When a King Dies, A Legend is Born
"In a state of shock,
I’m a live wire"
April 17th 2020 the heartbeat of NYC’s hip hop community stopped with news of the passing of Jason “Vice Verses” Williams, one of the founders and hosts of the legendary End Of the Weak [EODUB], NYC’s longest running weekly open mic. In its 20th year, EODUB boasts a record-breaking history having created a platform for showcasing artistic talent, for fostering growth, for supporting the community and always, always, for the love of hip hop. Indeed, EODUB offers an alternative to the quintessential rap battle scene in the world of hip hop. In the EODUB community, healthy competition is met with support of fellow artists and camaraderie – a feeling that likens this to a family business. One where everyone is accepted and made to feel like they belong here. The godfather of this ethos, was Jason.
A voraciously talented lyricist himself, Jason, Vice or Veezy as he is known, used his artistry and never-ending energy to boost up those around him and to grow an international movement through the love of music. As the ultimate hype man, wherever Jason was going, he was bringing everyone with him, and in doing so, he united a worldwide community of hip hop heads, a ‘meeting of the minds,’ as he called it. Born from his well-known “Global I told ya” vision, Jason was pivotal in bringing EODUB to over 15 countries around the world, including France, UK, Czech Republic and Uganda. As fellow artist Albe Back says in his tribute video, Vice Verses “was more than a man, he was a mentality.”
It’s this mentality that fuels us in the face of utter heartbreak. His death illuminated what we inherently knew but couldn’t quite put into words until it became apparent after his passing rippled through the global community: Jason was a visionary! He created opportunity everywhere he went...in everything he did...through, and for everyone he met...And he went FAR...FAST.
Despite the shock of the unexpected loss of an icon, friend, partner, brother, and artist, the EOW community didn’t miss a beat, mobilizing rapidly to keep his essence alive through a memorial tribute and fundraising event. GoFundMe pages, merch sales, and the longest-running international zoom event in history took place to memorialize our very own legend, Jason “Vice Verses” Williams. The ceremony featured a live painting of the “King Vice” portrait, by muralist Bianca Romero, while hundreds of community members from countries around the world logged in to share stories of Vice’s direct impact on their lives. The tribute went on for a total of “121” symbolic hours crossing multiple time zones. While the memorial ended at the 121 hour mark with a moving candlelight vigil for Jason, the memorial space, the EOZoom, stayed open for the EODUB community in Jason’s honor and has turned into a living, breathing artistic platform in its own right. The EoZoom embodies Jason’s goal while he was here, and features regular programming and interactive live events, focusing on hip hop music and culture, curated by End of the Weak. A new space for EODub and its artistic family to come together to create, to share and to grow. He would be especially proud to see that the open mic continues every Sunday night, as he wanted. You can check it out @ eodub.com/zoom.
The memorial tribute was a manifestation of how Jason lived his life – it knew no limits, and pioneered a new definition of community, not bound by time, place, language, culture or creed. This event was the ultimate culmination of Jason’s uncanny ability to bring all kinds of people together for common good, each one of them with the belief they had a special connection to him. And ya know what? Each and every Assassin did! He made us all feel that way!
This outpouring resulted in the launch of the Verses Project, an organization started by a uniquely skilled group of family and friends to keep Jason’s legacy alive, well and thriving in a way that he embodied through his life – a life well-lived. What started as an idea for a scholarship fund to honor Jason’s memory in the moment, has turned into an opportunity to bring his vision to fruition perhaps for a lifetime, one inspiring artist at a time. The Verses Project will use funds raised in Jason’s honor to support artists on their journey to success. While nothing can replicate the kind of encouragement and inspiration Vice brought to all, especially aspiring artists, we hope Verses Project will continue to sow the seeds of talent, growth and opportunity in the same way Jason’s light always has.
Stay tuned for periodic updates as Verses Project programming takes shape and funding opportunities are released!