Performers will.i.am, The Beat Junkies and Prince’s former band The Revolution will be honored for their contributions to pop music Saturday at an awards show and concert meant to celebrate 10 years of innovation in hip-hop and pop music.
The MojaMoja 10th Annual Brunch & Benefit Concert will start at 11 a.m. at the Avalon in Hollywood, and will be followed by an after-party at 2 p.m. at the same location.
This year’s event will introduce the Steam Award, “presented to an individual who has bridged the gap between arts and science and is using their platform to empower underrepresented youth to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM).”
The inaugural recipient is will.i.am (born William Adams), known for his work with The Black Eyed Peas and other megastar artists including Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Usher, Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears, David Guetta, and film composer Hans Zimmer. He is the first recording artist to send a song to Mars in conjunction with NASA’s Curiosity Mars Space Lab, and has been involved with several high-profile educational and philanthropic efforts.
The Revolution will get the annual Vanguard Award for career achievement. Past recipients have included Sheila E., Nile Rodgers, Mavis Staples, George Clinton, and Sly Stone.
Formed in Minneapolis in 1979 by Prince, The Revolution includes Bobby Z. (percussion), Matt Fink (keyboards), Lisa Coleman (keyboards), Brown Mark (bass) and Wendy Melvoin (guitar). They rose to fame in the mid-1980s with Purple Rain, the album that sold more than 13 million copies in the United States, and the smash-hit 1984 film of the same name.
The Beat Junkies will receive the inaugural Soul Controller Award, meant to spotlight the DJ culture and introduce the world to musicians who take risks and spark change through their work. The group originally included 13 members, and grew out of various mobile DJ units in Los Angeles County and the Bay Area in the early 1990s.
The brunch and concert are open to the public, and will feature performances by Jungle Fire, The Steoples, Wajatta — the collaborative between comedian-musician Reggie Watts and DJ and producer John Tejada — along with drumming prodigy Elise Trouw.
Saturday’s event raises awareness and funds for the MojaMoja Innovation Fund at Liberty Hill Foundation, which supports nonprofits such as this year’s charity partner the House of Blues Music Forward Foundation.
Tickets are $70.
—City News Service