It’s Piph’s party, and he will raise money for Global Kids
Hot jams for a good cause and a birthday party all in one? That’s exactly what’s going down today at Rev Room in Little Rock during Big Piph’s Fourth Annual Charity Birthday Bash.
The Little Rock rapper will celebrate his 38th birthday during a concert with friends Dee Dee Jones, Bijoux, Sean Fresh, Asylum, Dazz & Brie, YK, Tawanna Campbell, Papa Leo, Phillip Moo, Arkansas Bo and John Willis. The evening is hosted by comedian Keef Glason and DJ Code Red will be working the turntables.
The aim of the festivities, besides cranking out head-bobbing beats, is to raise money for Global Kids-Arkansas, a part of the nonprofit group Global Kids, based in New York and Washington, whose mission is “developing youth leaders for the global stage.”
Piph says, “We want to send three Arkansas students to this three-week program in New York. They will go through different forums mimicking legislators as well as tackling problems like global warming.”
The students, who will join about 20 others in New York, will also hear from speakers from the worlds of politics, entertainment and activism, he says.
This year’s show will differ a bit from previous bashes, where acts would perform individually. This year, says Piph, the performances will be more of a collective effort: “For the most part, I’ve gotten artists I’ve collaborated with. So we’ll do a song we’ve collabed on, then they will do a piece. That way it will flow a lot better. It’ll be me going in and out with people.”
Artists like Dazz & Brie and John Willis who haven’t yet recorded with Piph will hit the stage for sets of their own, he says.
The lineup also represents a good variety, with old school rappers like Arkansas Bo and battle rapper Asylum and a mix of soul and funk from the likes of Campbell and Bijoux.
Backing most of the acts throughout the evening will be Piph’s band, Tomorrow Maybe, who Piph will join for a final set to bring the bash home.
“For some shows, we’re always working on technical aspects and things like that from a band perspective,” he begins, “but for this one, I really want it to feel like a celebration.”
It’ll be more of a celebration of music, friendship and raising money for a cause, though, because the birthday part of the bash is his least favorite.
“I don’t like celebrating my birthday,” he says with a chuckle. “I just do it so we can raise money for this cause. Normally, I just get a pizza and go to a movie by myself.
“It’s cool, though, don’t get me wrong. But it’s the least fun part.”
The gruff-voiced Piph, who grew up in Pine Bluff and has an engineering degree from Stanford University, is a rap veteran. His album Celebrate, released earlier this year, is the latest in a long line of socially aware, deep-beats hip hop he has made with Tomorrow Maybe and solo.
Look for him to hit on many of the Celebrate tracks tonight, along with music from his ambitious 2016 effort I Am Not Them: The Legacy Project as well as digging deeper into his catalog.
“It will be a smorgasbord,” he says, “but there are a few songs I’m going to have to start practicing to make them work.”