In downtown Williamsburg at
An Occasion for the Arts
VA UNLOCKED: A Sound Walk of Virginia Hip-Hop History
Something has been brewing in Virginia’s backyard for decades.
VA Unlocked is an immersive sound walk exploring the voices, stories, places, and people that helped shape Virginia hip-hop culture. Through oral histories and firsthand accounts, experience a history that has lived in our communities long before the world was watching.
The stories are here. The history is ours. Get ready to unlock it.
Voices in VA Unlocked
Featuring
- Sam McDonald — A writer chronicling Virginia’s music and popular culture.
- Malcolm Venable — A journalist who has written about Virginia’s music and culture.
- Doug “DJ Teddy Bear” Perry — A longtime voice in Virginia radio, associated with Hot 91.1 FM.
- Magoo — The Virginia Beach rapper who made up one half of Timbaland & Magoo.
- Jarrod “J-Rod” Tanner — A radio DJ at WNSB’s Hot 91.1 FM.
- Big B — A member of the Boodah Brothers, whose radio work helped grow hip-hop culture across Virginia.
- Rachael Faunce — A Suffolk-raised marketing and public relations professional who has worked with music and entertainment artists.
- Regan Sommer McCoy — Founder of the Mixtape Museum and a longtime mixtape culture advocate.
- Lisa Lee — A hip-hop pioneer and founding member of Soulsonic Force and Cosmic Force, featured in Wild Style and Beat Street.
- Larry “Live” Lyons — A Virginia hip-hop voice whose stories touch on radio, breaking, and the local scene.
Host and writer
Cymandye Russell
Interviews conducted by the William & Mary Hip Hop Collection
Edited, mixed, and produced by Brendan Reed at Bounce House
