Tony come up in the struggle, and now he personifies what hip-hop truly is. What he's doing is what we all can do."
Kevin Lyles, also a native Baltimorean, actually tried to sing -emphasis on "tried" - "Happy Birthday" to Tony on the mic, and he admitted, "We're going to keep Tony up in New York for a little bit." It seems like the big boys have a lot of business to handle before Mr. Austin will be set to chill in his hometown for an extended period again. But wait a minute! Aren't these guys competitors now? I guess the competition on the charts doesn't spill over into their respect and admiration for each other. I think hip-hop artists can learn a thing or two from these execs.
Woody and Skola of Dru Hill also made an appearance at the celebration. Woody informed me that all of the members are working on solo projects. He and Skola are working on an album together. He said that he would have some music to review very shortly. I'm looking forward to that. Also, he wants everyone to know that Dru Hill are "free agents". You heard it here, so go holla at him.
After the party goers polished the dance floor for most of the night, RSMG's first female R&B group, Black Buddafly, capped the affair with an incredible performance. In the midst of singing their hit, "I'll Be Your Baby", they stopped to thank the man responsible for bringing them all the way from Germany. Tony Austin waved in approval and blushing slightly when they went into a whispery, three-part harmony version of "Happy Birthday".
Austin has already struck up a partnership with the Featherstones, a five-man production team, to produce Black Buddafly's album. The five family members are known for their production on the last Dru Hill album. After hearing some of their new music its easy to see that these brothers will not play the background for too much longer. Two of the Featherstones' members seated in the VIP section declared, "We're on the grind right now. You'll see us…watch." All of the members were there to lend support to their new business partner on his special occasion.
New signee to Def Jam, Young Leek, was there with his whole crew in tow. His father/manager, Malik, was beaming like a proud parent should when he shared the good news. Young Leek is only the third hip-hop artist from Baltimore to sign a contract with a major label, so the entire city is proud of that accomplishment.
After the performances that night, Tony Austin greeted well-wishers throughout the club, giving daps and hugs to any and all. He made a name for himself in the industry by producing major tours before joining Def Jam as an A&R in 2003. Now, two years later, he is being celebrated by some of the biggest and best of the industry. Russell Simmons refers to him as "a musical genius".