GrassROOTS Community Foundation’s “Let’s Move It: Philly!” Party @ Trilogy with Black Thought, Jazzy Jeff and More.
Text by Tim Mulhern. Images by Matthew Leister.
On the third floor of Trilogy Nightclub, overlooking a snow-covered city and a skyline shrouded in fog, fans of Philly hip-hop “partied with a purpose” at a benefit for the GrassROOTS Community Foundation last Saturday evening. Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Rich Medina and special guests entertained the crowd at The 5th annual “Let’s Move It: Philly!” party.
GrassROOTS Community Foundation specifically focuses its work on young girls in Philadelphia.
“We have these four areas of wellness that we value and do our work around,” said Dr. Janice Johnson Dias, president of the GrassROOTS Community Foundation. “Physical health, mental health, sexual health and the economics of health. We do work with girls, their families and within communities, and we want to change policies and practices.”
As co-founder of the GrassROOTS Community Foundation, Trotter has played an integral role from the beginning.
“This was the brainchild of a good friend of mine and I felt that the work that she was doing was important,” Trotter said. “We both have daughters that [are] close in age. The cause spoke to me, so I rose to the calling.”
Proceeds from the show went to the Anna Lane Lingelbach Elementary School in Germantown, which was given a budget of $160 for the 2014-2015 school year by the school district.
The event actually began earlier in the day with a town hall forum to discuss health issues. Panelists included Councilwoman Cindy Bass , Talib Kweli, Aja Dantzler of Kindred The Family Soul, State Senator Art Hayward and radio personality Laiya St. Clair.
Rich Medina kicked off the evening party as guests, VIPs and others began to fill the room.
DJ Jazzy Jeff assumed control of the turntables as the dance floor reached capacity. He mixed old and new hip-hop, rap, R&B and rock into a tight and entertaining set.
As the clock neared 1 a.m., Black Thought hit the stage and brought with him frequent Roots collaborator Dice Raw, Khemist and other special guests.
The night was a celebration of all that GrassROOTS Community Foundation has done for youth in Philadelphia.
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 
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