WITH RICHMOND RAP ON THE RISE, THE DARK ROOM IS MAKING ITS CLAIM TO BE THE VENUE OF CHOICE

As we start a new decade in the Rich City, allow me to ruminate on some of the various venues that have come and gone within our once shun upon and now uprising hip-hop scene.

Last year, we saw the end of the legendary Strange Matter (AKA Twisters, AKA Nancy Raygun). The immediate closing of the always unpredictable Club Infuzion. And, the fast rise/fast fall of Champion Brewing’s foray into hip-hop hosting, just to name a few.

Of course, The Camel and Gallery 5 are still in the mix for a quality hip-hop show. The National and The Broadberry host the major label artists that choose to perform in Richmond. And, the hip-hop nightclub appearance will always have its place somewhere in the culture, with the super-indie house show occupying the polar opposite of that space.

However, at the end of the last decade, a new venue started to emerge as a new home for Richmond’s hip-hop scene: The Dark Room on the second floor at The Hof Garden.

Peter LeBlanc, the venue manager of The Dark Room venue came to Richmond in 2012 as a Hartt School alumnus with a Mass Communications Bachelors in broadcasting and a jazz studies degree.

He started working with The Hof in 2017 in the kitchen and then eventually worked his way up as the venue manager of The Dark Room. In March 2018, he organized his first musical production featuring the Jouwala collective called the Finally Friday show. The Finally Friday show has become a monthly thing at the venue and is still going strong to this day.

Peter contributes the February 2019 show where the Sip and Vibe event featuring Chance Fisher and Cane as the point where the hip-hop crowd started flocking over to the once empty second-floor loft in the Hof Garden.

The following month, A Cheats Movement-sponsored event featuring the Analog Suspects duo of Noah-O and DJ Mentos brought out more than one hundred people. Peter said “It’s dope that they are all achieved on the Facebook page, scrolling through the year just now was a big wow. I’m so excited for the coming year with everything I have learned in 2019. I am going to continue offering The Dark Room as a platform for any artist or motivated individual.”

There are several organizations and individuals who do appreciate The Dark Room’s upbringing. After several venue changes, RVA Rap Elite found a permeant home on Broad Street. The popularity of the cypher heavy monthly event has even brought hip-hop artists from the 757 to Richmond.

Music artist and VCU Senior UnaTheUno commented on his first time being in the Dark Room saying what captivated him that night was, “that you could tell not too many people who popped out even knew each other, but everyone was equally supportive of all the talent that went on stage for the open mic. They’ve been one of the most cooperative and willing venues to host smaller events with little to no evidence that the group could pull in a crowd and I loved that about them.”

Popular Richmond Slam Poet Roscoe Burnems shared his thoughts on The Dark Room by saying “[It’s] an amazing hub for all artistry and has really extended its hand to the hip-hop community in a way that venues rarely do… it’s just what RVA needed to take it to the next level.” The RVA Writer’s Den Slam Poet affiliate hopes their support for the blossoming art communities continues. 

The host of Mid-Atlantic Jams on 97.3 WRIR DJ B-Rice descried The Dark Room as one of the premier venues thanks to it “hosting a consistent variety of events with the Roots Jam and the RVA Rap Elite”.

Now that a new decade has begun, The Dark Room is positioning itself to stay around the hip-hop scene for a very long time. The progression of the venue from an empty second-floor loft into a spot where all types of creatives can meet has been rapid.

In my interview with Peter, he mentioned big plans for the Hof in the future. There are big things are coming in 2020 for Richmond hip-hop and we are certain that The Dark Room will provide a major portion of the backdrop.

concert photos provided by Till Infinity Multimedia – words by Jay Guevara