TULSA, Okla. — Friday night, The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) releases its latest episode of "Rebuilding Black Wall Street," continuing to showcase key figures from the Greenwood community.
Steph Simon, a celebrated Tulsa hip hop artist and event producer, said he is an unexpected addition to the show. He was grabbing his daily green tea from the Black Wall Street Liquid Lounge when producers approached him.
"Like, 'hey, we've been looking for you. We wanna put you in this show,'" said Simon.
Beyond the television screen, Simon has been instrumental in crafting Tulsa's hip hop scene. As a solo artist, his lyrics highlight his experiences of growing up in North Tulsa.
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Additionally, he is the executive producer for Fire in Little Africa (FILA), a music collective aiming to transform the destruction of the Tulsa Race Massacre into a story of triumph.
OWN showed a particular interested in FILA, asking Simon if he had any upcoming performances. "We had a show that night, but also, a better show coming up in a few weeks. We’re going to Harvard."
Behind the campus concert is Stevie Johnson, also known as Dr. View, the founder of FILA. During his time at Harvard as a Nasir Jones Hip Hop Fellow, he received the call from OWN.
"I fundraised to bring the whole collective to Harvard to perform on the campus, and they we’re like, 'we wanna shoot everything,'" said Dr. View.
An unforgettable component of the live show was the orchestra elementary students from North Tulsa's Legacy Charter School. "These kids practiced just as hard as we did," recollected Simon.
For FILA, their work transcends just music. Dr. View added, "there’s now a Fire in Little Africa course, at the College of Charleston. Literally the text in the class is the album"
Listeners can now find the Harvard performance, "Dr. View & Am're Ford Presents Fire in Little Africa Live at Harvard University," on streaming platforms.
A watch party will be held at the historic Vernon AME Church tonight at 7pm.
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