Hip-Hop Stars Common and Talib Kweli to Share the Stage for a First-Ever Collaborative Performance at Grand Finals of the Nation’s Premier DJ/Turntable Competition
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. – Guitar Center today announced that the grand finals of its 2005 Spin Off competition, the largest and most prestigious DJ/Turntable competition in the country, will take place September 10 at the Wiltern LG Theatre in Los Angeles, according to Jack Sonni, Vice President of Marketing Communication for Guitar Center.
In addition to the eight finalists competing for the 2005 Spin Off title, the event will feature a special collaborative headlining performance from hip-hop stars Common and Talib Kweli, as well as a performance by Madlib and DJ sets from DIPLO. Now in its seventh year, the Spin Off grand finals are the culmination of a three-month competition that begins at every Guitar Center location across the country. In total, more than 3,000 DJs compete for top prizing and bragging rights as one of the world’s finest DJs.
“Bringing Common and Talib to the Spin Off grand finals provides our finalists an opportunity to experience every urban musician’s dream – sharing the stage with truly influential hip-hop artists, ” said Sonni. “Guitar Center is dedicated to providing our DJ community a vehicle to showcase their talent and further their careers. ”
The 2005 Spin Off Grand Finals will support the Jam Master Jay Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing funding and resources to support free public school music education programs. Guitar Center will dedicate 20 percent of ticket sales to help the JMJ Foundation. DMC, who founded legendary rap group Run DMC along with Jam Master Jay, will host the event.
Continuing in its tradition of bringing stellar performers to the Spin Off stage (last year’s Grand Finals featured The Roots), this year’s Spin Off Grand Finals promises to be the hottest in the event’s history with the special collaboration performance from Common and Talib Kweli. After creating and producing some of the industry’s top albums with collaborations from a who’s who of hip-hop and R&B, Chicago rapper Common has become one of the most influential voices in the industry, known for his soulful, groove-driven melodies and insightful lyrics. Similarly, Brooklyn rapper Talib Kweli is quickly moving to the top of the hip-hop world. After gaining notoriety as half of the late ¬Ç√Ñ√≤90s group Black Star (with childhood friend Mos Def), Kweli has launched a successful solo career that showcases his well- crafted lyrics and passionate delivery.
This year’s Spin Off grand finalist will take home a 2005 Scion xB, a pair of Technics DZ SL 1200 digital tables, a Boost Mobile i860 Tattoo phone plus five i215 phones for the winner’s crew, and thousands of dollars in other prizing. Technics is the exclusive provider of turntables and equipment.
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