Iconic record store V.I.P. Records, known for being the location of Snoop Dogg’s “Who Am I?” music video and a piece of Long Beach history, made an appearance at LBCC, bringing with it two guest star rappers.
V.I.P. Records set up a booth at a block party held at the Trade Tech and Community Learning Campus (TTC), formerly known as the Pacific Coast Campus, to celebrate the campus’ 75th anniversary with students and staff.
V.I.P. Records also happened to be celebrating its own 45th anniversary.
The hip-hop energy flowed through the air, as well as the many hands that went up when the rappers came on stage.
Kolby Cordell, an R&B singer from San Bernardino, put on quite the show in his opener performance for rap artist Nikko “Najih” Bey.
Kolby Cordell dances to the break in the music during his live performance on Oct. 19. (Tenoa Stewart)
The crowd gave Cordell a warm welcome as he serenaded the audience with his song “Hello” that had the crowd jamming out.
“It’s always a pleasure to give back to the community, I appreciate an invitation to the LBCC experience, hopefully they live out the journey with me,” Cordell said.
Cordell two-stepped to the break in the music and gave a “jazzy feel” to the environment according to some of the onlookers.
As the crowd danced along with him, a man danced in the distance with his daughter and gave her a twirl.
“This event is amazing. I’m not from the area so I feel a part of–like I have a sense of belonging here. Shout out to Long Beach, I love it,” Cordell said.
The band Black Collar was also a part of the show, doing musical numbers in between artists and playing in the background of each performance.
The hip-hop show was not over yet with rap artist Najih Bey performing the headliner with his songs “Grind 4 U” followed by a song called “Healed.”
The crowd was feeling it when the music broke because Bey gave out the command to “throw your hands in the air” and the audience did just what he asked – everyone had their hands in the air as the hip-hop spirit flowed around the campus.
“The crowd was vibing in the climate, the band played good as well and set the mood, I was feeling it too. I lived here for five years and Long Beach is my second home,” Bey said.
For the finale, Najih ended with the song “Numb to Pain” that had both the crowd and the artist in harmony.
“I love Long Beach, it’s a melting pot for many diverse cultures of collective comradery,” Bey said.
Bey Is not just a rapper but also a producer for Inland Records, where he has worked with Cordell before and Black Collar too.
Inland is a multimedia company for artists, athletes, creators, businesses, actors & actresses and you can check out more of their work at https://www.inlandhq.com/ .