A Horse, a Rapper and Body Painters Walk Into an Art Space – and Make FubuPalooza a Vibe

Meka Jackson and the Creators Don’t Die team continue to keep the nostalgic hip-hop culture of the early 2000s alive with their annual FubuPalooza event, which showcases art, fashion and music.

Meka Jackson and the Creators Don’t Die team continue to keep the nostalgic hip-hop culture of the early 2000s alive with their annual FubuPalooza event, which showcases art, fashion and music.

The function took place on Nov. 6 at the Creators Don’t Die venue space that sits on the edge of Deep Ellum. It was like stepping into a time machine and entering a club before baggy clothing, jerseys, hats and headbands were all banned. Jackson was wearing all of the above, including the signature white band-aid that rapper Nelly used to wear on his cheek.

Those who have attended a Creators Don’t Die event know that their shows are anything but ordinary. The latest FubuPalooza featured Murphy Lee from the billboard-charting St. Lunatics, a guy dressed as Joker next to a matching purple Alfa Romeo and a white Percheron horse named Daisy accompanied by her trainer Daniel Cole — all to a soundtrack curated by DJ Sober.

The Creators Don’t Die team have a tight grip on Dallas' underground hip-hop culture. Even the small group of hand-picked vendors complemented the electric atmosphere. These were Dallas businesses that included men’s and women’s clothing brands, along with food and art vendors.

Painter Jasmine Bryant was in attendance with a large selection of her hip-hop related paintings. Tupac, Nipsey Hussle and Erykah Badu are some of the culture icons that grace the front of some of her acrylic paintings on canvas. Bryant also had Nike Air Force 1 sneakers on her table, which at first glance looked like regular sneakers but were actually candles — a full replica of a size 10 Nike Air Force One sneaker carved into candle wax with a wick at the top of the tongue where a foot would slip into the shoe.

Bryant started painting on a regular basis in 2017 and remembers being a part of some of the first FubuPalooza events in 2018. The artist also makes magnets and posters.

“I love color,” Bryant said. “I love doing portraiture and realism type art, so I’ve expanded that to merchandise.”

Set up to the right on the Alfa Romeo was the Toadily Stoned booth with smoke shop essentials, a nice surprise for anybody who forgot their lighter or rolling papers at home. Lynn Wesley remembers being a part of some of Jackson’s past events and enjoys participating in what he and his team do for the hip-hop culture community in Dallas.

“Every single time [Jackson] pushes the culture forward,” Wesley said. “It’s always an event, and to go back to the 2000s and go back to our era, when we were in that, like, crunk era, I love it.”

The dance called krumping was a bit of a centerpiece at FubuPalooza, which held a krump battle. Krump dancing was created in south central Los Angeles and was introduced to the rest of the world in the early 2000s when dancers were often found doing the aggressive dance in music videos for hip-hop club songs.

Lee capped off the night when he hit the stage to perform "What Da Hook Gon Be," "Shake Ya Tailfeather" and "Tip Drill," the classic hip-hop song best remembered for its controversial music video that showed fellow St. Lunatic member Nelly swiping a credit card through a woman’s butt.

Jackson and his committed team of creators mentioned a full slate of upcoming festivals they have in the works as their community reach continues to expand. The dates for upcoming Creators Don’t Die events were not announced, but you can keep up with the team by staying tuned into their Instagram or go to their website at creatorsdontdie.com. 

November 9, 2021 - Dallas Observer