Lit from p7 of 2021, Ed handed King the keys to the cas- tle. A year later, the Forchion family has done more than merely pioneer an outlet for can- nabis in a new market; they’ve built a much- needed epicenter for the celebration of Black art and music. Tucked amid South Florida’s teeming cluster of prismatic EDM clubs and unending Latin dance nights, the Joint of Miami is a free-spirited outlier. As most venues make their bread off of DJ sets and 21-and-over crowds, the Joint caters to a separate clien- tele of stoners and young underground rap fiends through live concerts and events. “You don’t get hip-hop around here unless you’re at a strip club, bro,” King asserts. “If you got a girl and your girl don’t want to go, you not going to a strip club. If you don’t have a couple hundred to spend at a strip club, you’re not going.” He has a point. Miami has long been miss- ing a dedicated axis for all things hip-hop. Together with Essence, King has turned a safe space for Miami potheads into a hotbed for the next generation of inter- net-bred rap stars. In-de- mand upstarts like BabyTron, Autumn! and Destroy Lonely have rocked the stage at the Joint in the past three months. Let’s not get it twisted, 8 8 though. The Joint has also hosted some of hip-hop’s longest-tenured icons, Wu- Tang Clan’s Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and GZA. New York’s avant-garde rap syndicate Griselda Records left its imprint with recent appearances from Boldy James, Stove God Cooks, Jay Worthy, and Rome Streetz. Even trap superstars Future “YOU DON’T GET HIP-HOP AROUND HERE UNLESS YOU’RE AT A STRIP CLUB, BRO.” and Lil Baby made appearances during last year’s Art Basel. But King and Essence emphasize that the Joint’s appeal doesn’t stop at hip-hop. From Wednesday to Sunday, the venue hosts everything from comedy open mikes to Caribbean music nights to art markets to live jazz. The pair places value in versatility and catering to different types of people with similar roots to theirs. “Kinfolk, you know what I mean?” King says of the Joint’s target audience. “We’re not Latin, we’re not Spanish. There’s too much around here to cater to that. There’s not enough of this. We wanted to fill the niche of the hip-hop world.” The performance area beyond the lounge is vast and made vibrant by colorful light dis- plays above the stage. The space is made even wider with a connecting outdoor patio equipped with a food truck aptly dubbed the Munchie Mobile. King credits the production teams the Joint works with for tapping them into high-caliber talent, which in turn brings out the best in the crowds they pull. The Joint’s emergence as Miami’s main at- traction for hip-hop was more of a natural pro- gression than something wholly intentional. As King traces back the family’s musical ambitions for the venue, Essence playfully interjects in a way only a big cousin could get away with. “Well, no, no, no. Let’s start from the begin- ning, sir,” she chimes. “We came down here thinking we were gonna be a juice bar, which then turned into Latin nights, hip-hop nights, and where we are today. It evolved from [King] buying the slushie machine maker thing into a completely different world.” And it’s a world they both welcome with open arms. De- spite having to metamor- phose a couple of times since the Joint’s inception, Essence notes that they’ve been fortu- nate not to encounter any ma- jor obstacles in their journey up to now. The lack of static from law enforcement in a state where recreational weed has yet to be legalized has been a blessing. Even as she laughs about being way out of the loop with the new-age rappers the club hosts, there’s a mutual sense of gratitude between her and King about building the platform they have, all while fully embracing canna- bis culture. Literally and figuratively, it’s in their blood. [email protected] MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 AUGUST 18-24, 2022 NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com miaminewtimes.com
