Mike and Dave's First Annual Rappers Awards at the Empire Roller Rink, February 12, 1983
This handbill promotes Mike and Dave's First Annual Rappers Awards and advertises the first appearance of the Crash Crew and the Treacherous 3, who were both Sugar Hill recording artists. The handbill also lists other hip-hop acts that would be commemorated at the awards, such as the MC Spoonie G and the radio DJ Mr. Magic. The Cold Crush Brothers also attended the event. The design of this handbill reflects a style used for many early handbills that promoted hip-hop concerts. For this design the artist enhanced a collage of photographs of the musicians and promotional text with freehand line drawing.
Mike and Dave charged an admission for the show—$7 for this first event—and the hottest artists showed up and performed for free, full of enthusiasm about the possibility of winning an award. Prizes were given in several categories, including best solo rap artists, best rap group, best DJ, best stage show, and best female rapper. The Cold Crush Brothers, famous for their stage routines made an annual appearance at the event. Confident that the prize for best stage show was theirs, they showed up year after year to collect the award. The event was held at the Empire Roller Disco in Brooklyn. For years the venue has featured disco DJs and some of the top acts in hip-hop.
