Ave du Parc, say hello to Hip-Hop Café!

So the word on the street is that there is a really super cool venue called the Hip Hop Café that just opened up on Ave du Parc this March. Oliver Brault is the one responsible for bringing this amazing concept alive… a business plan and vision that he has held in his heart for around 10 years. As we all know, it’s hard to start at the top and we usually need to work for what we want, especially when it comes to our dreams. Despite Oliver Brault’s lack of funds that didn’t stop him from pursuing what he was interested in, so to set the chain of events in motion as he immersed himself in street promotion for local and international artists, volunteered for the  Montreal Hip Hop Festival, Under Pressure, created his own blog with video capsules, managed “Monk.e”, was responsible for the sponsorship’s of the WordUP! Battles, did writing for Camuz and was part of the Ghetto Érudit team, on CISM.

He did this for many years until he was finally at a point where he felt prosperous and confident enough to finally turn Hip-Hop Café into a tangible reality.

“I always knew that no matter how much time it would take me, Hip Hop Café would see the light of day.” —Oliver Brault

I’d say this quote I pulled from an interview  is pretty indicative of his ambition. Considering the face that I love both coffee and music, it wasn’t hard for me to get on board with the idea.  According to him there are a lot of really interesting events planned for all music lovers to appreciate.

You can also purchase band Ts, vinyls (yay!) magazines, DVD’s, books, and so much more.  Essentially It is a cultural center that is dedicated to the hip-hop genre, and is divided into two parts with a cafe section on one side, and the store on the other where you can make your purchases. you can expect lots of live shows and happenings coming up in the future such as art shows, autograph sessions, live sets and Dj’s to name a few.

I took a walk down to the new venue and met the owner, who was behind the desk talking to a young lady. I scored some awesome pictures of the venue while I waited for him to finish speaking with her. I bought a (delicious) cup of coffee and had a quick chat with the owner and overall, I really like the whole vibe it has going on!

after a couple minutes of speaking with the owner, it sounds to me like his vision for what “The Hip-Hop Cafe” is going to become is strong.  Overall I’m really liking the concept and I imagine that the venue is going to do really well in my neighborhood.

“The main objective is simply to promote hip hop, whether to a crowd that already knows what it is or to a new clientele that might be interested in knowing what the deal is. In the beginning, the project was all about CDs. I was tired of going to an HMV and not finding something that was too ‘’underground’’ for them and then going to Taboo Records and not finding something that was too mainstream for them. I wanted something that covers both sides. Over the years, the project got a new twist with the addition of events and vinyls and other products, too.”

For more information about upcoming events you can check out their snazzy website and follow them on Twitter and Facebook for more information.

*Quotes/info courtesy of CULT #MTL *