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Courtesy of Cedar Lampe |
CommentsHip Hop for Hope Event to Honor Truckee Local, Raise Money
By Jackie VarrianoPublished: January 15, 2010
It is rare that celebration can come out of sorrow, but the upcoming “Hip Hop for Hope” plans to do just that. The event is slated to celebrate a young Truckee woman’s life through song and the goal of raising money for the AIDS/LifeCycle bike ride, an event Melissa Hope Dennison had hoped to ride in before her untimely death last September.
Scheduled for Saturday, January 23, at the Olympic Village Lodge at Squaw Valley, 8 p.m., Hip Hop for Hope is the debut event from SMC Enterprises, and the one-man show that is Cedar Lampe. Featuring local artists Cambo and the Life, DJ Effective, and D-funk; the evening will also include a raffle and a silent auction.
“Cambo and the Life is one group, consisting of frontman Cameron Bartolini, a Truckee local originally from the Bay, who is a great hip hop artist, singer, trumpet player, keyboard player, etc,” Lampe said. “The Life is actually Cameron’s seven-piece band, which backs him up on stage and helps create his unique sound. DJ Effective is Melissa Dennison’s brother, Kyle. His skills as a DJ are amazing, and he knows how to get the party poppin’. Cambo and DJ Effective used to be in a group called the Instant Messengers together.”
D-Funk is another Truckee local who is managed by Lampe. His new album, “Abstract Aura,” is set to be released at the show, with a portion of the proceeds from all of his album sales being donated as well.
“D-funk has an original sound, influenced by hip hop, rock, electronic, and emo,” Lampe said.
As for the silent auction and raffle, Lampe said as of now he has a guitar, a stay at the Ferrari's Crown Motel, gift certificates to New Moon and Florian’s Fine Wines, and items from Totally Board lined up and is still actively seeking donations.
Melissa’s family has also been very involved in putting together the event. Her sister Kaci described how the event came about.
“A week before Melissa passed away she spent some time with me up here in Truckee. One day she just looked over at me and said, ‘Let’s do the AIDS/LifeCycle together!’ I agreed, [but] never did I think that I would be doing it in her honor,” Kaci said. “Melissa had a passion for life and riding her bike. She also had so much love for the city of San Francisco, the culture, the people, and everything that the city had to offer. I think one reason that she wanted to do the AIDS/LifeCycle is to show her love for the city and for the people who live in SF, and unfortunately many people in SF are greatly affected by AIDS/HIV in some way.”
The AIDS/LifeCycle is a 545-mile bike ride along the California coast that takes place June 6 through 12. Kaci’s team is called Hip Hop for Hope, which was Melissa’s idea for a team name. Each team member is required to raise $3,000 to donate, and this concert will be the team’s first fundraiser. The team currently consists of Kaci, Stuart Emerson, Betsy Hansen, Haley Cutter, Shannon Lankanau, and Kyle Dennison.
“After Melissa passed away, doing the AIDS/LifeCycle was something that immediately popped into my head. I really wanted to follow through with the plans I made with Melissa and I figured it would be a great way for people to join me in remembering her as well as supporting one of her many passions.”
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