A couple hours into the evening, around 8 p.m. Friday, people downtown could hear horns beeping, and traffic had slowed down for the hundreds of people spilling onto High Street.
On the steps in front of Foundry Church, Lamar Riddick was hosting his second Hip Hop on High Street.
Riddick, a Christian hip hop artist, has performed several shows in and out of the Morgantown region within the last couple months, spreading his message and love of Christ.
On Friday, Riddick returned to the steps of Foundry Church, to present hip hop artists Arch Jacob, Sõl Vibe, Quie, Regg — and to perform himself.
The first Hip Hop on High Street took over the same location in July, with the same mission and message. There were more than 100 people in attendance throughout the night, according to Riddick. The show was presented by Revive Collective Music LLC, Riddick’s music label.
Riddick said pulling together the performance went “very smooth,” and he was happy with the turnout. Riddick, along with the other artists, got the crowd engaged with singing along and dancing.
Crowd member Kourtney Snyder said she heard about the event from some friends who attended the first show and came to see what it was all about. Snyder said it was amazing for Riddick and his team to provide a show that connects people.
“It’s a great way to bring people together,” Snyder said.
With Riddick’s previous show on High Street, he expressed his love of performing and being able to connect with the audience, and said, “I love making people happy,” and doing that through his message about Jesus.
Riddick also has a program called 25 to Thrive, a music consultation service for independent artists who are pursuing music as a career, to educate them on royalties, copyrights and branding.
Riddick also enjoys working with the youth and has an internship program with his company, Revive Collective Music. He works with students through Mountaineer TRAK, a program that allows employers to post jobs or internships, and it counts towards a college credit.
Riddick said he created an internship give back to the student community and teach them how the music industry really works.
Performer Reginald Turner, stage name Regg, has been into music since he was 13, but has been performing professionally for two years.
Turner said he just recently met Riddick. They’ve only known one another for a week. Within that short time, he said Riddick has already been a great mentor.
“It’s been an amazing experience and I’ve learned a lot from him already,” Turner said.
