Brown Sugar Tuesdays Bring A Night Of Classic Hip-Hop To Chicago’s South Side

Written by Vocalo Radio on December 22, 2023

Chicago DJ Mustafa Rocks hosts Brown Sugar Tuesdays at Renaissance Bronzeville under the title Old School Hip-Hop.

Vocalo host Jesse De La Peña sat down with Mustafa to discuss the event, and recount their experiences in the hip-hop scenes of Chicago and New York.

As the name suggests, Brown Sugar Tuesdays occur every Tuesday night, and feature guest DJs playing hip-hop music from the ‘80s to the 2000s. The name “Brown Sugar Tuesdays” comes from the 2002 film Brown Sugar, which follows childhood friends who bonded over their love for hip-hop.

^{Photos courtesy of DJ Mustafa Rocks}

Brown Sugar Tuesdays are a recent endeavor of DJ Mustafa Rocks. He was inspired to start the series after realizing how few places were left in Chicago — especially on the South Side — to hear what he described as “real hip-hop.”

“I’ve been talking about it for a while, but I actually went and pulled the trigger on it a month or two ago,” he explained.

Brown Sugar Tuesdays start at 8 p.m. every week at Renaissance Bronzeville, feature weekly guest DJs and are typically hosted by Dave Jeff, owner of PHLI, Chicago’s first Black-owned sneaker boutique.

This Tuesday’s event, on Dec. 26, will feature guest Jesse De La Peña, and guest host Dirty MF. Find more information about this Tuesday’s event and future Brown Sugar Tuesdays on DJ Mustafa Rocks’ Instagram page.

Interview and audio production by Jesse De La Peña

Written introduction by Abigail Harrison