SMILE :) WE’re ON 175TV.
One Festival. One Concert. One Set. One Moment. One Song. Same Response. 175.
New York. London. Miami. Amsterdam. Portugal. California. One Song. Same Response. Pure Rage. 175.
Every year, music festivals become gateways for millions of people across the globe in search of escapism through live performances from their favorite artists. Groups of individual people, all trying to have a good time, cohesively merge together for a brief moment to share a joined experience. Now imagine this gathering was less a coincidence of musical taste, and more a sense of belonging to the same community. In the summer of 2018, Walé, the brainchild behind 175, set out to bring that community together with only his Sony Handycam. After embarking on trips to music festivals around The United States, The United Kingdom, and The Netherlands, Walé walked away with one takeaway. “Despite the obvious language barriers and cultural differences, the energy in the crowd felt the same, the Mosh Pits felt like a home and the people in those crowds felt like a long lost family… once the DJ dropped “Look At Me” or “Mo Bamba” - I’d see the same response; pure rage.”
Pure rage and videography are the essence of 175, but it serves as much more than that; it’s become an international community. Over its 3 years of existence, an almost cult-like following has developed, backed by “Ragers” striving to shift the festival and live show experience through mosh pit culture. Ragers expect to see 175TV at all major hip-hop festivals, and dedicate time scavenging through mosh pits for that iconic 175 camera. The objective? Gaining bragging rights through viral videos on Social Media and connecting with fellow Ragers in their city and all over the world.
But wait moshing? At a Hip-Hop Set?
Mosh Pits have always been a staple of the musical landscape; mainly assumed in punk or rock shows with fast tempos, loud and distorted riffs, frequent use of power chords, and shouted vocals. The inclusion of rap groups like ASAP MOB and Odd Future into the rap game completely changed the landscape. Odd Future, and specifically the early work of Tyler, The Creator combined punk/rock elements into rap which bred new energy coming out of Hip-Hop shows, mosh pits, and crowd surfing. This was further enhanced by the Soundcloud Era of rap, which boomed and was pioneered by artists like XXXTENTACION, Playboi Carti, Trippie Redd and Ski Mask The Slump God, who heavily encouraged this same energy at their shows.
But none of this gets to the pinnacle it’s reached without Travis Scott. The man who truly coined the term “Rager”, built a persona for him and his fans over that term, and once and for all, brought moshing and hip-hop into the mainstream. The allure of Scott’s concerts is this extreme: pushing the bounds of rowdiness and providing a space for his fans to express their rage. Such expressive loosely choreographed chaos does not necessarily equate to mass danger, but it has in the past. The thin line between tragedy and a potential legendary performance. The fine line between fight or flight. That’s the thrill of music that incites rage, especially in a live setting — that you have this communal place and, within that, these pockets where participants can mosh and find camaraderie with each other in doing so, safely. And that’s where 175 comes back into the picture. We’re shifting the narrative.
“ WE CULTURE. RAP IS THE NEW ROCK ’N’ ROLL. WE THE REAL ROCK STARS. “ - KANYE WEST
The overall culture has never had a distinct face, look, gender, or demographic: it has trendsetters and people who create it, the wave from there is set by people who follow it, and 175 follows the same model. There’s no set model for what someone who supports 175 looks like, acts like, or even is into music wise, that’s defined person to person. Even as the CEO, Walé is fully removed from the definition of it, it's led by the community. He takes the lead on the video style, clothing and editing as a Creative Director, but how people are able to connect is completely organic. He describes it best with this quote: “If it's all about me, waves go up and down, the next person comes up and you fall down, when you make it about the people, it lives forever… it's easy to hate a person, it’s so much harder to hate a movement.”
A Movement
Another key to the success of 175 is the opportunity it provides. An opportunity to not only be yourself, and branch out to find like-minded people in all landscapes, but also the opportunity to grow. It provides a platform not only to escape but also creates lanes, with a preconceived audience that gives 100% support, with Kevin R (@thetrillpreneur) , more widely known as Spidey Vamp, being a prime example. Kevin’s rise, starting as a rager and supporter of 175, lead to him then conceptualizing wearing a Spiderman costume to all festivals and concerts he attends. Gaining consistent notice from recurring festival/concert goers, celebrities, and on social media, has grown into him creating his own platform/community on Tik Tok and Instagram. Ultimately which further develops a lane, for not only him, but for 175 and all members involved.
The Future
When an untapped market is in question, it's hard to set expectations on what the future looks like but not 175. Walé has the drive, support, and ideas to continue on this path. Spanning from growing a discord currently eclipsing 1,300 members just through word of mouth, a successful popup in New York City, and ideas for attacking traditional (Journalism/Podcasting) and non traditional lanes (ie. 175 Gaming Team, 175 Skating), the future is bright.
