1500 Sound Academy hosted their annual “1500 Or Nothin Day” at WePlay studios in Inglewood on Saturday, Jan. 18. Hundreds of attendees gathered for a day of community and music at the production company. This year, which was also their 20th anniversary, they dedicated their platform in support of those directly impacted by the devastating fires with a portion of the proceeds going to a fire relief fund.
The sound academy partnered with Mayor James T. Butts and the city of Inglewood to provide resources for those in need.
WePlay is located a few blocks from the Inglewood DMV, and down the street from Faithful Central Bible Church on Florence ave. The street was crowded as attendees searched for parking and made their way in line to enter the event. Food trucks were stationed right outside of WePlay including Trap Kitchen, Flaming Fire Fish, Dread Fraiche, Cali Love Pie, and D Lo’s Kitchen.
Guests mingled, took pictures, and danced, while media outlets took advantage of the down time to conduct interviews before the event began.
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Before the performers hit the stage, motivational speaker, 19 Keys hosted his “High Level Conversations” live event series in front of a crowd of family, friends, and supporters of the academy. The theme for the evening was “X-Tech & The Future” where Keys alongside 1500 Or Nothin founder Larrance “Rance” Dopson, DJ Hed, and X. Eyee discussed how LA came together during a time of need, the TikTok US ban, purchasing power, cryptocurrency, how music artists can utilize AI (artificial intelligence) to their benefit, and more. Renowned DJ, DJ Battlecat kept the crowd energized playing a variety of old school and new school tracks. Dopson came back to the stage for a “Amazon Interview 1500 & Friends.”
Graduates from 1500 Or Nothin performed a series of songs before Mayor Butts took the stage to talk about the fires that devastated LA county, but expressed how proud he is to see the youth come together to raise money for those affected. He honored and recognized both 1500 and WePlay studios, and introduced other council members to the stage. Mayor Butts, Rance, Executive Producer and CVO of WePlay Studios, and others participated in the official ribbon cutting ceremony for the grand opening of the production company, which can now call Inglewood home.
Before it was time for Mayor Butts to be welcomed on stage, he, Dopson, and other council members spoke with the press. Mayor Butts was asked by the Sentinel how witnessing the community come together inspired him as a leader, and he stated that since he has been mayor, Inglewood has become more cohesive as a city and they are proud of what they have done.
“But what really feels good is seeing the young people get involved with helping people who right now are in need,” he expressed. “There are people that are older who have lost memories. It’s the bad thing about fires. They’re very vulnerable. To see young people as involved as they are now to help them transition back to normalcy warms my heart.”
The event began at 2pm and ended around midnight, but guests kept their energy high and their feet moving from dancing to the sounds of DJ Qwess Coast. His musical selection definitely resonated with the crowd as they waited for the musical acts to grace the stage.
Performers for the evening included Trinidad James, Andra Day, D Smoke, Mario, Leon Thomas, Lady London, Jon B, LaRussell, Rapsody, Tish Hyman, Xzibit, Kenyon Dixon, Mario, a plethora of 1500 Or Nothin present and former students, and other surprise guests.
For more information on 1500 Sound Academy, visit: https://www.1500soundacademy.com/
Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1500soundacademy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/1500sound
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1500SoundAcademy/
