“We’re bringing Uptown to the Hamptons,” DJ Cassidy exclaimed during a rousing event in East Hampton, Long Island. Last Friday, the world famous DJ was on hand at the EHP Resort and Marina’s Si Si Restaurant as part of a fundraiser for The World Famous Apollo Theater.
The Apollo in the Hamptons event featured Cassidy as the headliner for the event, along with several guest appearances from hip-hop royalty, including Doug E. Fresh, Chubb Rock, and Black Sheep frontman Dres. Legendary dance diva Crystal Waters was also on hand to perform. This was the first time the intimate fundraiser took place since the 2018 installment at Apollo vice chairman Ronald O. Perelman’s Hampton home. That year’s guest list included Pharrell Williams, Spike Lee, and Robert Downey, Jr., with performances from Jamie Foxx, Shaggy, Chaka Khan, and Sting.
CBS’ Gayle King, Emmy-nominated actor Leon, and television host Star Jones were among the special guests on hand to attend the elegant affair. Everyone, dressed in lavish cocktail attire and semiformal dresses, gathered at the resort and enjoyed cocktails and mini lobster sandwiches, crab cake sliders, and other resplendent hors d’oeuvres. The Cafe Wha? house band played classic tunes as the sun set on the marina.
Attendees slowly but surely filled up the dance floor as the Cafe Wha? house band ripped through its typically virtuoso renditions of Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You,” Luther Vandross’ “Never Too Much,” and fantastic mashups, mixing Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” with Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor.”
The Apollo executive board was on hand to address the ticket holders, thanking them for participating in the festivities. Apollo Executive Producer Kamilah Forbes explained how Harlem’s world famous theater shut its doors on July 1 to begin its first large scale renovations. The theater will remain closed until 2026, after which the Apollo will feature an expanded lobby and new retail gift shop.
Danté Crichlow photos
Forbes stated that not only is the company breaking ground on rebuilding the physical theater but said, “We’re breaking ground on leading culture,” as the Apollo plans to produce a litany of off-site engagements and pop-up performances at venues like New York’s City Winery, and the Apollo’s sister theater, The Victoria.
Following the staff announcements, dinner was served. Attendees were treated to fried chicken, pasta and baked fish while Wé Ani performed as dusk settled in. The Apollo Amateur Night and American Idol alum used her powerful alto vocals on two songs: Jill Scott’s “Golden” and the Rufus and Chaka Khan classic, “Ain’t Nobody.” She proved to be the perfect warm-up for Waters to enter the stage.
Flanked by two male dancers, Waters ran through her 1990s hits like “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless),” and “100% Pure Love. Waters excited the crowd not only with her distinct vocals, but the tight choreography the 63-year-old diva performed with her dancers.
Not long after Waters exited, DJ Cassidy entered, donning his customary straw hat, sun glasses and a hot pink two-piece suit. The jubilant DJ brought a truncated edition to his “Pass The Mic” showcases, where he invites singers and rappers to perform their classics over the original tracks.
After warming the crowd up with an eclectic array of songs ranging from Earth, Wind and Fire’s “September” to Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison,” Cassidy’s first guest, Chubb Rock, emerged. The Brooklyn MC, dressed in an all-white jump suit, thrilled the audience with his signature hit, “Treat Em Right,” prompting the mixture of celebrities, Hampton elite, and five-borough faithfuls to jump up and down and wave their hands like they just don’t care.
Dres was next, rhyming his breakout Black Sheep hit, “The Choice Is Yours (This or That).” Donning a navy blue cocktail suit with suspended and flower in his lapel, the MC revved up the onlookers, who were all waiting for their chance to rhyme along with the infamous third verse; “Engine, engine number nine, on the New York Transit Line, if my train fall off the track, pick it up, pick it up, pick it up!”
Cassidy ended the lovely occasion with help from Doug E. Fresh, one of Hip-Hop greatest entertainers and ambassadors. Rocking a black sequined jacket, the original human beatbox took over as host, calling out for the best zodiac signs, and performing his own classics like “The Show” and he and Slick Rick’s “LaDiDaDi.”
Apollo in the Hamptons was not just a high-priced fundraiser. It was an example of how the spirit of the Apollo is malleable to any environment, any setting, and transcends class, race, and ethnicity. The essence of Black creativity and New York swagger cannot be confined to just one theater.