Guests got a sneak peek of Orange Mound Tower at the Juneteenth Family Reunion, which was held June 19th on the grounds of the old United Equipment building on Lamar near Airways.
IMAKEMADBEATS, founder/CEO/owner of Unapologetic, which co-owns Orange Mound Tower with Tone, estimated the crowd at “around 3,500 to 3,800.”
The event was “to celebrate freedom for black people,” IMAKEMADBEATS says. “And it was also a celebration of Tone and Unapologetic’s new venture at Orange Mound Tower.”
Unapologetic is “a label for musicians and visual artists and a creative ecosystem.”
Tone is “a nonprofit organization created to support and uplift black arts and black artists in the city. The executive director is Victoria Jones.”
The event featured live performances from Unapologetic artists and impromptu tours of parts of the property.
Orange Mound Tower is the future home of his “Dirty Socks Studio,” says IMAKEMADBEATS, who sported a spiffy pair of watermelon-print socks at the event. “Unapologetic World will be a part of Orange Mound Tower. And in that we will include Dirty Socks Studios.”
And, he says, “Unapologetic World essentially will be our offices for our venue and our studio.”
They’re hoping to break ground at the end of 2022, beginning of 2023, IMAKEMADBEATS says. “We’re waiting on some financial projections before we can know exactly when to have the grand opening. Because of phases we’re going to be in.”
Orange Mound Tower also is special in another way, IMAKEMADBEATS says. “I was raised in Orange Mound. And it just feels beautiful to come back home and build at home.”
