Black Wall Street AVL Presents: GRINDFest 2024 with Slick Rick & Doug E Fresh

GRINDfest, presented by Black Wall Street AVL and Salvage Station, brings a double dose of Hip-Hop Royalty to Asheville! Slick Rick & Doug E Fresh will appear LIVE on the Outdoor Stage at Salvage Station on Saturday, May 25th, 2024! Stay tuned for supporting act announcments! This is a show you DON’T want to miss!! Tickets are $35 ADV / $40 DOS.

Doors open at 5:30 PM and the music starts at 6:30 PM. All-ages, Kids under 7 get in FREE. All minors MUST be accompanied by guardian at ALL TIMES! PAID ON-SITE PARKING opens at 4:30 PM, and our FREE shuttle service to our FREE satellite lot at Asheville Visitor Center will be available starting at 5:30 PM.

Root Down will be serving their delicious twist on Southern Soul Food PLUS we will have several food trucks and FULL bars open for you to enjoy! Please read our FAQ page about what you can and cannot bring inside the venue! For example, no camping chairs are allowed for this event. Small handheld umbrellas are allowed!

Come out and support Black Wall Street AVL’s mission to start, grow, and scale BIPOC businesses in Asheville. GRINDfest is the celebration of BIPOC businesses and entrepreneurship. This three day festival is designed to celebrate the progress that people continue to make despite the odds being stacked against them. Let’s show the world that the celebration is louder than the pain and the future is brighter than the past. 

Check out our FAQ page here to learn about large event parking options, what you can and cannot bring inside the venue, and MORE!

About Slick Rick:

Ricky Martin Lloyd Walters, known to the world as Slick Rick and widely regarded as “hip-hop’s
greatest storyteller”, is a London-born, Grammy-nominated performer and the most successful
British-American rapper in music history. The hip-hop veteran began his career in 1983, as a member of Doug E. Fresh’s Get Fresh Crew, pioneering what is today celebrated as the “Golden Age of Hip- Hop”. With four albums to his credit – the landmark The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1988), The Ruler’s Back (1991), Behind Bars (1994) and The Art of Storytelling (1999 – Rick has collaborated with a range of musical icons, from Jay-Z and Missy Elliot to Outkast, Jermaine Dupri, Mos Def, Common, R. Kelly
and Aaliyah. His music has been sampled and interpolated over 650 times, by such artists
as Eminem, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Beastie Boys, TLC, Nas, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, Black Star,
The Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg and Color Me Badd. In the process, he’s become the most
sampled (0ver 600 times) hip-hop artist ever. Many of the new songs became hit singles,
underscoring his timeless influence.

In 2018, thirty years after his legacy-defining debut, two Kanye West-produced albums, West’s Ye
and Nas’ Nasir, splendidly spotlighted two “Great Adventures” samples. Beyond that, Rick made
cameo appearances in a pair of music videos, Black Eye Peas’ “Constant” and “No Stylist” by
French Montana and Drake, that pay homage to Rick’s lyrical and fashion flair. Ever the influence,
he has been referenced in over 60 songs from the early 1990’s to present day, by recording artists
such as Nicki Minaj, J Cole, Pitbull. will.i.am. Amy Winehouse, Big Sean and Future. Slick Rick has
acted and cameo’d in more than 10 movies and videos.
Music isn’t his only passion though; on top of being a uniquely gifted lyricist, Rick is an actor and
music producer known his fashion sense and for a growing list of business and philanthropic
endeavors. The artist is known for his infamous eye-patch and heavily adorned jewelry. This selfexpression through personal style has become his signature and has never been successfully
duplicated. In October 2018, Rick became the face of Pop-In@Nordstrom, an exclusive collection
celebrating the heritage, history and future of MCM. Shot by photographer Sue Kwon, the
campaign drew heavily on the performer’s penchant for wearing luxury brands like no one else.
Recognizing the need for positive influences, Rick has devoted his time to mentoring youth on the
dangers of violence. Additionally, he has partnered with various local and national organizations
to raise awareness and funds for the issues impacting underserved communities.
Philanthropic Efforts
Celebrating more than three decades as a performer, Rick continues to give to his community and
culture. He regularly visits schools and prisons, mentoring and providing life lessons to young
people. One holiday season, he and his wife, Mandy, chose to spend Christmas Eve with inmates in
the C-76 building at New York’s Riker’s Island prison, where he himself had been housed. Another
year he teamed up with his local councilman, Andy King, to work with the Bronx Youth
Empowerment Program (BYEP) to sponsor the organization’s Christmas charity event. Their
sponsorship supports BYEP in challenging youth in the community to be positive and productive
through the motto “Building mind, body, and community”. After engaging and encouraging
students in one Newark, NJ grade school for an entire day he remarked, “It felt great to share what
I am passionate about – music and poetry.” In 2014, Rick participated in Will.i.am’s“Trans4M”
concert, which raised more than $2.4 million for the music producer’s i.am.angel Foundation. In
2015, the Alpha Gamma Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity honored him at its “Living
The Dream Luncheon,” which celebrates “leaders that, despite facing adversity, have continued to
dedicate their time and resources to better their communities.”
At his 50th birthday celebration, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz honored Rick with a
proclamation for his contributions to Bronx history. Diaz also declared January 9th as Slick Rick
Day. Recently, Rick donated a dozen items from his iconic wardrobe collection to The Smithsonian
Foundation’s National Museum of African-American History. For his efforts Rick has received
accolades from Miami Dade College, the Florida House of Representative, The State of Arkansas,
New York City Council and Music Saves Lives. In addition, Rick was recently a Mixx Cares
Humanitarian Award Recipient. “His musical career is an example of hard work and perseverance
that is to be admired and celebrated. We also recognize his philanthropic endeavors which have
allowed him to remain in touch with the youth of the community and help them flourish in life and
academics”, says Latin Mixx Awards Committee.

