In observance of National Hip Hop History Month, the Universal Hip Hop Museum (UHHM) will celebrate the life and achievements of late music executive Darrell “Chris” Lighty on November 23.
UHHM tapped Hip Hop legend Fat Joe to serve as one of the hosts for the evening. Monami Entertainment CEO Mona Scott-Young and Unlock Her Potential founder Sophia Chang will also help lead the “Chris Lighty Tribute.”
“I’m honored to host this tribute to my brother and friend Chris Lighty. If it wasn’t for this man I’d be dead or in jail. HE SAVED MY LIFE. Hip Hop History month would not be complete if we did not acknowledge his contributions to the culture,” states Fat Joe in a press release.
The “virtual tribute” to Chris Lighty will take place at the Universal Hip Hop Museum’s current “[R]evolution of Hip Hop” installation. The semi-permanent exhibition is located at the 50,000-square-feet waterfront development project known as Bronx Point in the Bronx, New York.
“The Universal Hip Hop Museum is delighted to recognize the Hip Hop maverick, Chris Lighty during this inaugural commemoration of Hip Hop History Month,” says Rocky Bucano, Executive Director and founder of UHHM. “That is why we exist — so that the world never forgets the titans of the culture on whose shoulders we stand.”
Monami Entertainment is working in conjunction with the Universal Hip Hop Museum to present the “Chris Lighty Tribute.” The event will feature artists and executives who worked with Lighty speaking about his accomplishments and influence on their careers.
“I am deeply humbled to participate in the tribute to Chris Lighty, whose life mirrors the trajectory of hip hop itself: from the South Bronx to corporate boardrooms across America to the greatest global cultural force of our lifetime,” says Sophia Chang. “For me personally, Chris made me feel welcomed in a world that wasn’t mine and helped set me on my path through Hip Hop.”
Mona Scott-Young adds, “The Universal Hip Hop Museum is a testament to the cultural importance of Hip Hop and I’m honored to be working alongside them during this inaugural observance of Hip Hop History Month to pay homage to a true icon of the culture, my dear friend and partner, Chris Lighty.”