There was a lot of foot traffic around Leimert Park Village Plaza on Friday Feb.2 as Sole Folks’ community hub and retail gallery hosted the 7th annual Music N’ Media conference.
The “interactive live event,” lifted the Hollywood veil and revealed the motivation behind those holding a strong stand in music, entertainment and media.
Kristian “Khrissy” Briscoe, conference creator and industry influencer designed this event to be a space of connection. The conference included renowned producers, radio personalities, deejays, radio program hosts, social media influencers, artist managers and various genre artists, in addition to prizes and giveaways.
Located on 4317 Degnan Blvd., Sole Folks works as a power line for mentorship and a professional think tank— creating a space to develop innovations in a safe environment.
The Music N’ Media Conference transformed Sole Folks into a central hub for networking and highlighted the expertise of industry experts such as seasoned journalist; Loren Lorosa (TMZ), music executive who worked with the Justin Beiber; Kenny Hamilton and Vice President of Music Programming; Joshua Raiford.
Additionally, the 7th Annual Music N’ Media held space for content creation, hosting a panel from digital media heavy weights such as Buzy Baker (the Shade Room), east coast comedian Courtney Bee (Wild n’ Out), Roc Nation A&R executive; Lefty.
Throughout the day, panelist shared their wisdom on how to operate in the entertainment industry. Lorosa explained the importance of being aware of one’s personal branding.
“Once you figure out what your message is, people lock in with you.” Lorosa said, “There’s a product there, people go looking for it and want to see it, when you’re posting the events that you’re producing, it’s important for people to understand you, personally. It changed my life.”
Lorosa worked under TMZ for eight years before she took a leap of faith on her personal brand. She explained that her personality and self-branding got her many opportunities that didn’t require her resume and or years spent at TMZ.
There were live performances throughout the event, the artists that showcased their talents included Leah Writes, Davion Farris, Isaiah Jaay, Zeke, Jake & Papa and Sha’leah Nikole.
Guests were invited to taste local cuisine from Queen Squeeze Lemonade and Bob’s Cajun Muddy Water Drink and shop home-grown vendors like Raw Vision that were selling their goods.
DJ Battlecat analyzed beats created by different producers, he sat with Dobetters, Low The Great and Don Wil On It—affirming their talent or giving them advice on how to be better at craft.
Briscoe highlighted the level of expertise exuding off the panelists and the talent from performers.
“The panels were so informative, the music performances were great, and I did something completely different this year than what I’ve done in previous years—all and all I’m just excited, an amazing night,” Briscoe said.
After the event Briscoe reflected on the engagement and described her energy after the last performance.
“I didn’t know what to expect, but literally God’s timing is amazing. It’s been crazy weather all week. I’m just so excited, the energy was great, and it was the perfect location. To me, it just went so smooth, I’m so excited about the turnout—it was a beautiful turnout. It was just Black.”
Briscoe showed enormous gratitude towards her sponsors: MoCaFi, The Good Water company, TEC Leimert, Lumi Bloom, Shot Your Shoot SoCal photo booth and The Dizzle for adding to the success of Music N’ Media. She also emphasized the huge contribution from her personal assistant, Nae, founder of The “Nae Way” for seeing this event all the way through.
Stay up to date with future events by following these platforms on Instagram: @iamkhrissyb and @ninadeuce_. One can also check out the community events happening at Sole Folks by following @Solefolks.
For more Black news, follow @lasentinelnews.
