A new venue has opened its doors to the Pittsburgh cultural community. Located at 607 East Ohio St. on the North Side, The Unda'Ground Lounge is an intimate performance venue, hip-hop museum, and retail outlet, created, co-owned, and maintained by international hip-hop icon, Paradise Gray.
As a native New Yorker and recent Wilkinsburg area transplant, Gray made hip-hop history managing the legendary Latin Quarter Club during throughout the 1980s. The Latin Quarter was the major breeding ground for an underground movement making its transition into international commerce. Artists such as Queen Latifah, De La Soul, Salt and Pepa and Eric B & Rakim got their big break into the industry performing at the Latin Quarter for a crowd laced with powerful execs and tastemakers of the day. Def Jam founder Russell Simmons and Def Jam's inaugural artist L.L. Cool J were also regulars at the Latin Quarter.
Following his work with the Latin Quarter Gray founded the Rap group X Clan along with Grand Verbalizer Funkin-lesson Brother J, The Rhythm Provider Suga Shaft and Robert Lumumba Carson, son of activist Sonny Carson. Gray became known as "Paradise The Arkitech" and Carson dubbed himself "Professor X."
Though Professor X recently passed away, the legacy lives on of a group that used their industry connections and politically conscious music to help bring consciousness to African-American youth.
From 2000-2003 Gray was the executive in charge of urban music at the infamous Internet music company MP3.COM, one of the last Silicon Valley companies to go public in the dot.com boom and the precursor to all the music downloading companies and controversy. Gray adds," I wasn't a founder but I was there pre-I.P.O. and went public with MP3.com as head of Black Music. We were millionaires until Universal sued us and bought us out for one tenth the value."
Now a Wilkinsburg resident, Gray is bringing his in depth music industry expertise to Pittsburgh. Gray explains," I came to Pittsburgh in 1992 just after my group (X Clan) broke up. I didn't travel again for nine months and in that time Pittsburgh healed my soul. So, I wanna' give back to the people of Pittsburgh."
Enter the Underground Lounge. Housed in the first floor retail space of a building Gray manages and maintains, he decided this year to remodel it himself and open a business there instead of renting it out. Gray co-owns the business along with a silent investor who owns the building and other local properties.
The Unda'Ground lounge is not a bar and restaurant as one might expect from the lounge moniker. Instead New York's legendary Lyricist Lounge inspired it, and The Unda'Ground Lounge is positioning itself to be a platform for emerging talent the way the Lyricist Lounge gave the world its first glimpse at artists such as Notorious B.I.G. and Mos Def.
"There are a lot of venues with the name lounge in Pittsburgh," explained Gray. "However, the Unda'Ground Lounge is inspired by the Lyricist Lounge. Our primary focus is release parties, open mikes, and retail."
The Unda'Ground Lounge also showcases Gray's unparalleled hip-hop memorabilia collection of photos and flyers. Gray's collection was licensed for the VH1 hip-hop documentaries that have been aired over the last two years. Prints of some of his classic photos will be available in the retail area that greets you as you walk in with framed photos, t-shirts, CDs, art and books along the walls. The retail area is connected to the cozy performance area that with a stage, seating, microphones, and sound system.
The Unda'Ground Lounge opens its doors Monday thru Saturday 11 am-7 pm. Fridays and Saturdays beginning at 9 p.m. Gray will host an open mike series with a spotlight on a local artist with a recent musical release. The Unda'Ground Lounge is a smoke-free venue with a B.Y.O.B. liquor policy. Light food and refreshments will be for sale during events and plans are in the works for the regular sale of cafe items such as espresso drinks and deserts.
Though he remains focused on culture, Gray plans to profit through event admission fees consultation, and developing profitable partnerships with local artists and craftspeople to feature local products such as CDs DVDs. T-shirts, books, hand made jewelry, incense and oils. The major niche of The Unda'Ground Lounge is the industry expertise and personal Hip-Hop archives of Gray. He still maintains personal relationships with the movers and shakers of the Hip-Hop industry and will be making his consultation services available through The Unda'Ground Lounge.
"Pittsburgh has a lot of talent. But what most local artist lack is industry knowledge to really take their product to the next level" Gray explains. "The Underground Lounge is a place where you can get consultation on how to market and sell your product as well as find out how to align yourself with managers, lawyers and other staff you will need to be successful in the industry."
To add to the resources and services that can be accessed at the Unda'Ground Lounge, artists can also book studio time with local studios as well as buy and sell production and writing from other artist with the Lounge acting as a "middleman" between its immense base of local and national artist relationships. Gray also owns a studio located in Wilkinsburg equipped with Pro Tools, a Macintosh G5, and an AKG414 Microphone, an MPC 2000XL, and a Roland Phantom X 8. He has partnered up with videographers Adam Smith and Les Bigelow of Underground Hip-Hop Video Magazine to provide video production services as well as a design team of local experienced designers to custom design anything from album covers to t-shirts.
And to accommodate your CD pressing needs The Unda'Ground Lounge has a partnership with a CD manufacturer to get CDs professionally manufactured at industry standard quality. Gray continues, "I've been involved in every aspect of the music business for the last 20 years, from management to publicity to photography to production."
"Black youth of today have to learn to generate multiple streams of revenue, through legal means," said Gray. "Our people have many needs we just have to get in the business of providing for them."
by
Omar-Abdul R. Lawrence
for New Pittsburgh Courier
