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HIP HOP 1-STOP SHOP

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By JEROME R. STOCKFISCH, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 18, 2007

TAMPA - Jamar McNeil's pitch at a George Washington University entrepreneurship contest didn't involve a whole lot of planning or market research. He and fellow GWU student Brian Peters had simply been bemoaning the lack of an outlet for people like them - ardent fans of hip-hop culture and video gaming.

"The idea came out of our need," Peters said. "We needed a place to go. There was no place for us to express ourselves."

The duo's idea for a hip-hop themed restaurant - which won the Washington university's "Ideas Happen Live" competition and the $2,500 first prize three years ago - is now a reality.

Today, the nation's first HipHopSodaShop opens in Tampa, and it brings a buzz that has snared some of the biggest names in hip-hop and even the civil rights movement.

The formula is healthy food, hip-hop music and video gaming, and a community-conscious approach. That latter ideal drew Benjamin Chavis, former head of the NAACP, into the fold, and Chavis now serves as chief executive of H3 Enterprises, the publicly traded parent company of HipHopSodaShop (HTRE).

"We believe that a business that reinvests in its community can be successful," Chavis said. "When H3 asked me to come, I said, 'I'm going.' No one had to twist my arm."

The HipHopSodaShop encompasses 11,000 square feet of restaurant and gaming space at the site of the former Bull Ring sports bar, 1241 E. Fowler Ave. The founders describe the concept as fast, casual upscale dining.

The menu will offer burgers and sandwiches ranging from $7 to $10, and entrees from $9 to $18.

There are 32 flat-screen video screens for both broadcast and gaming, and 32 Xbox 360 game controls will be available for rental, with the price expected to be about $10 for a half-hour session. Cybergaming will allow worldwide competition, and there is a separate tournament room.

McNeil, Peters and Chavis envision the HipHopSodaShop as a cultural arts center of sorts.

"It was never just about, 'Let's put up a food place and make a lot of money,'" Peters said. "It was about a place to call home for hip-hop."

Chavis said he is among the few members of the civil-rights generation to recognize hip-hop as a force for positive cultural change.

"Where did hip-hop come from?" Chavis said. "Hip-hop came up out of the crucible of poverty. It came up out of almost nothing, and it made something."

He cites the clothing lines and unique artwork that sprang from what was once a South Bronx phenomenon. And he vows to make the HipHopSodaShop's logo of a silhouetted break-dancing server as ubiquitous as FUBU fashion.

"This is going to sound like hip-hop," he warned with a grin: "You take that which has been scorned, and we make it something to be adorned."

Chavis is a co-founder with record mogul Russell Simmons of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, which aims to recapture the social consciousness of original hip-hop for social change.

The founders say they will emphasize wholesome hip-hop that appeals to both sexes. The restaurant features a recording studio and DJ/MC booth. They envision special events such as open-mic nights, high-definition sports broadcasts and live concerts. Chavis said he even sees an educational element, with workshops offered on subjects such as financial literacy.

Clothing with the store's logo, as well as music and art, also is for sale.

Chavis said that potential franchisees - many of them hip-hop performers - are expressing interest in opening the restaurants around the nation.

A grand opening today will feature a performance by Doug E. Fresh at 6 p.m. Andre Harrell, former president of Motown Records and founder of Uptown Records, will also be on hand, as will other rappers and artists. Wild 98.7 Radio is broadcasting live from HipHopSodaShop, and a noon ribbon-cutting will be followed by a 4 p.m. performance by Every One's Youth United Marching Band and a red-carpet ceremony at 5 p.m.

Reporter Jerry Stockfisch can be reached at jstockfisch@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-8402.

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