It isn't widely known
that Club Unity, a Los Angeles-based rap concert series created in the early 90s by Hip-Hop aficionados Bill "Bigga B" Operin and Orlando "O" Fenderson, provided many of today's renowned East Coast rap artists (including Wu-Tang Klan, Jay-Z, Nas, and Eminem) with their first live performance opportunities in Southern California. The series also established a concert footing for numerous independent West Coast rap artists.
The seed for the seven-year span of concerts was planted in 1989. Fenderson, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, was a security guard at Disney Studios' Burbank headquarters and also a bouncer at the famous Hollywood Palace nightclub, where San Diego native Operin - a former UNLV student and offensive lineman and teammate of Marion "Suge" Knight, Jr. - approached him about security jobs. Fenderson immediately introduced him to the club's head of security, and Operin started work the following evening. The two bouncers would soon begin a lengthy business relationship.
1992: Orlando "O" Fenderson (left) and
Bill "Bigga B" Operin in Los Angeles
At the Palace, Operin met Anthony Rutherford, owner of Totally Secure, a successful Los Angeles-based security company that provided security for clubs and bodyguard services for professional athletes, actors, and musicians. Rutherford quickly hired both Operin and Fenderson as members of his club security unit. At the different venues where the two worked, they repeatedly had to prod clubgoers, who were adamant about savoring the moment in spite of it being closing time, towards the exit doors. The painstaking ushering eventually triggered the idea between them to create an after hours venue to accommodate clubbers who were not ready to cease partying at 2 a.m.
After forging an arrangement with a bartender from their Palace days, who occasionally rented out his Hollywood (Sunset and Vine) loft for parties, their first-in-a-series of nameless 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. after-hours clubs commenced. The coordination was simple: an open space, a DJ, and two Technics 1200 turntables. Because their simultaneous security duties enabled close access to potential after-party patrons, promotion was simple. They discreetly gave flyers to people exiting the clubs they worked at.
Within months, their after-hours clubs were booming. The success drove the two men to develop a blueprint to transition into hosting live acts. Having worked together at numerous clubs, where they networked with rap artists and record label employees, they decided to confront a frequent topic of discussion: the glaring lack of opportunities and venues for up-and-coming rap artists to perform live in Los Angeles. Armed with a clearer vision and an increase in fervor, they sought to give their next series of club dates a worthy name. Fenderson stated, "We wanted to create a club that was all-inclusive, a crowded club where everybody paid respect to rap music and Hip-Hop culture, no matter where they were from, what age they were, and what they were about...as long as they came in peace." Envisioning that the unifying element for all involved would be a shared respect for Hip-Hop and its lifestyle, the title Club Unity was born.
Rapper Buckshot (Black Moon / Boot Camp Clik) performs at El Hacienda Real in downtown Los Angeles.
The duo concluded their security work when they landed jobs at the Los Angeles office of the successful and popular indie rap music label Loud Records, working under the supervision of label owner Steve Rifkind. Operin began his Loud tenure as a marketing manager and quickly worked his way up to an A&R executive role. Fenderson became a Loud employee following a six-month stint as a road manager for the rap group Funkdoobiest, a touring gig facilitated by Operin. Upon his return from the road, Rifkind offered him a retail marketer position, and the two former bouncers began road managing a West Coast publicity tour for Loud recording artists Wu-Tang Clan in support of the group's seminal debut release Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), which was taking the music industry by storm.
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Experienced, enthused, and fueled by an exemplary work ethic, the prospect for success at producing live shows was palpable for the two men. With the amalgamation of their rap music knowledge; club milieu background; and understanding of the music industry, along with Operin's A&R and marketing expertise and Fenderson's tour managing skills and deep familiarity with Los Angeles, the duo was ready to definitively establish Club Unity as a series of Los Angeles concerts that would greatly enhance L.A.'s rap music landscape. The added boon of their association with Rifkind didn't dent the agenda - working at Loud Records afforded them ripe opportunities to book artists from the label's roster as well as rap artists from Rifkind's other successful venture, SRC (Steve Rifkind Company), which provided marketing services to numerous record labels. The latter affiliation engendered the concert series' first lineup.
A Club Unity Flyer
Circa 1993. Up-and-coming rapper Biggie Smalls was promoting his Uptown Records release Party and Bullshit, a single from the soundtrack to the film Who's the Man, and was featured in a bi-weekly newsletter disseminated by a burgeoning rap/R&B music impresario, Sean "Puffy" Combs. Operin, a fan of both the track and Smalls, read the write-up and reached out to Uptown, ultimately setting up a date for the rapper to perform the track live at the debut of Club Unity.
Supported by the Beatnuts, a rap duo marketed by SRC, the first Unity show was on the books but far from perfect. Although the Beatnuts performed at the packed venue, a City of Vernon Army Reserve property rented by an associate of Bigga B and O, fire marshals arrived and prevented Smalls from taking the stage because the number of attendees had exceeded the venue's capacity. Later that night, the Unity show's attendees flocked to recording artist Prince's downtown L.A. nightclub Glam Slam to watch Smalls perform his planned Unity show setlist in a quickly arranged concert (where Smalls also met rapper Tupac Shakur).
