TWELVE 22, the Blue Monk, the Alhambra Theatre—for some Portlanders, these names bring back memories of a time when live hip-hop and jazz were easy to find. The disappearance of these now-defunct venues reflects a city that is quickly transforming. That’s where Farnell Newton, Tony Ozier, and DJ OG One come in—together they’re launching the Portland Black Music Festival, an annual musical celebration with an all-black lineup.
As the co-founders of the record label FNBeatsGalore, Newton and Ozier are seasoned in the industry. “Tony does studio and production work, and I’m doing backend stuff with graphics and paperwork,” says Newton, who just finished touring for three years with Jill Scott and Bootsy Collins. When Ozier isn’t producing for FNBeatsGalore, he’s performing with his group the Doo Doo Funk All-Stars. And then there’s the legendary DJ OG One, local community advocate and the Portland Trail Blazers’ resident DJ. When Newton and Ozier started planning the festival, DJ OG One came into the mix. “He was the missing piece of the puzzle,” says Newton.
So why now? “If you go anywhere else in the country you have Juneteenth festivals, African heritage festivals…. We don’t have anything that’s specifically about black music in Portland, Oregon,” says Newton. “A lot of things are happening in the media with police violence, with Black Lives Matter. I’m a firm believer that black music matters as well because it’s a reflection on what’s happening in society.”