The world of hip-hop and comic books collided at the Mass Appeal booth in the Whatnot Liveplex at this year’s New York Comic Con. Genre legends, including Erick the Architect, Busta Rhymes, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and label head Nas, were onsite at the Javits Center in Manhattan throughout the weekend to meet fans, promote upcoming works, and deliver special impromptu performances to fans and attendees in the middle of the show floor of one of the biggest conventions in history.
This year’s Con celebrated its 20th anniversary of bringing together fans of comics, anime, film, and television in the Big Apple. More than 250,000 fans showed up, many in costume, to shop industry exclusives, attend panels, and meet some of the biggest celebrities in fandom.
Mass Appeal was founded by legendary rapper Nas in 2014. The label, which features releases from artists like Slick Rick and Ghostface Killah, expanded into the realm of comic books with limited releases and exclusive collaborations. Available at the booth were special 10th anniversary editions of Marvel Comics that featured hip-hop crossover covers, featuring artists like Nas and the Wu-Tang Clan alongside heroes like Spiderman and the Squadron Supreme.
The booth also featured a re-release of Hulk #1 that featured Busta Rhymes and the late J Dilla as Bruce Banner and the Hulk, poster art that illustrated Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill, a celebration of 30 years of the Fugees’ “The Score,” and a crossover titled “Legend Has It” that featured hip-hop legends and the X-Men team The two mediums are no stranger to each other; DMC, who has made comics for more than a decade, described Marvel’s influence in his work, and storytelling, narrative, and fantasy run concurrently in both hip-hop and comics.
Fans waited upward of four hours on that Thursday to meet Nas, Slick Rick, and Mobb Deep’s Havoc, who participated in a live auction with Whatnot before signing for a few dozen lucky attendees. “Slick Rick is everything to me,” said Nas of the collaboration. “Seeing us with the X-Men is just a different level of creative collaboration — I just appreciate you all.” Havoc echoed his sentiment: “Slick Rick is like my superhero; he is one of the MCs who truly inspired me with his storytelling.”
On that Saturday, many of the same fans waited even longer to shake hands and grab autographs from Busta Rhymes, Lauryn Hill, and Wyclef Jean, who all appeared together. At one point, the trio delivered an impromptu performance of some of their most iconic songs to the stunned audience, including a rendition of “Killing Me Softly” and Busta Rhymes’s verse in “Look at Me Now.” “I don’t know when you think you’re going to have another comic con moment like this again,” said Rhymes.
The Flatbush Zombies’ Erick the Architect was also onsite before his latest release, “Afterburner,” which is slated to hit shelves in January and features contributions from Ghostface Killah. Ghostface was scheduled for the weekend, but noticeably absent.
Stay up to date with all of Mass Appeal’s upcoming releases at massappeal.com and keep an eye out for NYCC announcements at newyorkcomiccon.com.