In spite of the Club Unity debut's capacity mishap, a robust seed was planted. Bigga B and O began holding subsequent shows featuring rap artists nearly every two weeks at sizable venues throughout Los Angeles, primarily downtown's El Hacienda Real and Hollywood's the Palace. Smalls (who would soon become famous under the moniker the Notorious B.I.G.) later headlined a 1994 Unity show while promoting his debut album, Ready to Die.
The combined expertise of Bigga B and O, who at the time were both renting apartments in the same Hollywood building, rendered them the perfect team to plan the shows. Venue security for the average Club Unity concert costed nearly $2,500. Sound engineering and sound equipment (the Palace was the sole Club Unity venue which provided its own sound system) cost $2,700. Between $2,000 and $6,000 was spent on the rental of the venue and marketing and promotions. Each show averaged 2,000 attendees. Artists' fees varied. Between 1992 and 1999, tickets for the show costed between $10 and $20 dollars, caviar at a Cup of Noodles price for rap music enthusiasts.
It was the "Golden Era" of rap music, and the concerts added a flare to L.A.'s music scene and benefitted many. Naturally, rap music fans who attended them were beyond ecstatic. Loud Records artists (Wu-Tang Klan, Mobb Deep, Xzibit, Raekwon, Dead Prez, Tha Alkaholiks/Tha Liks, Big Pun, and Sadat X) were able to cut their teeth performing live at Unity's jam-packed venues, and East Coast rap illuminaries (including KRS-One; Jay-Z; Nas; Common; Eminem; Genius/GZA; the Boot Camp Clik featuring Black Moon, Smif-N-Wesson, and Heltah Skeltah; Fat Joe; Pete Rock & CL Smooth; Fu-Schnickens [who performed at Unity with then Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal]; Goodie Mobb; Craig Mack; N.O.R.E.; Akinyele; Ghostface Killah; Ol' Dirty Bastard; Mic Geronimo; Group Home; La the Darkman; Mad Skillz; Jeru the Damaja; and more) finally had a viable outlet to perform for Southern Californian rap enthusiasts eager to absorb the sonic brilliance of 90s rap in a live music setting.
The Crowd: Mana's, Lynwood, CA, 1997
Lineups also included a plethora of veteran and budding independent West Coast rap artists. Despite residing in or within close geographic proximity to the city of Angels, the absence of Hip-Hop infrastructure had caused a dearth in opportunities for these artists to regularly perform live in L.A., which was, for many of them, home to their largest fan bases. Club Unity proudly featured the lot of them: Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples, Saafir, Self Scientific, Freestyle Fellowship, Visionaries, Mystik Journeymen, Da 5 Footaz, Medusa, Mean Green, Ras Kass, Vooodu, Blackalicious, the Coup, Aceyalone, King Tee/T, Living Legends, Funkdoobiest, Chino XL, Krondon, Del the Funky Homosapien, People Under the Stairs, Kool Keith, 2Mex, Casual, Mykill Miers, the Underground Railroad, Myka 9, among others.
Club Unity showcased the who's who of rap music DJs as well. Guest DJs Biz Markie, DJ Premier (Gang Starr), the World Famous Beat Junkies, Large Professor, and Diamond D. dazzled Unity audiences with their ingenious array of rhythmic and technical capabilities. They were joined by resident DJs Mark Luv, DJ Khalil (Self Scientific), DJ Babu, DJ Kilu, DJ Rhettmatic, and DJ Jay Rock.
Bigga B (right) and Orlando at El Hacienda Real in 1997
Along the journey, Bigga B and O received assists from a large group of Hip Hop enthusiasts and music industry workhorses, including Tareef Michaels, Violet Brown, Brandon "B-Fin" Finley, Sway & King Tech, Big Boy, Josiah Brock, the Baka Boyz, Martin Walker (Martin's Records), and numerous others.
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Memories of the shows have been indelible for both attendees and the performers who wowed them from the stage. In addition, several prominent editors and writers from the era's top rap music magazines acknowledged Club Unity and its contribution to Hip Hop culture in their publications and projects to ensure that the concert series received a just recognition.
The concert series concluded in 1999 following the untimely passing of Operin, who suffered a heart attack in Arizona while accompanying rap artist Bad Azz on a promotional tour. Despite the persuasive efforts on the part of many, Fenderson opted to discontinue the concerts, outside of a quartet of shows dedicated to the memory of Operin - a 1999 tribute held at the Palace, a pair of 2013 shows at North Hollywood's Federal Bar, and a one-off 2010 tribute show at L.A.'s El Cid organized by DJ Mark Luv. Fenderson's justification was fueled by respect: "After Bill passed away, and the period of mourning passed, I had a lot of able support when it came to continuing the series, but the idea of doing so just didn't feel right. Unity was Bigga B, and Bigga B was Unity. It was that simple...for me, at least. The few shows we did put on later were cool and successful, but I'm glad I made the decision I made. It was a spiritual decision."
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Gratitude to the fans, the performers and their labels and managers, the venues and their staff, Steve Rifkind and the support teams from both Loud Records' Los Angeles office and SRC, countless security guards, and multiple sound equipment rental establishments. For without all of these contributors, there would be no Club Unity.