This weekend marks a high point for Phoenix — Money Management XL (a hip-hop management company whose clients include 50 Cent, Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and Phoenix's Young Hot Rod), in conjunction with G-Unit, is presenting a hip-hop producers' conference at the Hyatt, with panel discussions, seminars, and beat battles. It's called One Stop Shop, and, sorry, registration for the event is closed, so you're shit outta luck if you wanted to hit this up.
You will, however, get to experience the conference vicariously through me — in the 2/22 issue of New Times, in my column Revolver, I'll give you the lowdown on what goes down. This much I know already: attendees and speakers include DJ Premier (of Gang Starr), Sha Money XL (G-Unit founder and producer of many of the crew's hits), Swizz Beatz (who's worked with everyone from Britney to J-Lo to Chamillionaire), Hi Tek (who dropped beats for Talib Kweli, Mos Def, and others), and many more.
Saturday and Sunday nights will be the highlight: beat battles with a panel of celebrity judges (how I didn't get asked to judge, I'm not quite sure). Nonetheless, this industry conference is like nothing we've ever had before in the 'Nix, and it speaks volumes for our desert metropolis that Phoenix landed it.
BTW — Fitty isn't scheduled to appear there, but believe me, if he's up in that piece, I'll let you know about it.
