Good happenings and hype rolled among residents and college students attending a block party on the 1900 block of N. Gratz Street, in a continuation of Temple University’s “Spring Fling” 2012 during the university’s Alumni Weekend.
The first annual “QuiteHype Cookout” hosted by QuiteHype, a music and production label that began last fall, collaborated with other local talent like Social Epidemix and Berksvision to bring a community in North Central Philadelphia together through food and music.
Manny Wilson, a block party attendee, described the atmosphere as an enjoyable place to get to know the neighbors and other people in the surrounding area.
“Block parties are pretty cool. For the most part, everyone comes together to have fun while drinking and dancing. You meet people you don’t really know that live in the same area, same blocks. It’s a positive experience for people to get acquainted with others in their community,” Wilson said.
As for musical talent, six DJs performed, including DJ Royale, an alumnus of Temple University, among with eight other acts that took the stage throughout the afternoon.
Eric Williams, founder of Social Epidemix, an entertainment consulting company, works with the QuiteHype label on numerous events throughout the city.
“We do community events for everyone, the crowds diverse, you’ll see a blend of people. We’ve done parties in warehouses, block parties, regular clubs but we fit a wide genre and try to bring our own original talent as well, ” Williams said.
He believes that despite the negative events that occurred this past week around the city and the U.S., the block party was a success for both themselves and the neighborhood.
“There was a lot of negativity that happened this week. I mean, the Boston bombings, the young lady falling off the roof [in North Philadelphia] and everything just seemed like it was bad in general,” Williams said. “It was just nice to have a fun day for everyone to come out and I feel like the community appreciated it.”
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