Mobile kicked off the eighth annual Alabama Hip Hop Week on Monday with a community food and clothing drive that drew an estimated 200 people to Inner City Mission on South Broad Street, organizers said.
The week-long celebration, which ran from July 6 through July 12, was put together by local radio personality Kalenski Adams, widely known around Mobile by his on-air name, DJ Dirty Dan. Adams said the group wanted to try something different this year after focusing on a community clean-up in 2014.
“Last year we did the community clean-up and we wanted to mix it up this year and help other organizations in the community,” Adams said. Any food and clothing collected during Monday’s drive that wasn’t distributed on-site was set to go to Inner City Mission, Wings of Life and the Salvation Army, all of which serve homeless and low-income residents in the Mobile area.
Beyond the charitable kickoff, the week filled out with a mix of community and entertainment programming spread across several Mobile neighborhoods. An open mic night gave local musicians a stage, while a midweek urban summit and family day combined youth programming with networking opportunities for artists and small business owners. A youth dance and step show in Trinity Gardens gave younger residents a chance to perform, and a mixer downtown brought together industry figures for a more professional-networking-focused evening.
The week’s public-facing events culminated in a Friday evening art walk through downtown Mobile and a Saturday family day at Texas Street Park, followed that night by a concert at Soul Kitchen Music Hall featuring a lineup of regional hip-hop artists and a tribute set honoring two performers with strong local followings who had died in recent years. The week wrapped up Sunday with a block party along Dauphin Street in downtown Mobile.
Organizers have used the week for nearly a decade to blend music programming with service projects, giving the event a dual identity as both a cultural celebration and a vehicle for supporting local nonprofits that assist Mobile’s homeless population. The event’s staying power reflects a broader push among Mobile-area musicians and promoters to use entertainment programming as a platform for charitable giving, pairing concerts and open mics with tangible support for organizations like Inner City Mission that operate on limited budgets and rely heavily on donation drives to stock food pantries and clothing closets throughout the year.
City officials have not weighed in publicly on the event, but its consistent annual return suggests it has built a loyal following among Mobile’s music community and downtown venue operators who host its various stops throughout the week.