About Doug E Fresh:

Doug E. Fresh’s peers have dubbed him the “World’s Greatest Entertainer”
and the “Original Human Beatbox.” During his nearly 40-year career, he
has etched himself into the annals of music history with his creation of the
human beatbox art form, whereby he vocally simulates the sounds of
drums and other musical instruments with stunning accuracy. His
unrivaled skill and myriad talents have resulted in an enduring legacy that
continues to break new ground.

As a pioneering hip-hop artist, Fresh possesses the unrivaled ability to
captivate audiences with or without a musical backing track and has
performed at the request of US Presidents, foreign dignitaries, and Saints.
As a television personality and producer, he has appeared as a performer
and musical mentor on Fox’s “American Idol,” hosted HBO’s “Bad Boys of
Comedy,” served as one of three celebrity judges on BET’s “Showtime at
the Apollo,” and earned three consecutive executive producer credits for
his work on BET’s newly reprised “Soul Train Awards.” He has also
launched marketing campaigns for brands like McDonald’s, Toyota, and Febreze. As an entrepreneur, he has established several commercial enterprises, namely an eponymous restaurant in New York City and multiple real estate development projects.
Proudly raised in Harlem, New York, Fresh shot from local phenomenon to nationally recognized talent with the help of an appearance in the 1984 cult classic movie “Beat Street.” By 1985, Fresh had become one of hip-hop’s biggest international stars, thanks to the success of his classics, “The Show” and “La Di Da Di,” recorded with his Get Fresh Crew, including MC Ricky D (a.k.a. Slick Rick). As highlighted in a 2019 Wall Street Journal article and in a 2014 TED Talk by multi-platinum music producer Mark Ronson, “La Di Da Di” holds the distinct honor of being the fifth most-sampled song in the history of music with use by Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg, Miley Cyrus, LL Cool J, Will Smith, and more than 1000 other acts.
In the late 2000’s, Fresh’s multi-generational popularity spawned several tribute songs, most notably, the 2009 breakout hit “Teach Me How to Dougie,” by LA rap collective Cali Swag District. The song birthed a viral dance craze called “The Dougie,” an ode to moves Fresh created in the 1980s, which have since been adapted and performed by an unlikely bevy of celebrities ranging from journalists Wolf Blitzer and Barbara Walters to superstars Justin Bieber and Beyonce.
Among the many awards Fresh has accumulated over the years, he is a Hip Hop Hall of Fame inductee; a BET Hip Hop Awards’ Icon honoree; and a recipient of the Source Awards’ Lifetime Achievement honor. Fresh made history as the first rapper booked to perform in Africa and the first rapper to perform at the United Nations, alongside his longtime friend and collaborator Stevie Wonder.
With the same ease that he takes the mic, Fresh takes on social responsibility. He wrote a children’s book entitled “Think Again,” as part of the Scholastic Publishing series, “Hip Kid Hop.” The book promotes unity and acceptance through the story of two kids who surmount racial antagonism to become friends. A tireless, well-documented activist, Fresh has fought against racism, drugs, illiteracy, police brutality and homelessness in communities in need around the world. A vocal proponent of artists’ rights, he was a member of the board of directors of the Artist Empowerment Coalition, an organization founded by his dearly departed friend, Prince, to assist artists in retaining their intellectual property. Fresh currently serves as Vice President and Co-founder of the Hip Hop Public Health (HHPH) nonprofit whose
mission is to amplify health literacy through music and to foster positive health behavior changes, beginning with school-aged children. In his role with HHPH, he has worked directly with former First Lady Michelle Obama and her “Let’s Move” campaign, co-producing the soundtrack for the movement.
To date, Doug E. Fresh is one of the most actively touring musicians across all genres, averaging a whopping 200 live, domestic performances per year for the past two decades. A tireless act who remains highly relevant and on the pulse of innovation, Fresh plans to continue to use his gifts to be of service to others. “I’ve always lived my life saying I don’t want to be financially rich and spiritually bankrupt,” he says. “So most of my decisions lean toward what’s better for the spiritual growth of others and for myself, and toward creating the best celebrations of life. When I make music, I’ve always been about trying to elevate the culture. Hip-hop is supposed to uplift, to educate people on a higher level, and to make change.”