The Artist Mecca, an organization for Black creatives that holds showcases and events, held an R&B-styled boiler room at Social Status last Friday to kick off the new year.

Creatives and musicians alike came to Social Status to network and enjoy a pleasant aura with food, live performances, and music.

Member of The Artist Mecca, Madison Pinekney, explained the purpose of the event and emphasized how critical it is for students to showcase their talents and uniqueness.

“The Artist Mecca is a haven for creatives. We highlight the importance of artistry, creativity, and individualism through art and music,” Pinckney said.

Shamerica Byrd, another member of the Artist Mecca, explained how the organization is an outlet in which Black culture is shown and expressed.

“We highlight the beauty within African American culture to show we are more than a color. We are art that comes in different fonts, frames, colors, you name it,” said Byrd.

The event truly embodied the explanation. People were enjoying themselves and sharing conversations and connections.

Kani’ya Davis was an audience member who heard about the event from The Artist Mecca’s Instagram page and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and the event as a whole.

“I definitely would come back to another event hosted by The Artist Mecca because I really like the ambiance of their events,” Davis said. “I feel like it’s very inviting, it’s not super cliquey. You could come not knowing anyone and leave with at least one new connection.” 

India Brunson was another attendee and explained how pleasant her experience was despite not being an artist. 

“My favorite part of the event was just getting to hear all the different artists because they all had different sounds,” said Brunson, “I’m personally not an artist, but I feel like it’s really good that people get to share what they create.” 

Music was a focal point of this event and the crowd enjoyed performances by artists like itsjustLARRY, Cinco Millionz, Logan Lewis, Kinston Ali, and Fendifrvr.

These performers are from all over the U.S., each bringing a unique sound and style to their performance.

Rapper Chris “Cinco Millionz” Warren has been rapping for three years and is a native of New Jersey. He brings his Jersey sound to the South in his music and explains how important it is for his listeners to really listen to his lyrics. 

“I just want whoever I’m speaking to or whoever is listening to feel what I’m feeling. If I can help them through something I want them to feel and hear me,” said Collins.

 Kinston Ali also performed a few of his singles at the event as well. Ali is an artist from North Carolina who started making music three years ago and has been performing as a dancer his whole life. Ali explained the importance of family and how gets his inspiration from his older brother.

“If I hear anything that makes my dancing impulses move, I’ll just get on it fast…I get most of my inspiration from my big brother Arno Scene,” Ali shared. He helped me out with becoming an artist.” 

To stay up to date and not miss an event follow The Artist Mecca on Instagram.